tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14284324116693383342024-03-13T22:52:36.210+04:00Smart Travels"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." Saint Augustinechampacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.comBlogger275125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-66056505057232032432022-08-14T15:19:00.188+04:002022-09-04T19:35:09.595+04:00Florida<p style="text-align: justify;">For my 7th trip to the US, unusually I stayed the whole time in a single state, one that I'd only briefly visited the north of three decades previously. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcMz2ec4quS_AMGAu8HyHHe5REk4ET7ZdSOr5-y-gnunlE0bCpBdI9ES660OjIUZTthQvSkRMBWgzrw_vyrL0rEr-PtubwJFnd9V6onda4DtEyb5MgTEXO8k0yTnRjJL_3N8YeaBZDePPY4DqqLVsVXbcHiOfAkmcYvc08BgSrgjf7UAUAeg_K0bm/s4032/IMG_4552.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcMz2ec4quS_AMGAu8HyHHe5REk4ET7ZdSOr5-y-gnunlE0bCpBdI9ES660OjIUZTthQvSkRMBWgzrw_vyrL0rEr-PtubwJFnd9V6onda4DtEyb5MgTEXO8k0yTnRjJL_3N8YeaBZDePPY4DqqLVsVXbcHiOfAkmcYvc08BgSrgjf7UAUAeg_K0bm/w200-h150/IMG_4552.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yes, that's a dog wearing sunglasses</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="text-align: right;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States (2,170 km) and is the only state that borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. It's very flat (the average elevation is 30 metres), and its highest point is only 105 metres high! It's also the third-most populous state in the US, with about 21 million inhabitants in 2020, despite being only the 22nd in surface area among the 50 states.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: -webkit-standard; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: auto; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpZaCnBaqlMPZlWBizcFQMRr_-RUxw7kKw23IxL4OCXVLcGSR8ARaudBP1xNZ6DnDrTs1BhJaZx0RlxPlVbMlyxYi9KWXkz0av5V88FcyNhXEuxGJ5_I5ExlgIi3_Z6jQL_3dl3nMO4RfwEpVJ-1iGqD7jpPG0izNaMRmYIH-Olx-IZsJV_ssCWWO/s4032/IMG_5653.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpZaCnBaqlMPZlWBizcFQMRr_-RUxw7kKw23IxL4OCXVLcGSR8ARaudBP1xNZ6DnDrTs1BhJaZx0RlxPlVbMlyxYi9KWXkz0av5V88FcyNhXEuxGJ5_I5ExlgIi3_Z6jQL_3dl3nMO4RfwEpVJ-1iGqD7jpPG0izNaMRmYIH-Olx-IZsJV_ssCWWO/w320-h242/IMG_5653.jpeg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a lifeguard station at Haulover Beach</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">We flew in and out of Miami, travelling from <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion</a> via <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/03/mauritius-moments.html" target="_blank">Mauritius</a> and <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2015/11/dubai-abu-dhabi.html" target="_blank">Dubai</a>, and our first two days were spent in the city, recovering from jetlag. We stayed in the Coconut Grove area, but also visited Coral Gables (<span style="text-align: left;">a 1920s planned city) </span>and the iconic South Beach. We found most of the vegetation in this part of the state similar to <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion</a>.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHVWzuE-T92r2MM6aoUS7XfcU5UvMnseIGYHkhZTn5hrHoNq2jytzt-UGjRhjTLPBsQVJaIA-GJ7bv_C49niZbU3kKChrSh07yUnz78WIa05LVnn9TUA1XtlTzEtOqJRGr_993_Y_qjn4Jatb1IRMHLmywAlHODn1beg3HneSg1FL1fUypd9URb-p/s3734/IMG_5598.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="3734" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHVWzuE-T92r2MM6aoUS7XfcU5UvMnseIGYHkhZTn5hrHoNq2jytzt-UGjRhjTLPBsQVJaIA-GJ7bv_C49niZbU3kKChrSh07yUnz78WIa05LVnn9TUA1XtlTzEtOqJRGr_993_Y_qjn4Jatb1IRMHLmywAlHODn1beg3HneSg1FL1fUypd9URb-p/w400-h300/IMG_5598.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colony Hotel dates from 1935 and is one of 800 preserved buildings in<br />South Beach's Art Deco district. Note the "racing stripes" decoration</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgER3v23Tawhw9mGJNC0kmQJIyQvHvDnbq76Uk_aeXP8csIZnNnQ79T7cnlSCrzx2rv8NKQeYqm1dsfL1yMQ7DNpQYSQF8sjYCQ6KE4Zk-_ISuIKIsB3E8AdotLkw68-5nPyv01QZLBhgrgVvNv7DYwJvk9SeMZMvM2ThHdBHTOBA84pXqBrBIE7l1i/s4032/IMG_5644.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgER3v23Tawhw9mGJNC0kmQJIyQvHvDnbq76Uk_aeXP8csIZnNnQ79T7cnlSCrzx2rv8NKQeYqm1dsfL1yMQ7DNpQYSQF8sjYCQ6KE4Zk-_ISuIKIsB3E8AdotLkw68-5nPyv01QZLBhgrgVvNv7DYwJvk9SeMZMvM2ThHdBHTOBA84pXqBrBIE7l1i/w400-h300/IMG_5644.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Venetian Pool is a beautiful public swimming pool in <br />Coral Gables embellished with Venetian-style buildings</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-tyqSmRk-cHQ_ZGFzrgq29g35KmoFjYZ_pJPojGA2-JGCjpB3Pu1Rw00wS3Bnibuy9z127eYA4skSqhotH8VeZNEJ2p01u6iMdR2i6OOkCeueDAX69BUa0nupDoQhPYaftXK47X3X09473HT4PNLPfTaW18R3gCieJHDEd0_p3ruEeKOS1Jzejrz/s4032/IMG_5647.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-tyqSmRk-cHQ_ZGFzrgq29g35KmoFjYZ_pJPojGA2-JGCjpB3Pu1Rw00wS3Bnibuy9z127eYA4skSqhotH8VeZNEJ2p01u6iMdR2i6OOkCeueDAX69BUa0nupDoQhPYaftXK47X3X09473HT4PNLPfTaW18R3gCieJHDEd0_p3ruEeKOS1Jzejrz/w300-h400/IMG_5647.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For our drive back to Dunedin (where my brother lives) we chose the scenic route through the Everglades and saw our first alligators in Florida, in Big Cypress National Preserve</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiP5wKcGpfnM3pN7y008pA2OBA7ltCGNkqEnGDvO66FUSVxhxm2pYLAjnRQz_zPn-IlyPmpkbWPUkX8_NFW1li813MhzolrLq9SL30WC6-GlhZMT0ytQO4E8BUxItSJD6aWfMiOdA-YSUgJ0ANmxe37sL7wN2QvFTRZyXO7e3X4z9R-2DsN66U2SxX/s4032/IMG_5677.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiP5wKcGpfnM3pN7y008pA2OBA7ltCGNkqEnGDvO66FUSVxhxm2pYLAjnRQz_zPn-IlyPmpkbWPUkX8_NFW1li813MhzolrLq9SL30WC6-GlhZMT0ytQO4E8BUxItSJD6aWfMiOdA-YSUgJ0ANmxe37sL7wN2QvFTRZyXO7e3X4z9R-2DsN66U2SxX/w400-h300/IMG_5677.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-E0O0DcilCPxSZSnh9y2EGtkQ2qpUPTW_aSM3-KDpFd-Jl9uDwM85BDgtnw0iF7sM-4syfsxHQybctY3ulqRJ_lDqV2dumY8Ri67O_nbGRUSp-3hPGD3T9tmwuZE0D6zwJQUmUv3ceUDayIFLCIqhl0-4t13D3SnDcnC-O000WIr2pKSnNKiG-Nq/s2806/IMG_5668.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1756" data-original-width="2806" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-E0O0DcilCPxSZSnh9y2EGtkQ2qpUPTW_aSM3-KDpFd-Jl9uDwM85BDgtnw0iF7sM-4syfsxHQybctY3ulqRJ_lDqV2dumY8Ri67O_nbGRUSp-3hPGD3T9tmwuZE0D6zwJQUmUv3ceUDayIFLCIqhl0-4t13D3SnDcnC-O000WIr2pKSnNKiG-Nq/w400-h250/IMG_5668.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKpYRbfo9cDpaaR6zAWX7guvQqpVTn0MLQyTP8_3MCHT4ZMVx1rwmWXm5zC--06lVtWvOW3lICMGIgd8oiruLmpl2AkU48qXWIoOJNRp0L5hmSM3p3N-L6FxhH65j0jTnr6PLgOKDStfDYupyn6JULITAlWMRvhGau00Ji3g4vPa75b50ahGVzmb5/s4032/IMG_5674.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIKpYRbfo9cDpaaR6zAWX7guvQqpVTn0MLQyTP8_3MCHT4ZMVx1rwmWXm5zC--06lVtWvOW3lICMGIgd8oiruLmpl2AkU48qXWIoOJNRp0L5hmSM3p3N-L6FxhH65j0jTnr6PLgOKDStfDYupyn6JULITAlWMRvhGau00Ji3g4vPa75b50ahGVzmb5/w300-h400/IMG_5674.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a poisonous Lubber grasshopper</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlf8Z-jfM4vzrrupcGI0A7KxM6Ji8djl8AjjkI8mFzHQz_jS_JfsqpzbL9hv2DPu4wa5rDqOdp3_x5qGo2E6FsLIWosLiu8_GrSqidQdA27St6HH9ifzWqJGzgMnpXyboqhn-pObx3LG0D9CcQZp73qgFHcWXZmIjMbHwtAAriTEx1ikb2-N4YzKpt/s4032/IMG_5678.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlf8Z-jfM4vzrrupcGI0A7KxM6Ji8djl8AjjkI8mFzHQz_jS_JfsqpzbL9hv2DPu4wa5rDqOdp3_x5qGo2E6FsLIWosLiu8_GrSqidQdA27St6HH9ifzWqJGzgMnpXyboqhn-pObx3LG0D9CcQZp73qgFHcWXZmIjMbHwtAAriTEx1ikb2-N4YzKpt/w300-h400/IMG_5678.jpeg" width="300" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5u01Wuh7LTKWxtYKM0Xba_WxWR1CNqBa33D-oVqkvlNRDcj6kHJrtAFjQRl-rv8BGa5CkbQiLP7kU0gmW1eK-edwmnB5ryyYpfGXTEdaFqTnHEp5XYDKokLqBYO8H5h5W89kwRbd_Dfvj-I4tbGAoa-Vt7QoA5F7TyGxlfTKdApzNs7bBqcYzyTPz/s4032/IMG_5685.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5u01Wuh7LTKWxtYKM0Xba_WxWR1CNqBa33D-oVqkvlNRDcj6kHJrtAFjQRl-rv8BGa5CkbQiLP7kU0gmW1eK-edwmnB5ryyYpfGXTEdaFqTnHEp5XYDKokLqBYO8H5h5W89kwRbd_Dfvj-I4tbGAoa-Vt7QoA5F7TyGxlfTKdApzNs7bBqcYzyTPz/w400-h300/IMG_5685.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">At his home in Dunedin, my brother has bikes, a kayak, a boat, and even a golf cart so we had to plenty to keep us occupied in the area, especially as the islands and beaches of Honeymoon Island, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caladesi_Island_State_Park" target="_blank">Caladesi Island</a> and Clearwater are nearby.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQG7uTuCzDW-El-oZoUzMQafVyKqgHvpLv2UT4vNJNVwOoYSA753G1ygJMIgG2w5fmG9gZyAUbF1ET_k5vo-qRsYxZ5Mv45va8mBsRuovmdxZ-B-Cj8grThd9b06lR009Q_oovjeludYipAqPpAtIqkVD4zHMiKwPT-u1I2W8bgUnDO6Hg9AwWRn9/s4032/IMG_5738.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQG7uTuCzDW-El-oZoUzMQafVyKqgHvpLv2UT4vNJNVwOoYSA753G1ygJMIgG2w5fmG9gZyAUbF1ET_k5vo-qRsYxZ5Mv45va8mBsRuovmdxZ-B-Cj8grThd9b06lR009Q_oovjeludYipAqPpAtIqkVD4zHMiKwPT-u1I2W8bgUnDO6Hg9AwWRn9/s320/IMG_5738.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a sign on Caladesi Island, which is only accessible by boat</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQsUSZ0JzUrSqE4uFTlWgEy0C-vLkRXEyMcFwB8Xx_Lw5mYCB2xEBBOkME5I3Ki2WFRtTT1vNkIp9asnejgXgBmDhQCf1Qs488e9Ce63QFN7V4w61f9R4-INF4R18F8lk4qwsgo_yOQknn2DxQe-Wr5nhKtfrUTA-OZ-gFfa9Q7RaTlt09BzXP5xZ/s4032/IMG_4564.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQsUSZ0JzUrSqE4uFTlWgEy0C-vLkRXEyMcFwB8Xx_Lw5mYCB2xEBBOkME5I3Ki2WFRtTT1vNkIp9asnejgXgBmDhQCf1Qs488e9Ce63QFN7V4w61f9R4-INF4R18F8lk4qwsgo_yOQknn2DxQe-Wr5nhKtfrUTA-OZ-gFfa9Q7RaTlt09BzXP5xZ/w400-h300/IMG_4564.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayaking in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Tampa_Bay_Park" target="_blank">Upper Tampa Bay Conservation County Park</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>While out cycling, kayaking or on the boat we often saw wildife such as dolphins, birds such as ospreys, manatees and more alligators.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisE5GAO4PSRS2CYeGJaCLcYap57CSkGrRlE4orjPDOyh4N_ay0yYobLy5wDEakX_pn_LtGur6i7-cTjmh1olrdKkykmFxb2m8G1mlmdCw7yzeYvB1dI8uZaNYhwd3SMQG2vsGl-aROWUo1Wzb5jG-zz3Z3iC7AEcP-D-v6t2y2nIs8Sn1yp6Imjg01/s2262/P1000817.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1521" data-original-width="2262" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisE5GAO4PSRS2CYeGJaCLcYap57CSkGrRlE4orjPDOyh4N_ay0yYobLy5wDEakX_pn_LtGur6i7-cTjmh1olrdKkykmFxb2m8G1mlmdCw7yzeYvB1dI8uZaNYhwd3SMQG2vsGl-aROWUo1Wzb5jG-zz3Z3iC7AEcP-D-v6t2y2nIs8Sn1yp6Imjg01/w400-h270/P1000817.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_4epHyy50pN-V3CXCvkE3kTeyJrfyM_YPYg_D7qnNVHCD3m5iPxcSf8bCcZmgtaG9Llu7FW45wBVnU2mFupjY_pljyrUjDL9gtw3a6k8Wj_31HmIffs6EmcQxeCyu4hY3m57u7cB5XlHT7j9rdlCrnJATyxsHxNkPy9mi7zjWmp4yvnybh89SBjIh/s2542/P1000869.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1898" data-original-width="2542" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_4epHyy50pN-V3CXCvkE3kTeyJrfyM_YPYg_D7qnNVHCD3m5iPxcSf8bCcZmgtaG9Llu7FW45wBVnU2mFupjY_pljyrUjDL9gtw3a6k8Wj_31HmIffs6EmcQxeCyu4hY3m57u7cB5XlHT7j9rdlCrnJATyxsHxNkPy9mi7zjWmp4yvnybh89SBjIh/w400-h300/P1000869.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Osprey at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_De_Soto_Park" target="_blank">Fort De Soto County Park</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFzAxPEKBEkFHw5LJAGVdWFDn1Xv1tJKktH4Iv2Z_e2C5Lh43SpGp2cmClmK9HcNWarNmgM-hukWweZmtLerh53T83OxJzx3FAY9yfNgZzxwxsURcow8cfpz2Ifgk3Uz-S1U1xi7JE-aS_gIhA3XFxmIZH_OEJKvLXSTkhA6yi-l0rXHUbnoEugYq/s4032/IMG_5923.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFzAxPEKBEkFHw5LJAGVdWFDn1Xv1tJKktH4Iv2Z_e2C5Lh43SpGp2cmClmK9HcNWarNmgM-hukWweZmtLerh53T83OxJzx3FAY9yfNgZzxwxsURcow8cfpz2Ifgk3Uz-S1U1xi7JE-aS_gIhA3XFxmIZH_OEJKvLXSTkhA6yi-l0rXHUbnoEugYq/w400-h300/IMG_5923.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a manatee approaching the boat</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We visited the nearby town of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarpon_Springs,_Florida" target="_blank">Tarpon Springs</a>, home to a large Greek-American community due to the divers who moved there in the 1890s to work in the town's sponge industry.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHsttcLce9MOy8jrh-09kbHzh-raz1lOnSOBRF3R9pOPxa-BKlwu_AphyTnATaAYJxZ5CETdWH4tVVC26Uzwsc1rL55T6ae2rkj6gCuWMoH4hhV-_4QRKRwY1hlWPDnyHxXpU1JubhDXvlPeOjC6XoGw5W4EDDONW3v1sJpQcHOHviygLUgOJsqrU/s4032/IMG_5934.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHsttcLce9MOy8jrh-09kbHzh-raz1lOnSOBRF3R9pOPxa-BKlwu_AphyTnATaAYJxZ5CETdWH4tVVC26Uzwsc1rL55T6ae2rkj6gCuWMoH4hhV-_4QRKRwY1hlWPDnyHxXpU1JubhDXvlPeOjC6XoGw5W4EDDONW3v1sJpQcHOHviygLUgOJsqrU/w400-h300/IMG_5934.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sponge boat at Tarpon Springs docks</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">On another day we visited the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD_Museum" target="_blank">Dali Museum</a> in nearby St Petersburg. With over 2,100 works, it has one of the world's most comprehensive Salvador Dali collections. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHriPbbHmZNAk1CiTb9ZVmKz9fvmj5jGh5fVniCcEicDmEGYdXDKRgArKVw9CMc3_qgqHN46h3LBFugMyxARkNawNyoco5rgwRZBG5e7wH6Hq04SVB_tU6NoiRlT8CZ_77pEkLdQaS0TpQc-1P7NSoix79QvD-DCVpBJA2Q7aRlUysWhLSi4W9FfhC/s2048/295363964_10229871902321242_6371762565664693040_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1320" data-original-width="2048" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHriPbbHmZNAk1CiTb9ZVmKz9fvmj5jGh5fVniCcEicDmEGYdXDKRgArKVw9CMc3_qgqHN46h3LBFugMyxARkNawNyoco5rgwRZBG5e7wH6Hq04SVB_tU6NoiRlT8CZ_77pEkLdQaS0TpQc-1P7NSoix79QvD-DCVpBJA2Q7aRlUysWhLSi4W9FfhC/w400-h259/295363964_10229871902321242_6371762565664693040_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of downtown St Petersburg from the New Pier</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiWQV8bHp4TfJ00TXnizOaW6OA9wBRcQTpooYPyfk21NZP_WnQG8VDPzyVgURZdA86WtVFJStz1I54kA-x4NevY6jedYVrJBAAEjVjI6bjpEMnAXzet-wlbNAllJ4c1if-WCafr9ysZpfhgOfyuwkN8I1_GuF7juKjoOqs82uSEaTDFdasa2YHWyo/s2048/294473025_10229857399318676_7654909974756790905_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiWQV8bHp4TfJ00TXnizOaW6OA9wBRcQTpooYPyfk21NZP_WnQG8VDPzyVgURZdA86WtVFJStz1I54kA-x4NevY6jedYVrJBAAEjVjI6bjpEMnAXzet-wlbNAllJ4c1if-WCafr9ysZpfhgOfyuwkN8I1_GuF7juKjoOqs82uSEaTDFdasa2YHWyo/w400-h300/294473025_10229857399318676_7654909974756790905_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption">The Dali museum building is made with 1062 glass panels and is referred to as "The Enigma"<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqGDm2cgrHlM3APNxpWjg3idOOMadXsKZy54nTgYvtZwL_mzh0a9QBQ_RGhFiGlP9ZkLZ001DuYQS_098bs3iKU_o1sSv8_D9n_F4lh7_ak5XDgV6KMfo2TCqMYQYz-l8luunM0YbiItlhH0SEqen3AFMJw_daQhDG0RMBB463nZqqiWOSWn3pFDu/s2000/294320051_10229857407438879_505623138077974242_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1609" data-original-width="2000" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqGDm2cgrHlM3APNxpWjg3idOOMadXsKZy54nTgYvtZwL_mzh0a9QBQ_RGhFiGlP9ZkLZ001DuYQS_098bs3iKU_o1sSv8_D9n_F4lh7_ak5XDgV6KMfo2TCqMYQYz-l8luunM0YbiItlhH0SEqen3AFMJw_daQhDG0RMBB463nZqqiWOSWn3pFDu/w400-h321/294320051_10229857407438879_505623138077974242_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Enchanted Beach with Three Fluid Graces</i> (1938) was my favourite painting of those on display</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlkPXl_aYvoS-LjAtmHoFqFIHnnuB6uPnQCWvY1burJxY54wVSQGj1rP7TTmbCysxn2jQkLxkoVJiIIOLZW03jPxIkiSmpWtwoFQB9TSdd23S5qKSv1rUpLZNva4eKgZrAZt8pX3zPux4HaQKL3Oup8e6-naraIQeKYEZ0wPYJev4Y6N7gP0d0B18/s2000/294775438_10229857407718886_7000081582462397808_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1531" data-original-width="2000" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlkPXl_aYvoS-LjAtmHoFqFIHnnuB6uPnQCWvY1burJxY54wVSQGj1rP7TTmbCysxn2jQkLxkoVJiIIOLZW03jPxIkiSmpWtwoFQB9TSdd23S5qKSv1rUpLZNva4eKgZrAZt8pX3zPux4HaQKL3Oup8e6-naraIQeKYEZ0wPYJev4Y6N7gP0d0B18/w400-h306/294775438_10229857407718886_7000081582462397808_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory</i> (1952-1954)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCNf_bGIV_oXy71FI85vttYH63RP7X1UCbWujz40oST-a5slgdHP0TfakMkPMUbp5L_sk8rcX7La-q50sMf_E0zQ8G9tB2jrTPKo_oUP6877gx7XNjlHZrUSlRzU6a2TYzDNklfYfG_mxbqdU19tussAZ_IWmfBxkt6rcmFMqBtFsc2mIf-LQ4H-X/s2048/294758642_10229857399078670_212286652456296650_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCNf_bGIV_oXy71FI85vttYH63RP7X1UCbWujz40oST-a5slgdHP0TfakMkPMUbp5L_sk8rcX7La-q50sMf_E0zQ8G9tB2jrTPKo_oUP6877gx7XNjlHZrUSlRzU6a2TYzDNklfYfG_mxbqdU19tussAZ_IWmfBxkt6rcmFMqBtFsc2mIf-LQ4H-X/w300-h400/294758642_10229857399078670_212286652456296650_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The museum's staircase is helical with 2¾ rotations (representing Dali's <br />fascination with the double helix form of DNA) and a continuous handrail</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On another day we went to the city's Fine Art Museum, and Tampa Bay Automobile Museum, which only houses cars in working order, many of them with the keys in the ignition! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A-lUN7Ay6Nqlaig2IGfWI-h5lbq4Ss-53PU4vZCR_9TSrgTTO8QKsUC7mUDRsGj-fIz8GBpq9XEx4T04Wd_LrIHtCujWRkrwofh-AuRWs5YkRoRjMUFptbNd5bDr6b7pI42bLw4p-RgRx1qCXZ8v7ti0EYqYJBOJovku-ggSKnWicVyLu_ZTclVy/s2048/294877574_10229871902521247_7420396226173821460_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A-lUN7Ay6Nqlaig2IGfWI-h5lbq4Ss-53PU4vZCR_9TSrgTTO8QKsUC7mUDRsGj-fIz8GBpq9XEx4T04Wd_LrIHtCujWRkrwofh-AuRWs5YkRoRjMUFptbNd5bDr6b7pI42bLw4p-RgRx1qCXZ8v7ti0EYqYJBOJovku-ggSKnWicVyLu_ZTclVy/w400-h225/294877574_10229871902521247_7420396226173821460_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Bablyonian clay tablet with cuneiform writing from 2100 BC at St Petersburg Fine Art Museum</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34VxpXwnZcKKPZyvxDeNHVB-wYOLSqS-rpWmTPjBS_twZL7Pj0YjX-39U4Rf29BVdFodkBsn8k8CKOVQ3bEiFWv52z1aisFtjbByGHnxujA6pJ9O7YOr60SMeLFyOGP117CD8Uez2wiZFHwqDdZ6UDlOZnOL63f-eSc2cU8lwJ9GqRBsjgNQoTsjN/s2048/295260490_10229871902441245_917992680988056375_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1150" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34VxpXwnZcKKPZyvxDeNHVB-wYOLSqS-rpWmTPjBS_twZL7Pj0YjX-39U4Rf29BVdFodkBsn8k8CKOVQ3bEiFWv52z1aisFtjbByGHnxujA6pJ9O7YOr60SMeLFyOGP117CD8Uez2wiZFHwqDdZ6UDlOZnOL63f-eSc2cU8lwJ9GqRBsjgNQoTsjN/w225-h400/295260490_10229871902441245_917992680988056375_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1799 painting by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun of her daugther Julie as Flora, <br />the goddess of flowers, at St Petersburg Fine Art Museum.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwT26aGL_jIf3D-c3FBP5vIUrbumJKQ3fPSaZ_6HzrvP6gPJj0Cr53DDvGIxPPQBd5AknZa_SawBp2npRtmQyfld4mj2rHv1H5RZ4FRf1o4cuPfCS1d317k5v0GerKfi7lQ5DlWetzSKTFdKB6fxslaNdQTHMYwx2w5avO8r7PqkCX62gb9cWK42d/s2048/295136529_10229871902201239_7491629443315887452_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwT26aGL_jIf3D-c3FBP5vIUrbumJKQ3fPSaZ_6HzrvP6gPJj0Cr53DDvGIxPPQBd5AknZa_SawBp2npRtmQyfld4mj2rHv1H5RZ4FRf1o4cuPfCS1d317k5v0GerKfi7lQ5DlWetzSKTFdKB6fxslaNdQTHMYwx2w5avO8r7PqkCX62gb9cWK42d/w400-h225/295136529_10229871902201239_7491629443315887452_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 1913 Stearns-Knight (the last known running example of this model)<br />at Tampa Bay Automobile Museum</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VraufavwZ9lHt16nQcGWaqRaGbdjkSS0ZUHbU5Y3hH3P9j_kxnkxDUZtSUWUKyZ-5M36AmhpJOSNpJOiezmr--r07yKBuY_mw115FcK4N5sQYQflbpHlut_TNupsKRhTpp4IUWO1hmvMKZSP-F_erJwFhJyjM2AYENaf6clLasetW3zUdgPOGAVJ/s3255/P1000806.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2078" data-original-width="3255" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VraufavwZ9lHt16nQcGWaqRaGbdjkSS0ZUHbU5Y3hH3P9j_kxnkxDUZtSUWUKyZ-5M36AmhpJOSNpJOiezmr--r07yKBuY_mw115FcK4N5sQYQflbpHlut_TNupsKRhTpp4IUWO1hmvMKZSP-F_erJwFhJyjM2AYENaf6clLasetW3zUdgPOGAVJ/w400-h255/P1000806.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Don Cesar is a hotel at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Pete_Beach,_Florida" target="_blank">St Pete Beach</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>As Dunedin is on Florida's west coast, it was also a good place to watch sunsets.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JE2kJJO1_rbtaQwyhUHq0WYXOBstWZQq0i3yJhP6gAe6rivK1h8h0wjZ-8U_mPR3F3cBWd6ov_RKvm4nQFFwLao4wF8y74b0j0cK8UUNbvW-okVsFvPYPb1tSmkSdzluMQFkrCs5sZ9WzqiHTuj9J5QoV15AqBc_rqaNsWorUL0yyGyXyOZ9KJ-R/s4896/P1000780.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JE2kJJO1_rbtaQwyhUHq0WYXOBstWZQq0i3yJhP6gAe6rivK1h8h0wjZ-8U_mPR3F3cBWd6ov_RKvm4nQFFwLao4wF8y74b0j0cK8UUNbvW-okVsFvPYPb1tSmkSdzluMQFkrCs5sZ9WzqiHTuj9J5QoV15AqBc_rqaNsWorUL0yyGyXyOZ9KJ-R/w400-h225/P1000780.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">watching the sun set over Caladesi Island </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Dunedin, like much of Florida (the US?), is increasingly dog mad and amongst other things we saw dog menus at restaurants on several occasions. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVfsG_Yuo-yWm0JUGNCrYxZfxG07xP43GbWzO_8rQL0GBiOtJ4mpUROn0tIwyNUPwpz6k-u0cvSdzo8JhhmNGWkjy5MFLV6Zee9LH0ryYcPuG843Tkv0NUj3XqKTfglE26TZjDAGaQZZfMTzG29Og0RMDs6CFZahKovKAJHrZ6v4-Yy7x41T-q-f1/s4032/IMG_4553.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVfsG_Yuo-yWm0JUGNCrYxZfxG07xP43GbWzO_8rQL0GBiOtJ4mpUROn0tIwyNUPwpz6k-u0cvSdzo8JhhmNGWkjy5MFLV6Zee9LH0ryYcPuG843Tkv0NUj3XqKTfglE26TZjDAGaQZZfMTzG29Og0RMDs6CFZahKovKAJHrZ6v4-Yy7x41T-q-f1/w300-h400/IMG_4553.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a dog menu</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOzsn__mk3FYineew7Tphjj96alMEwjRaAhFP_5z9tCNHmpYHAtz2w7HvKJxI3TpDCsCQMVMG9H9mbo-8viyagtFp_QVgUKegXyYLAQoIHfVb1B_5KWhvBfAGU1T_pVpouAsyiu38KNcMVze36JlCBaGhpafqzPPHXPtOalPCOwtB8nDHPKoIVl1a/s4032/IMG_4551.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOzsn__mk3FYineew7Tphjj96alMEwjRaAhFP_5z9tCNHmpYHAtz2w7HvKJxI3TpDCsCQMVMG9H9mbo-8viyagtFp_QVgUKegXyYLAQoIHfVb1B_5KWhvBfAGU1T_pVpouAsyiu38KNcMVze36JlCBaGhpafqzPPHXPtOalPCOwtB8nDHPKoIVl1a/w400-h300/IMG_4551.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">just a dog being driven down Dunedin high street</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaWfYACWYbOrrnxkcHvtdp2gFOuql0yap7msGdJGPPeD6EbM4VCeh4gzwN9Hd7e0AfzYBH5RH4j-U2cIulIzTqPPoNQUSWInGIgXATW2zd7XRTGXXj7yz8EttVdl1CXF0w85pBNSdtp2tKogV8QN-KQhS4f4MndMR3p_TDOvO24o7pGouHZlZS-0G/s4032/IMG_6133.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaWfYACWYbOrrnxkcHvtdp2gFOuql0yap7msGdJGPPeD6EbM4VCeh4gzwN9Hd7e0AfzYBH5RH4j-U2cIulIzTqPPoNQUSWInGIgXATW2zd7XRTGXXj7yz8EttVdl1CXF0w85pBNSdtp2tKogV8QN-KQhS4f4MndMR3p_TDOvO24o7pGouHZlZS-0G/w400-h300/IMG_6133.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">when your pet goes to the great dog park in the sky, <br />you can have them immortalised on this Dunedin wall.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLt2kQtq9cU_VbWsKdsdyc5hmrdVPeZvRdKUpezA_k_vinuSi9zInp_C14G8WT1XiV-qeX4hokWnRIH2HaA0s2SDWDPHxgihNtPC3VQS2DDGdo1j5MgucqmaU7FFBTwcTMbHuYcJ54QXp_zrUiKsvCta9E7vf9jVAu9WY2Y6DvbUUPleYO1l-A5DU/s2048/297525553_10229937336077045_3130820575380027233_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLt2kQtq9cU_VbWsKdsdyc5hmrdVPeZvRdKUpezA_k_vinuSi9zInp_C14G8WT1XiV-qeX4hokWnRIH2HaA0s2SDWDPHxgihNtPC3VQS2DDGdo1j5MgucqmaU7FFBTwcTMbHuYcJ54QXp_zrUiKsvCta9E7vf9jVAu9WY2Y6DvbUUPleYO1l-A5DU/w400-h300/297525553_10229937336077045_3130820575380027233_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stencil seen on pavement in Clearwater</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMim46gJqU2hoMDoejElmvX7FTVs6nnuv2jdIY4BpagnRBu9zg775nqCxdqRgerGG1q-X7JkFZiPjTDR2Sj7nqfun8608vZ9JUDa48PvRvqO0EGuS1ajN9KzfGtdw4Gwqnyb4-Qm6sD8CAa9hz3YFoG0NZgjiLeheeTyfUj_UhtBckIGqkSJilLzS/s3807/IMG_6247.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3807" data-original-width="2294" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMim46gJqU2hoMDoejElmvX7FTVs6nnuv2jdIY4BpagnRBu9zg775nqCxdqRgerGG1q-X7JkFZiPjTDR2Sj7nqfun8608vZ9JUDa48PvRvqO0EGuS1ajN9KzfGtdw4Gwqnyb4-Qm6sD8CAa9hz3YFoG0NZgjiLeheeTyfUj_UhtBckIGqkSJilLzS/w241-h400/IMG_6247.jpeg" width="241" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in a shopping mall</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Halfway through our visit we took a 4-day trip to the north-east coast, our first stop being the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Space_Center" target="_blank">Kennedy Space Center</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Canaveral" target="_blank">Cape Canaveral</a>.<div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuhDzU9t-erYZpbqIyup0_3T3F99zPh-nRpFo9T8mSfH-ydRBpjCeRE-o8_BAhJjipVn0ighoSdyBOmD58_WDmdmDBCZLtDzXogslBGk_CrkWSxb9D_EhFgRkAqUwydRO3ncnto3pCiO3OBsRQ4O9Bz4P53A78Q8SGD1sYJjAGvLwF32V9Y0pcxcq/s4896/P1000381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuhDzU9t-erYZpbqIyup0_3T3F99zPh-nRpFo9T8mSfH-ydRBpjCeRE-o8_BAhJjipVn0ighoSdyBOmD58_WDmdmDBCZLtDzXogslBGk_CrkWSxb9D_EhFgRkAqUwydRO3ncnto3pCiO3OBsRQ4O9Bz4P53A78Q8SGD1sYJjAGvLwF32V9Y0pcxcq/w400-h225/P1000381.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking across Indian River to Kennedy Space Center</td></tr></tbody></table><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eablFDPIyS85Hq9vkQg5PoIdrDvvqb66MRYdVzJ9sHVtQ_a4SD1H8wJxgur32CnhG86UkppNASoR-HDfdM9hTmn75QOUtQ266L0M4_1hth3x9TcGQbWc5zWN_LT_najiLocRVW5rdV0yh_2NNUJJpEnD5YcsEJ3BltfpPRIWlTEcur3R3pTOnC_n/s4896/P1000428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eablFDPIyS85Hq9vkQg5PoIdrDvvqb66MRYdVzJ9sHVtQ_a4SD1H8wJxgur32CnhG86UkppNASoR-HDfdM9hTmn75QOUtQ266L0M4_1hth3x9TcGQbWc5zWN_LT_najiLocRVW5rdV0yh_2NNUJJpEnD5YcsEJ3BltfpPRIWlTEcur3R3pTOnC_n/w400-h225/P1000428.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Kennedy Space Center</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDojwbCyp0swO4nJ7vXiBFRVTBm5snyfpy9URZCAtReY_eHP-1TF64U4_alp1TE4OriathksfO6627hyTfc_eWCl6IrB4CEwIkQSzXUBVsrJwCpm05kTV8iUtPu1kTQ2GrvYNkgolmz4Npvh4yOHwL8fe2TTlCPutL_pZkMJGL6ObFFscpCdq4Qj8G/s4432/P1000499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="4432" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDojwbCyp0swO4nJ7vXiBFRVTBm5snyfpy9URZCAtReY_eHP-1TF64U4_alp1TE4OriathksfO6627hyTfc_eWCl6IrB4CEwIkQSzXUBVsrJwCpm05kTV8iUtPu1kTQ2GrvYNkgolmz4Npvh4yOHwL8fe2TTlCPutL_pZkMJGL6ObFFscpCdq4Qj8G/w400-h175/P1000499.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Space Shuttle Atlantis at KSC</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The next day we headed up the coast to Daytona, where my husband and brother visited <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytona_International_Speedway" target="_blank">Daytona Speedway</a>.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPD8kPw7wHqiYy9hkeox8nt9ysNN140MRs4j2BnJ2keVDncphBw2zy-dlbbs9cbatq853t3hhyTQAR6o1RxD4taiy3VUDfom8ZOAmsSq0Ob00C0wEnVPcgLVMR2moAm0tEQetZ34zbftRjsLBc8lXztAjC-Fys4rFLIxKs1KpgSPBPuS-dvQVQ5NA/s4896/P1000593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRPD8kPw7wHqiYy9hkeox8nt9ysNN140MRs4j2BnJ2keVDncphBw2zy-dlbbs9cbatq853t3hhyTQAR6o1RxD4taiy3VUDfom8ZOAmsSq0Ob00C0wEnVPcgLVMR2moAm0tEQetZ34zbftRjsLBc8lXztAjC-Fys4rFLIxKs1KpgSPBPuS-dvQVQ5NA/w400-h225/P1000593.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daytona speedway: 18° at the start line and 31° in the turns</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Our next stop was further up the coast at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine,_Florida" target="_blank">St. Augustine</a>, which was founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, and lays claim to being the oldest continuously inhabited European-established city in the U.S. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVdY9_VMtuEeKhLas4dTFUaYmIECUYYdrA3Ix06rDMLyI8tzuXgj_flcppjXOwp-WOOKifj-HOryqO4t4sVtWtP8-JvWvl8dwobBsGEGDb3Q9KcLsqoVIlQgH6Vm8dCfo4Oe02VHW1ncTo6Did5aeWYL3VaswZ7LfxhRc87ncqrhEF05ygRciNU8l/s4896/P1000726.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRVdY9_VMtuEeKhLas4dTFUaYmIECUYYdrA3Ix06rDMLyI8tzuXgj_flcppjXOwp-WOOKifj-HOryqO4t4sVtWtP8-JvWvl8dwobBsGEGDb3Q9KcLsqoVIlQgH6Vm8dCfo4Oe02VHW1ncTo6Did5aeWYL3VaswZ7LfxhRc87ncqrhEF05ygRciNU8l/w400-h225/P1000726.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">city gates of St Augustine</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNZ0_hK2-f7wk6534QIE506rIpwy5vKKBAPb8IadrvONfNErHYnQhP8UoxK59Bp8NvQ2QpxQgKKP1syrz_-Bj76H5F5Cvo4rYnxg5C6rf-gjBdgpRLbLRgnW5YiAoR6qe8H3C8cG5P7NOpGzOxdsFRnMV_HFF4R9w9a5WSFPyA3dXi2H0NF2DdXIG/s4896/P1000727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNZ0_hK2-f7wk6534QIE506rIpwy5vKKBAPb8IadrvONfNErHYnQhP8UoxK59Bp8NvQ2QpxQgKKP1syrz_-Bj76H5F5Cvo4rYnxg5C6rf-gjBdgpRLbLRgnW5YiAoR6qe8H3C8cG5P7NOpGzOxdsFRnMV_HFF4R9w9a5WSFPyA3dXi2H0NF2DdXIG/w400-h225/P1000727.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Built some time before 1788, purportedly America's oldest wooden schoolhouse. <br />Walls of cypress and red cedar are held together by wooden pins and <br />cast-iron spikes, and a massive chain anchors it in high winds.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYl6gqEUwctnRVQgJToM30HxokVxQ2Ln6qeqXl_5IduEx9NP8ujBriiNRoDwzb5dNV0hHgAAupeEkWwKYTvO5IC4MEPkoy0PPtzqvcNzP9CSl8Vsh5YbHdC9P79qLvPKiIMva1fUTRcXCkytlAKkwG_dHPKUrLUo_ppRidWXUrzgEOaKsDAZRUj9s/s4791/P1000737.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2692" data-original-width="4791" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYl6gqEUwctnRVQgJToM30HxokVxQ2Ln6qeqXl_5IduEx9NP8ujBriiNRoDwzb5dNV0hHgAAupeEkWwKYTvO5IC4MEPkoy0PPtzqvcNzP9CSl8Vsh5YbHdC9P79qLvPKiIMva1fUTRcXCkytlAKkwG_dHPKUrLUo_ppRidWXUrzgEOaKsDAZRUj9s/w400-h225/P1000737.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagler_College" target="_blank">Flagler College</a> is a former hotel called Ponce de Leon that opened <br />in 1888 and was then heralded as the world's finest</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3P7Vy2mnefCzXKkhTvg5crSarkq8J9Z-JqmeI4HWtrxQ5YlbsYRMnoCelJfb7o2JoD4Yc_SfHDouJEN_U9oNiNDA5PDEIGctH0jfZB8-ivCo5RIuLDzvHihdMh9ESFGMU8Wz_IOK_DgzPoymBP7ZX85KLtG9UXST9cfV9xSpVrcM6uHHKQsGAkTV/s4032/IMG_6119.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis3P7Vy2mnefCzXKkhTvg5crSarkq8J9Z-JqmeI4HWtrxQ5YlbsYRMnoCelJfb7o2JoD4Yc_SfHDouJEN_U9oNiNDA5PDEIGctH0jfZB8-ivCo5RIuLDzvHihdMh9ESFGMU8Wz_IOK_DgzPoymBP7ZX85KLtG9UXST9cfV9xSpVrcM6uHHKQsGAkTV/w400-h300/IMG_6119.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had lunch in this former swimming pool of Flagler's Alcazar Hotel; <br />the building is now the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightner_Museum" target="_blank">Lightner Museum</a>, devoted to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_Age" target="_blank">Gilded Age</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OWGCv65OjJHOlAVnWyGq7MheI9UohQrlop5_Z5EfSKbATNSwGlLpI891C8zSj1j6qdjYFh16pAC_2oM4w1XXaEs7bAAT8TCX2tQXlUvMt3i3SR40pSY-sYJFKhAVTpmUMV_rsOt3B2uvPZxd-yskgQhWgOuSxVELDeWCz0ckHvyd_3pLEzGEokpP/s4032/IMG_6123.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OWGCv65OjJHOlAVnWyGq7MheI9UohQrlop5_Z5EfSKbATNSwGlLpI891C8zSj1j6qdjYFh16pAC_2oM4w1XXaEs7bAAT8TCX2tQXlUvMt3i3SR40pSY-sYJFKhAVTpmUMV_rsOt3B2uvPZxd-yskgQhWgOuSxVELDeWCz0ckHvyd_3pLEzGEokpP/w400-h300/IMG_6123.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casa Monica, a hotel built in 1888 by Henry Flagler</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5l1wXbcK26lffAzHvivlxNGWV5yjhGDAiYd76tA7RPSDv7S4wCFprgF_apCpXuj3-Uf_MsFnI9LRW6T1NASSFquj6qqC3thE5GvcWFWHRQQTL8_cdlkHnm38WW7Us6cgo-tIVG9wj1T-AEzyUo4OqZnUu6oPJCauo4KnLtF5UfX3yCTMmZvgNrcf/s2753/IMG_4533.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2657" data-original-width="2753" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5l1wXbcK26lffAzHvivlxNGWV5yjhGDAiYd76tA7RPSDv7S4wCFprgF_apCpXuj3-Uf_MsFnI9LRW6T1NASSFquj6qqC3thE5GvcWFWHRQQTL8_cdlkHnm38WW7Us6cgo-tIVG9wj1T-AEzyUo4OqZnUu6oPJCauo4KnLtF5UfX3yCTMmZvgNrcf/w400-h386/IMG_4533.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a (delusional) lady walking the streets of St Augustine</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>The town's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castillo_de_San_Marcos" target="_blank">Castillo de San Marcos</a> is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8RTdpdcXXecmUYBHc6zXerpkgHNV5hlcQ8eFgh6Hnp1FwKrvUZSAFnuBTitfI6lhJRpR4VEOfssmzQkEAh6L6L8rUvGkwUk4CbRelqS_V_1eXldP3g9QdH9fWicZzEZqc39AfzVaj5TKgS5Zv7BTDXeUeh5AWJgD5JpymjENT55QjKYgD7q2JhI5/s4896/P1000675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8RTdpdcXXecmUYBHc6zXerpkgHNV5hlcQ8eFgh6Hnp1FwKrvUZSAFnuBTitfI6lhJRpR4VEOfssmzQkEAh6L6L8rUvGkwUk4CbRelqS_V_1eXldP3g9QdH9fWicZzEZqc39AfzVaj5TKgS5Zv7BTDXeUeh5AWJgD5JpymjENT55QjKYgD7q2JhI5/w400-h225/P1000675.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Castillo de San Marcos</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8rX51mamlA31V88in16MUvj4goSyi7fhAKSvBgSas15lEkIuJfcyI1-0XkOOTugtuZ4gwF5vjTn655c0NUDu7QMoqogW5oKU_5ellKUZOGq5HLt3zbwTGXwldmwI0QPixJGa3bf4FhcfACS08IINxItqm-9S9kUeF8Pks3fXZq8Wz9splbZEbsTa/s4032/IMG_6111.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8rX51mamlA31V88in16MUvj4goSyi7fhAKSvBgSas15lEkIuJfcyI1-0XkOOTugtuZ4gwF5vjTn655c0NUDu7QMoqogW5oKU_5ellKUZOGq5HLt3zbwTGXwldmwI0QPixJGa3bf4FhcfACS08IINxItqm-9S9kUeF8Pks3fXZq8Wz9splbZEbsTa/w400-h300/IMG_6111.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from Castillo de San Marcos</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SLZgy1sYUrvXEDHEJuUT7mvT21vfx8-Dp5XJDcLjJbafDJKZSkvVaLWiJ19PKNzSoP_R2XzOWb_r5dmDMmUb7Rl-0FcmC0PNE-0gX4oCc8YUU-4xV_LI26BH6FzcnnpoS_g4LXLdhSbVpAJxQH31B7rhtllmzVjeXu0ZJWkgtoEq2aWX0iZkfZf0/s4896/P1000716.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SLZgy1sYUrvXEDHEJuUT7mvT21vfx8-Dp5XJDcLjJbafDJKZSkvVaLWiJ19PKNzSoP_R2XzOWb_r5dmDMmUb7Rl-0FcmC0PNE-0gX4oCc8YUU-4xV_LI26BH6FzcnnpoS_g4LXLdhSbVpAJxQH31B7rhtllmzVjeXu0ZJWkgtoEq2aWX0iZkfZf0/w400-h225/P1000716.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Castillo de San Marcos</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZPUoz4YBn5BirYXx__gu3eyGEtDH02NkdRKDGWBd3hG-AzgavspvH8gImYcWIITg2xrkE9L9TTUTbDvQvUDxsD0JqXeVrF71GmiRVzxVEyYrh2HKILIHDY8hgyDsaeEKfmHjMxoc59Sg764vBxlMWuPhc13uEYjBbUXQreodxDhfoDkqhxAwfn5y/s4896/P1000664.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4896" data-original-width="2752" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZPUoz4YBn5BirYXx__gu3eyGEtDH02NkdRKDGWBd3hG-AzgavspvH8gImYcWIITg2xrkE9L9TTUTbDvQvUDxsD0JqXeVrF71GmiRVzxVEyYrh2HKILIHDY8hgyDsaeEKfmHjMxoc59Sg764vBxlMWuPhc13uEYjBbUXQreodxDhfoDkqhxAwfn5y/w225-h400/P1000664.jpeg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Augustine Beach lighthouse dates from the 1870s</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>On our way back to Dunedin we stopped at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Spring_State_Park" target="_blank">Blue Springs State Park</a>.</div><div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLDmBoluPLTXACNJIFbOI0azYwpihSiYJbU5zTwHlZxCFQPWO0wUWG1ZnBW0_PTztT9EAyZHca9cPkdO_XgYdiHh5j0QPZ21AJtJywBmfDOtCqDWi6P1_kEQgA-MKhKZeFBkg6pebjZF7BHQbjQsTDXfHqCPZDlRMDeKpX3zwRIE8CtjKAIB_Bhg5/s4896/P1000764.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLDmBoluPLTXACNJIFbOI0azYwpihSiYJbU5zTwHlZxCFQPWO0wUWG1ZnBW0_PTztT9EAyZHca9cPkdO_XgYdiHh5j0QPZ21AJtJywBmfDOtCqDWi6P1_kEQgA-MKhKZeFBkg6pebjZF7BHQbjQsTDXfHqCPZDlRMDeKpX3zwRIE8CtjKAIB_Bhg5/w400-h225/P1000764.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_gar" target="_blank">Florida gar</a> fish at Blue Springs State Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFlNhJIiAhnZaIUmTNvwl_ZuRmxoMpMuFCYWqCmFhybWOP8U4TisiguTJV8NUW3nwR6I9hul57i7t4x8nKnehnvppiJ32KqKG1xLAy52BhtQNgSyroYxL-fvBfUtP4F_f2fbx8GW2rCmXnGS4QCcsJT-o3aPw9hZq-y8IJP8ollcaaAxHEqygFEdR/s4896/P1000768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFlNhJIiAhnZaIUmTNvwl_ZuRmxoMpMuFCYWqCmFhybWOP8U4TisiguTJV8NUW3nwR6I9hul57i7t4x8nKnehnvppiJ32KqKG1xLAy52BhtQNgSyroYxL-fvBfUtP4F_f2fbx8GW2rCmXnGS4QCcsJT-o3aPw9hZq-y8IJP8ollcaaAxHEqygFEdR/w400-h225/P1000768.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Springs_State_Park" target="_blank">Blue Springs State Park </a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiydHomJW59O_3DhcIKLge8GN9uZKdFYzFGch_ZbYbwIOA1W-inJRLSgxt0nc1sE9rgRGKSBCHd5W2VOJhVAN64A3MsOjlmPXTEKvxezk2M70zrXciXkkdRoWk7jJ437ZlykSraOAgmmVMnol8wl0iWTh-1RSE23QMGcUVulk59-ANqkx1iQnBn3k/s4896/P1000753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiydHomJW59O_3DhcIKLge8GN9uZKdFYzFGch_ZbYbwIOA1W-inJRLSgxt0nc1sE9rgRGKSBCHd5W2VOJhVAN64A3MsOjlmPXTEKvxezk2M70zrXciXkkdRoWk7jJ437ZlykSraOAgmmVMnol8wl0iWTh-1RSE23QMGcUVulk59-ANqkx1iQnBn3k/w400-h225/P1000753.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thursby House at BSSP, restored to its 1880s' state</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0yGr13iqkCHX58DOBr-8jBQgvt5AXVoBFNTyhnd6oeftGMIr2f6XN1Ip5evtphczYhgNe_Ci72fS4VqGs5Iuw5iUU3vq5obSV4yJ-lKsSnkB3oTgFKfNtjZ48yb_vc0eimbYatSzQkKTUjHOQWFdFi5Xw4coYdDTefl-p9-R6U9_Bv7Nu0ZwsFVE/s4896/P1000759.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0yGr13iqkCHX58DOBr-8jBQgvt5AXVoBFNTyhnd6oeftGMIr2f6XN1Ip5evtphczYhgNe_Ci72fS4VqGs5Iuw5iUU3vq5obSV4yJ-lKsSnkB3oTgFKfNtjZ48yb_vc0eimbYatSzQkKTUjHOQWFdFi5Xw4coYdDTefl-p9-R6U9_Bv7Nu0ZwsFVE/w400-h225/P1000759.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mosaic manatee at BSSP</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Back in Dunedin we did more cycling, kayaking and visiting local sights, including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anclote_Key" target="_blank">Anclote Key</a>, where there is a 31-metre tall <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anclote_Keys_Light" target="_blank">lighthouse</a> built in 1887. The island is home to 43 species of nesting birds.</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RcHyYi0vKKcRKOpBhuSzXDlZ3o84_zem5nHfIqbFfgs5ktYwwCS2LDxDd9Cql18E0YTcqc07HcE2y-FuejcwTEE7paL56m9w9MvT9x4kAFNMGdEfMs3_LnApatfOQm47xbLPBJ97sjOihQEpNVe6A2i_do2Kq2exhPAN3kGLYpJNdFcV9HXOY1-N/s4896/P1000939.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RcHyYi0vKKcRKOpBhuSzXDlZ3o84_zem5nHfIqbFfgs5ktYwwCS2LDxDd9Cql18E0YTcqc07HcE2y-FuejcwTEE7paL56m9w9MvT9x4kAFNMGdEfMs3_LnApatfOQm47xbLPBJ97sjOihQEpNVe6A2i_do2Kq2exhPAN3kGLYpJNdFcV9HXOY1-N/w400-h225/P1000939.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">walking on the beach at Anclote Key</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVE1SaoXo_vJvUVzcGefrRASKoKMcvp7Ea_aEIej4hYa2Es4bXk5z0-8B9i3D56isuPXb5pxXv9CtdA7IUdjl93e8h3mejgrSLeodoy-BZ0AppFtnoF8xB7ysApgGiw18xbGLWFc8z7rJNCagJ5v2EXQSRlKNVV0hlBpEW8rj_q4UcQkX-MqftG_P/s4896/P1000903.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVE1SaoXo_vJvUVzcGefrRASKoKMcvp7Ea_aEIej4hYa2Es4bXk5z0-8B9i3D56isuPXb5pxXv9CtdA7IUdjl93e8h3mejgrSLeodoy-BZ0AppFtnoF8xB7ysApgGiw18xbGLWFc8z7rJNCagJ5v2EXQSRlKNVV0hlBpEW8rj_q4UcQkX-MqftG_P/w400-h225/P1000903.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Anclote Key</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDDerpyaBbbnr5zQG9_olK2FCkrlqX7RFNMhCikZx28xitlAVHIqWR_xsVKn6nMsu0E9VXpsi_8aLaZkSjL3wd_ZpMl3QA2pBHES37r_KLHutMCwMhodk5_58wAIBL8HUtpkEeE_Db5DwZSg8eoPOJl-_qL0pc-4o59UQrDNMKI39DOMBGRVT0DtN/s4896/P1000917.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDDerpyaBbbnr5zQG9_olK2FCkrlqX7RFNMhCikZx28xitlAVHIqWR_xsVKn6nMsu0E9VXpsi_8aLaZkSjL3wd_ZpMl3QA2pBHES37r_KLHutMCwMhodk5_58wAIBL8HUtpkEeE_Db5DwZSg8eoPOJl-_qL0pc-4o59UQrDNMKI39DOMBGRVT0DtN/w400-h225/P1000917.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anclote Key Light</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We spent a day visiting the nearby city of Tampa too, where we rode in a streetcar and ate a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_sandwich" target="_blank">Cuban sandwich</a>: a variation of a ham and cheese sandwich that probably originated in cafes catering to Cuban workers in Tampa and contains salami, pork, pickles and mustard.</div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-LHUjGBOOK8BjOFMnph2p33wG0ze0TY4vgVfCUZ56afhyXTWf76-5kL3JSICqjeskLmDLGFzoyHy4koO17_-ddIZWQQiRuoIR-5HEtVVL5MQ04d81A3mOZTor4QENQU0br4gR6c-r1kXWnet7XxY_OM06wr0EcYeyFD1ad4VUdDfKwwXJpoSUBE1/s2048/296524743_10229918430004405_8750932368747934654_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-LHUjGBOOK8BjOFMnph2p33wG0ze0TY4vgVfCUZ56afhyXTWf76-5kL3JSICqjeskLmDLGFzoyHy4koO17_-ddIZWQQiRuoIR-5HEtVVL5MQ04d81A3mOZTor4QENQU0br4gR6c-r1kXWnet7XxY_OM06wr0EcYeyFD1ad4VUdDfKwwXJpoSUBE1/w400-h300/296524743_10229918430004405_8750932368747934654_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_B._Plant_Museum" target="_blank">Henry B. Plant Museum</a>, part of the University of Tampa</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdA7ktjqGkQF7U6NwVrhdOsHLRyJZgIi3S4j84Ig93zI5tVZh7qnBzDW2RP6zM5-gIKppuUpS86-LwYiKVIb6KxDE78U4sm6eSTTnhvueH10OPfxKdU3UTxdVRTqQsonI8LFQUk6bl5eyIlYZJ-j7KTdBKKW-AuPzAfCCGOY8bPQ159TyRCfVaKWXX/s2048/296749290_10229918430604420_8733009512308481392_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdA7ktjqGkQF7U6NwVrhdOsHLRyJZgIi3S4j84Ig93zI5tVZh7qnBzDW2RP6zM5-gIKppuUpS86-LwYiKVIb6KxDE78U4sm6eSTTnhvueH10OPfxKdU3UTxdVRTqQsonI8LFQUk6bl5eyIlYZJ-j7KTdBKKW-AuPzAfCCGOY8bPQ159TyRCfVaKWXX/w400-h300/296749290_10229918430604420_8733009512308481392_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuban sandwich in Tampa</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A Spaniard named Ybor moved his cigar business from Key West to Tampa in 1886 and was eventually followed by 20,000 workers from Cuba and Spain, giving rise to Tampa's now-historic "Latin Quarter" called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ybor_City" target="_blank">Ybor City</a>.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZU1jVmLkWIkeYL8Dv1NxJyszRiRR8n-P6GhpwlMUYMyMVUD2k3YpR2m4EQH3w-0zfdavOONzuV3uUAX2YZKUT0EF3Ux28UAZ-Uz3A_pLjVTfU7YdbS9WFspzDjAozzHpjTn_4K9rbk_9XPv4V0d7gzc2GdilfjZqsNDTE_gJyVCtJ-sjKsNTTxvCl/s2048/296842287_10229918430204410_8506234318675871292_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZU1jVmLkWIkeYL8Dv1NxJyszRiRR8n-P6GhpwlMUYMyMVUD2k3YpR2m4EQH3w-0zfdavOONzuV3uUAX2YZKUT0EF3Ux28UAZ-Uz3A_pLjVTfU7YdbS9WFspzDjAozzHpjTn_4K9rbk_9XPv4V0d7gzc2GdilfjZqsNDTE_gJyVCtJ-sjKsNTTxvCl/w300-h400/296842287_10229918430204410_8506234318675871292_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in Ybor City</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">As our trip came to an end we had to head back to Miami, but took the opportunity to stop in the Everglades again, this time for an airboat tour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5V8ReCuj9pV60tNDlM4qqOgfSxWo7LkjVDCGnoiybGv6epw2maveA8rtzol8g3HZvE9ChGZBaijCcMcbsQ0h8c-oMou-_7jZIu1AdW1acaszqcJdUZeKRl_F8qDB17N2qNHfIK0s7owFkQsHHYPxGlpAlqu8Iz4S3a2H6hreXABKF16lUuy9yw3bA/s3024/IMG_6280.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5V8ReCuj9pV60tNDlM4qqOgfSxWo7LkjVDCGnoiybGv6epw2maveA8rtzol8g3HZvE9ChGZBaijCcMcbsQ0h8c-oMou-_7jZIu1AdW1acaszqcJdUZeKRl_F8qDB17N2qNHfIK0s7owFkQsHHYPxGlpAlqu8Iz4S3a2H6hreXABKF16lUuy9yw3bA/w400-h400/IMG_6280.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">airboat in the Everglades</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We didn't seen many alligators on our outing, but we'd already seen plenty elsewhere so weren't too disappointed. At the end, our boat captain showed us a two-year old 'baby' alligator.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPV5oQ2Nyj0_PK0kx1jehCHicpbRnusRghd7kgOB-4x5FeVHZX6uEEaXVUFGg6w9RYr4k9quHO5faVIcCrzFI4ynKwtrLoEASZN5f6_05OcgeG3eC4tFgJli3ndovElQgrpdeYAYL4MJOiwEFJ86k9GidieX0rWkOEjY-xn6QfUtnquf37mHFrtZG/s3085/IMG_6285.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3085" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPV5oQ2Nyj0_PK0kx1jehCHicpbRnusRghd7kgOB-4x5FeVHZX6uEEaXVUFGg6w9RYr4k9quHO5faVIcCrzFI4ynKwtrLoEASZN5f6_05OcgeG3eC4tFgJli3ndovElQgrpdeYAYL4MJOiwEFJ86k9GidieX0rWkOEjY-xn6QfUtnquf37mHFrtZG/s320/IMG_6285.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We then headed to the Florida keys, where we <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/diving" target="_blank">dived</a> at Key Largo before driving the 150 km down to Key West for more diving.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QSfLFa0SJprW8AzIDOADUv2J2qC9PErt3v51VhloSGS1J3gQB8nKk3q3jRQ7bCd31HaDoeZVq2rf9cdo4IloCaMSynh_wkOebnzyNu1dDpmRmkmrzZJvd0Txmn8sY0gwY7Zfjryt03AAEYMT2dtPkkjbnLrm630070nSj1f7eilx_buUP-YABHJG/s4800/P1010037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2696" data-original-width="4800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QSfLFa0SJprW8AzIDOADUv2J2qC9PErt3v51VhloSGS1J3gQB8nKk3q3jRQ7bCd31HaDoeZVq2rf9cdo4IloCaMSynh_wkOebnzyNu1dDpmRmkmrzZJvd0Txmn8sY0gwY7Zfjryt03AAEYMT2dtPkkjbnLrm630070nSj1f7eilx_buUP-YABHJG/w400-h225/P1010037.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7-mile bridge on the Florida Keys</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIz-WRog4gA78b_0EhOttHoJPgDg9PjWLuuaGZXN5k7oDIGUCrhq79Vcm6yKSA7BJEEINhV-dp4W0Gpvn5b29LQgjNt194NQkFf10QnmK6x8diTWlDjrWRneJ19KvdCivqhRQv7R5leqXv5Yq9NQ3XHq_7XScC4_Q-hnFpcpY68jB2tESV_jDBSLx/s4896/P1000949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIz-WRog4gA78b_0EhOttHoJPgDg9PjWLuuaGZXN5k7oDIGUCrhq79Vcm6yKSA7BJEEINhV-dp4W0Gpvn5b29LQgjNt194NQkFf10QnmK6x8diTWlDjrWRneJ19KvdCivqhRQv7R5leqXv5Yq9NQ3XHq_7XScC4_Q-hnFpcpY68jB2tESV_jDBSLx/w400-h225/P1000949.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of many islands visible from the Florida Keys road </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">At Key West we did two <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/diving" target="_blank">dives</a> on the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USNS_General_Hoyt_S._Vandenberg_(T-AGM-10)" target="_blank">Vandenburg</a></i>, an enormous purposely-sunk former satellite tracking ship that is the second largest artificial reef in the world, and which lies 7 miles south of Key West. In 2017 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Irma" target="_blank">Hurricane Irma</a> moved it deeper than its original resting position in 2009, and the deepest point of the keel now lies at 50 metres, although the deck is only at a depth of 30 metres or so. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDNcUEQxmZ8-gwlJXchR3_Nibe5ZTN0p9l9JlZhCEandkREZXAifz_QkrRmP-fs3lSUHoy4jvJSw0PyVM-gbCfZ69sgWUjtyz63xMDIQQkkyIUFz6da-talswkm6XjVzQN3BNdeXKhwtLlAdk6-xgf-R3ZqbZzVBPSUST5JzBtv9PpYg6iBVmhJsB/s750/CC_Vandenberg_05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDNcUEQxmZ8-gwlJXchR3_Nibe5ZTN0p9l9JlZhCEandkREZXAifz_QkrRmP-fs3lSUHoy4jvJSw0PyVM-gbCfZ69sgWUjtyz63xMDIQQkkyIUFz6da-talswkm6XjVzQN3BNdeXKhwtLlAdk6-xgf-R3ZqbZzVBPSUST5JzBtv9PpYg6iBVmhJsB/w400-h266/CC_Vandenberg_05.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo of the <i>Vandenburg</i> courtesy of <a href="https://captainscorner.com" target="_blank">Captain's Corner</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyLClgm5pZz84zZMq3PVmhQTeRJ1Umcr17agTuPlU8xC4VWaxKVYX3OVfDsm62CDLk7XX4i-f88NKromXts9xRdPw7udsQMRR8yAtcCo5AxXRWWAWZ7YpGRfW7GV6rTkRYsVrWX7_yLSbaZLIZqg6Pt89pmQM3D1LbjthYFzHDHHQRnY5liFqlwjY/s750/CC_Vandenberg_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyLClgm5pZz84zZMq3PVmhQTeRJ1Umcr17agTuPlU8xC4VWaxKVYX3OVfDsm62CDLk7XX4i-f88NKromXts9xRdPw7udsQMRR8yAtcCo5AxXRWWAWZ7YpGRfW7GV6rTkRYsVrWX7_yLSbaZLIZqg6Pt89pmQM3D1LbjthYFzHDHHQRnY5liFqlwjY/w400-h266/CC_Vandenberg_01.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo of the <i>Vandenburg</i> courtesy of <a href="https://captainscorner.com" target="_blank">Captain's Corner</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWqmlZJl8fGK013_ka42-oY-VUJ4Wd6U8o2f-dqPT1c_pCd3D5BBoA5OHt9gQNFsxWMYtCXC7LrmIQNVYsNv4cvHmUUJHFqclXlwkWed3yV3dQ8OGZOgmyAfeUIvuwizXJOTpanYnEdl0eR2JuZXcjbbgyIn_Qd2GRrpvycHIC8jHKzyRE7r8v2x9/s750/CC_Vandy_lines.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWqmlZJl8fGK013_ka42-oY-VUJ4Wd6U8o2f-dqPT1c_pCd3D5BBoA5OHt9gQNFsxWMYtCXC7LrmIQNVYsNv4cvHmUUJHFqclXlwkWed3yV3dQ8OGZOgmyAfeUIvuwizXJOTpanYnEdl0eR2JuZXcjbbgyIn_Qd2GRrpvycHIC8jHKzyRE7r8v2x9/w400-h266/CC_Vandy_lines.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">diagram of the <i>Vandenburg</i> courtesy of <a href="https://captainscorner.com" target="_blank">Captain's Corner</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">After diving we took the opportunity to visit some of the sights of Key West.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMH66p-McNZNfjVQwuzSvs1DZYUT7SQ6AEmXmaodUMslRJpcC42nRh8S1ytCpi8yIIVK8tyaTFnKvQFi6CKZjBOuIcVmto-4jFVwkRTkF894hDzJE4HisYYmtvU1r55xUWFr0wy5zardfBAvdThZMJzAt_7Vb0Q1fn69pz3cs-yyNM94Gqbd2SGkqc/s4032/IMG_4649.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMH66p-McNZNfjVQwuzSvs1DZYUT7SQ6AEmXmaodUMslRJpcC42nRh8S1ytCpi8yIIVK8tyaTFnKvQFi6CKZjBOuIcVmto-4jFVwkRTkF894hDzJE4HisYYmtvU1r55xUWFr0wy5zardfBAvdThZMJzAt_7Vb0Q1fn69pz3cs-yyNM94Gqbd2SGkqc/w300-h400/IMG_4649.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sharks and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarpon" target="_blank">tarpon</a> in Key West marina dock</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YMDG53YZMsrnwAFlMtLNYy_liHCtp4ggSAZVCAY-2udifMVxocGyPPmhgmzqgX75bQta-VlG7BMty058N9hClKpe2mNJw34MYIVrnGs8gbC30Z8vidjzjLj891SbyeEUr71pk-Ux74wCZkj24DJ8i8CVGke39csFAflKwp8Yook_D5mK1a5752t6/s4791/P1000970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2692" data-original-width="4791" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YMDG53YZMsrnwAFlMtLNYy_liHCtp4ggSAZVCAY-2udifMVxocGyPPmhgmzqgX75bQta-VlG7BMty058N9hClKpe2mNJw34MYIVrnGs8gbC30Z8vidjzjLj891SbyeEUr71pk-Ux74wCZkj24DJ8i8CVGke39csFAflKwp8Yook_D5mK1a5752t6/w400-h225/P1000970.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cosgrove House, built in ≈1850, Key West</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Founded in 1927 by two former U.S. Army Air Corps majors, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am#Formation" target="_blank">Pan Am</a> began as a scheduled airmail and passenger service flying between Key West, Florida, and Havana, Cuba.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeanvOp4sMTi3t3LR-r9zFFCRgeQzoz2OihEJ2hOfqnAQG1gBmTsiiTrrpSO0aO1k6vidlKqOh9p9iDY2gwJny2kjms_XiRuTXicX8TE9NMK0z0GzSgANdYDnITHVxA13B7qmNsc85fHt867pRcgI05JGxoKjbqjI3pv6UPW8mmC6IVZF_zjG98gO/s4590/P1000972%20copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4590" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeanvOp4sMTi3t3LR-r9zFFCRgeQzoz2OihEJ2hOfqnAQG1gBmTsiiTrrpSO0aO1k6vidlKqOh9p9iDY2gwJny2kjms_XiRuTXicX8TE9NMK0z0GzSgANdYDnITHVxA13B7qmNsc85fHt867pRcgI05JGxoKjbqjI3pv6UPW8mmC6IVZF_zjG98gO/w400-h240/P1000972%20copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthplace of Pan Am airways</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Boat people who emigrated to the US from Cuba, landing in the Florida Keys, were given the name <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balseros" target="_blank">balseros</a></i>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vzd9tJTIuAWnIcQfwgtgp69dnK7tlta7yB5kx8UAfvTz4nhzqqKFdaXcFi_yfZ1fTaNGcXOTatUtZA4qylZvsbU9RJzPk6JJRTrPtIdK5UbG24wL6IZFWZbDqFemDRunHXTRklyQzIvQm7sQ9iSdgbAkC0AxeV-fBEqP_R9G8AIxFQtX_AQgiU0C/s4896/P1000976%20copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vzd9tJTIuAWnIcQfwgtgp69dnK7tlta7yB5kx8UAfvTz4nhzqqKFdaXcFi_yfZ1fTaNGcXOTatUtZA4qylZvsbU9RJzPk6JJRTrPtIdK5UbG24wL6IZFWZbDqFemDRunHXTRklyQzIvQm7sQ9iSdgbAkC0AxeV-fBEqP_R9G8AIxFQtX_AQgiU0C/w400-h225/P1000976%20copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <i>Maraina</i> arrived in Key West from Cuba in August 2015 with 24 <i>balseros</i> on board</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTny1mW8E4MshB_FuEmM8uurY-D8zwkwKPrZUhyWz42r5lF84qyRHs9cmXo0MMMN-705pZFMYbbBKbBYt0xqt6tXMh6nkgXVH43dbCKadAw7GE8ytoqxdJFka65FvDAibQa4aik8dN9diIUNBiStt8LfgdViaMTMICIydbNsE5i7Z1qVeVr-mQLgj/s4896/P1000981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="4896" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTny1mW8E4MshB_FuEmM8uurY-D8zwkwKPrZUhyWz42r5lF84qyRHs9cmXo0MMMN-705pZFMYbbBKbBYt0xqt6tXMh6nkgXVH43dbCKadAw7GE8ytoqxdJFka65FvDAibQa4aik8dN9diIUNBiStt8LfgdViaMTMICIydbNsE5i7Z1qVeVr-mQLgj/w400-h225/P1000981.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cruise ship at Key West</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5qkQNPQ0vtZFgmpx0ArW11EbN9a_mQK9cHzwxHR5P1TkjdCUC30fjh2MYuXcsTuVdoz6XjPujkSEWRU6o3uagMkTQJTeGEX7dIpBw2jWqDUBXeoJyUeppRe8_yD8J2vDTYr0gbCFbhySpLsKxpsuaNlTxDrlApKOasjJT-XTH5y7lyPBrFTEaDms/s4896/P1000991%20copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4896" data-original-width="2752" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5qkQNPQ0vtZFgmpx0ArW11EbN9a_mQK9cHzwxHR5P1TkjdCUC30fjh2MYuXcsTuVdoz6XjPujkSEWRU6o3uagMkTQJTeGEX7dIpBw2jWqDUBXeoJyUeppRe8_yD8J2vDTYr0gbCFbhySpLsKxpsuaNlTxDrlApKOasjJT-XTH5y7lyPBrFTEaDms/w225-h400/P1000991%20copy.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a house in Key West</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAaeetlBW1Xm70uEkXyG4s12QOsMHhKISq4MNmC3Lwnw8m858Pe-aZlPk3G5UAOjL1O9XkWTM4qiAAmIDBhzGQbKfhWY3fJzqDZMmdm2S_HcYyrVazCzQxcaz_IL47Nd5juXMYpOXdYNzEZqxEUsGHCClNaSSsa6LoVIQbsy395ruY47RyCbldBCo/s4896/P1010012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4896" data-original-width="2752" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAaeetlBW1Xm70uEkXyG4s12QOsMHhKISq4MNmC3Lwnw8m858Pe-aZlPk3G5UAOjL1O9XkWTM4qiAAmIDBhzGQbKfhWY3fJzqDZMmdm2S_HcYyrVazCzQxcaz_IL47Nd5juXMYpOXdYNzEZqxEUsGHCClNaSSsa6LoVIQbsy395ruY47RyCbldBCo/w225-h400/P1010012.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at the southernmost point of the continental US</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All too soon we had to head back up to Miami where we began the long trip back to <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion</a>.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>See also:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/upper-michigan-wisconsin-chicago.html" target="_blank">Upper Michigan, Wisconsin, Chicago</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/michigan-lower-peninsula.html" target="_blank">Michigan: Lower Peninsula</a></li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWm4jckVulbY0sc6sn07-Nw5926pgox6sytjw9Z_ElZTbWpD1mYdfwnqgtrWXLdYXWhZ-gQhnwDMiFVuTS-7J0b3wzp5gNl4lbFAMMvle-8Lj6ZjwSwjRrRMTyucCVHPMSj0izHUVCViUvocDec_Nio8IaTxb-3647rvHKkPReSALwFBcaziHhdsh/s3100/P1000962%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="3100" height="76" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWm4jckVulbY0sc6sn07-Nw5926pgox6sytjw9Z_ElZTbWpD1mYdfwnqgtrWXLdYXWhZ-gQhnwDMiFVuTS-7J0b3wzp5gNl4lbFAMMvle-8Lj6ZjwSwjRrRMTyucCVHPMSj0izHUVCViUvocDec_Nio8IaTxb-3647rvHKkPReSALwFBcaziHhdsh/w400-h76/P1000962%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Florida, USA27.6648274 -81.5157535-0.64540643617884541 -116.6720035 55.975061236178846 -46.3595035tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-21066727824636374502022-05-29T15:44:00.337+04:002022-09-28T10:32:08.148+04:00Dubrovnik & Montenegro<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Smartranslate/posts/pfbid0psuZ1iN1xbotrnzWs9mB6mD4QMgpsf6DL2LPhEJsSomUFcxb381aT4jbjw3w9Ximl" target="_blank">Another</a> professional conference, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Smartranslate/posts/pfbid0N7GQF9f3VVt92akZSkm9Xgnn1Fnz1UqJzJYnGW8JpNtfAn7F6NnznoUdg8ynPAt6l" target="_blank">this time in Montenegro</a>, was the chance to make the most of being in Europe and fly from Portugal to Dubrovnik, the nearest airport to the conference location. This conference and the trip to Dubrovnik had actually all been planned (and paid for!) in 2020 when the pandemic hit. Everything eventually got refunded, but I was glad to finally make the trip, albeit two years later than planned. I'd been to northern Croatia (Zagreb and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rab" target="_blank">Rab</a>) in 1991 when it was still part of Yugoslavia, but I'd never been to the southern part of the country.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJdQECbgkWiVDzGMl8Mm2iAxhrSiA-uPJu55gmX8dbWd06gOUmuBYEHxU1sjQMXMLbXUQ7vYJAo7a_qniIXEamJC57aJEtxymjLfWGTVZER1Pl0GvcKDgRZl8DmRh8nC3O3yGQQcjpHlE6AGhTy1upS72LrVmhp_K2BPGvFShxXZK26JOQZf_gmrp/s2048/283773319_10229498264980542_6839014801074159448_n.jpg" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJdQECbgkWiVDzGMl8Mm2iAxhrSiA-uPJu55gmX8dbWd06gOUmuBYEHxU1sjQMXMLbXUQ7vYJAo7a_qniIXEamJC57aJEtxymjLfWGTVZER1Pl0GvcKDgRZl8DmRh8nC3O3yGQQcjpHlE6AGhTy1upS72LrVmhp_K2BPGvFShxXZK26JOQZf_gmrp/w320-h240/283773319_10229498264980542_6839014801074159448_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dubrovnik really is an extraordinary city to visit, and was definitely the highlight of a five-week five-country trip that also encompassed Portugal and Montenegro. We made the choice - a no-brainer in my opinion - to stay in the walled city itself so we could soak up as much of the atmosphere as possible.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKmdHsn2bBsBI1CwJoIacYMutjGKo-kJ4ba7atwTiMIfupwS2mjkuOPPpuaNbJ6V7GzDcthUuUpyvksF8YNNDEJbWGu2xUtA6dFOue-F6ETYOAHW0bx5pn8g3iJ2CXWGNZUOR7rNEbUzyVpSBUcAKmWtNbfJRYQHx4jzo53tidwyEn6AvpGB8wIcI/s400/IMG_5188.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our view at breakfast every morning </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On arrival we wandered around the compact city to get our bearings, before heading to one of the two bars clinging to the outer walls for a sunset drink. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE45ZaES79tM5bnWFoB-J7MzNAZ4EMR_ZMpICYh0TFCbhpnuBvmlybC3Bf6A_PDYrzYbxtan5VfkFfEHAKzDjcmRomWUhf3uLnu-RXF-ax7w4UXEFK695GXyv9fK4T5TnHTJSJcWXx_cs2NAOSVGxOWohl3XANItmkVcfCsJOMFiyK1YTjHXvYdkkO/s1280/283774990_10229498264860539_4797762453572932611_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE45ZaES79tM5bnWFoB-J7MzNAZ4EMR_ZMpICYh0TFCbhpnuBvmlybC3Bf6A_PDYrzYbxtan5VfkFfEHAKzDjcmRomWUhf3uLnu-RXF-ax7w4UXEFK695GXyv9fK4T5TnHTJSJcWXx_cs2NAOSVGxOWohl3XANItmkVcfCsJOMFiyK1YTjHXvYdkkO/w300-h400/283774990_10229498264860539_4797762453572932611_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">typical alleyway, our accommodation was down a similar alley</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRD84MP1z7Q4WL33tYQo7rUK1_CS6UOYk1y-MZHr6p-U3ghPr7Ib4DvV9E_9bbXMeF5W2qdnBHcJNN1RauX6dgKg7k2jSCXWkrczyeXSCPHTPrQ1Dn_flwpY1-PGNP6pI2MGemvslxzGQNP-4yFj01q0C3h5ihBKn5W8n1G2K1mVcnuRrykkH6IcdA/s2048/283485647_10229498264620533_8881471184790505926_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRD84MP1z7Q4WL33tYQo7rUK1_CS6UOYk1y-MZHr6p-U3ghPr7Ib4DvV9E_9bbXMeF5W2qdnBHcJNN1RauX6dgKg7k2jSCXWkrczyeXSCPHTPrQ1Dn_flwpY1-PGNP6pI2MGemvslxzGQNP-4yFj01q0C3h5ihBKn5W8n1G2K1mVcnuRrykkH6IcdA/w300-h400/283485647_10229498264620533_8881471184790505926_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cliff-side bar, Dubrovnik</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj28FfTSgqUOR6f3x6qKwdFN02256XLzgAdf3O3n2MDCw-2eKsxwbGNEo7_CtmjBqn0iUpLzMkwaokYUYkSEEyiGTCN6MYJhHY-MLzex4p7nKDSfAgLU74gLwgqxHNLALKhAlbGc6cdqPRQNyeKI6iWrrxvrPZn98sCYHRsiVlIv7mzYBDbfcyxMY4/s2048/283562575_10229498264220523_8805360666057608818_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj28FfTSgqUOR6f3x6qKwdFN02256XLzgAdf3O3n2MDCw-2eKsxwbGNEo7_CtmjBqn0iUpLzMkwaokYUYkSEEyiGTCN6MYJhHY-MLzex4p7nKDSfAgLU74gLwgqxHNLALKhAlbGc6cdqPRQNyeKI6iWrrxvrPZn98sCYHRsiVlIv7mzYBDbfcyxMY4/w300-h400/283562575_10229498264220523_8805360666057608818_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking along the city's main street, Placa</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The next morning we walked along the city's defining feature, its <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walls_of_Dubrovnik" target="_blank">city walls</a>. We took plenty of time, stopping to admire the view and take plenty of photos, so it took us about two hours to walk the 2 kilometres. You have to walk them in an anti-clockwise direction. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5czx3R-KEWjmmZH93868XKEhK-8IwJeDeSYngXfCbgO_H2g0fDgzo8mOVoxXjP7lizmt88Sow5uj3bJjPvKVam5r6JoPoOOA8phbfVEHkw4d_OJ--i-Se8oWWjdOFQEXdQyq5Rq1EGO4OoXpZGi5gx1aY8ejOHy6l1-_c9MIzhL5UqGgtNlOF13O/s960/283848914_10225370004391261_2836588603998665172_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5czx3R-KEWjmmZH93868XKEhK-8IwJeDeSYngXfCbgO_H2g0fDgzo8mOVoxXjP7lizmt88Sow5uj3bJjPvKVam5r6JoPoOOA8phbfVEHkw4d_OJ--i-Se8oWWjdOFQEXdQyq5Rq1EGO4OoXpZGi5gx1aY8ejOHy6l1-_c9MIzhL5UqGgtNlOF13O/w400-h225/283848914_10225370004391261_2836588603998665172_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of Dubrovnik from the city walls</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxQvXbcf0tqIbLTb203mZlOfjiHchmWEkzgC4-X0WZyKpD_5Vrh20TAovo3lyRj6if9MjtiHVRouTxK_DZTK29-x0nuvNoWFR5wTKCQqsPSpA_8Se2KD4MRLyndz0aBNFy8x5PD4rFM0WDAAboXuEbRQJh1DRkkGNJrX0PRvPpD6u0Saf0qZuYhRV/s4032/IMG_5196.jpeg" style="display: inline; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxQvXbcf0tqIbLTb203mZlOfjiHchmWEkzgC4-X0WZyKpD_5Vrh20TAovo3lyRj6if9MjtiHVRouTxK_DZTK29-x0nuvNoWFR5wTKCQqsPSpA_8Se2KD4MRLyndz0aBNFy8x5PD4rFM0WDAAboXuEbRQJh1DRkkGNJrX0PRvPpD6u0Saf0qZuYhRV/w400-h300/IMG_5196.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of Dubrovnik port from the city walls</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93VuZKAjt9HDKeVgPbAKJodV0P064QMbD4OTsLPDDoPyEuzGgP5vYCO8qka0wnhf_QOE3_00KemaC4CMMCwW86dVnLyMD0OW3l2qZE1FKrniPJc4p4sgxIlz5F0oi6yjFhKJS4nCxXg34OVoWcwB959FDcle9AjYJcbHx2WPDlrCf3xNQw7YZIWMk/s4032/IMG_5205.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93VuZKAjt9HDKeVgPbAKJodV0P064QMbD4OTsLPDDoPyEuzGgP5vYCO8qka0wnhf_QOE3_00KemaC4CMMCwW86dVnLyMD0OW3l2qZE1FKrniPJc4p4sgxIlz5F0oi6yjFhKJS4nCxXg34OVoWcwB959FDcle9AjYJcbHx2WPDlrCf3xNQw7YZIWMk/s400/IMG_5205.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view looking west from the city walls</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOVFx_5HH0EM23e2QrroM7l8cnPYWQaPWBAI_BmSyyeQhsFGVExhraYWpOuGLzOA8U5tsodnPC_SwDtlR3iQjehzapxU1YzQgqxgQBy6O4ApUOmjZa0hlKk5prfhkHlJjphfeGJIAdmEn9ZnFWKKX97nB8htzmIzPLoiu2qa23RFweqd_tstNU8fL/s4032/IMG_5207.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOVFx_5HH0EM23e2QrroM7l8cnPYWQaPWBAI_BmSyyeQhsFGVExhraYWpOuGLzOA8U5tsodnPC_SwDtlR3iQjehzapxU1YzQgqxgQBy6O4ApUOmjZa0hlKk5prfhkHlJjphfeGJIAdmEn9ZnFWKKX97nB8htzmIzPLoiu2qa23RFweqd_tstNU8fL/s400/IMG_5207.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view south from the city walls</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFPqIo-w_7iGQwWMSiJ3s0POkOXvztrU4secE5hDWkXRZl1dKF5HNROXldfSZO6sPQ98M-zIB28EFmxMlo59xzksgemdIy_dE7jo8RHvImQE2bcRlSDpdKO0phqZFgPjRePkwR9ZoXkttGbSEkO5uhQWnLTxaUJQ2-hy6xur5hmCFFxxw1JHSdiar/s4032/IMG_5208.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFPqIo-w_7iGQwWMSiJ3s0POkOXvztrU4secE5hDWkXRZl1dKF5HNROXldfSZO6sPQ98M-zIB28EFmxMlo59xzksgemdIy_dE7jo8RHvImQE2bcRlSDpdKO0phqZFgPjRePkwR9ZoXkttGbSEkO5uhQWnLTxaUJQ2-hy6xur5hmCFFxxw1JHSdiar/s400/IMG_5208.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view looking north-west from the city walls</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After what we felt was a well-earned lunch, we visited the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rector%27s_Palace,_Dubrovnik" target="_blank">Rector's Palace</a> cultural history museum. This Gothic-Renaissance palace was built in the late 15th century for the elected <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rector_(Ragusa)" target="_blank">Rector</a> who governed Dubrovnik. For the one month that he governed, the Rector was unable to leave the building without the Senate's permission. The museum also houses a moving exhibition about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Dubrovnik" target="_blank">Dubrovnik under siege</a> in 1991-1992 (when you walk around the city, several walls have a map pinpointing damage from bombardments during the siege).</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYOxMwxA3Jc7nWJ90RYe-Z7XaJxOpMdHHlLbTVOoLoWJm15eSnSjXyQBct388BUJwRBe8WLNafXIr1vOhbQWdX4-7tI4Dh4N1xYJ8CfNYJ7Fjt8W5R9whMlf37br_Z-v54h-8Sa2-im22MGqZcnDw6ZTEL_rNicdKnVfg5rqEvMsXsdE3pGbdB6Ad/s4032/IMG_5216.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYOxMwxA3Jc7nWJ90RYe-Z7XaJxOpMdHHlLbTVOoLoWJm15eSnSjXyQBct388BUJwRBe8WLNafXIr1vOhbQWdX4-7tI4Dh4N1xYJ8CfNYJ7Fjt8W5R9whMlf37br_Z-v54h-8Sa2-im22MGqZcnDw6ZTEL_rNicdKnVfg5rqEvMsXsdE3pGbdB6Ad/s400/IMG_5216.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Former bell jacks (nicknamed Maro and Baro) made of bronze, and<br />cast around 1478. They struck the time for about 4 centuries</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5A7AvAy-htZT7QjHFMNcWCaZDvmgJZWriJlzlF6T37uQmNOHwPyYroYfcSFdN3kMFvUzBL4cojBQTY9SkTV5K1GdctWEugXwkI22IV7EleHschPoV8PMED3l5RY9l3AtpUgFrqK1TY_aRsFI7PUomoBGzNZ6vdW0DbiX-iN6NNR58EycadzjUqAw/s4032/IMG_5226.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5A7AvAy-htZT7QjHFMNcWCaZDvmgJZWriJlzlF6T37uQmNOHwPyYroYfcSFdN3kMFvUzBL4cojBQTY9SkTV5K1GdctWEugXwkI22IV7EleHschPoV8PMED3l5RY9l3AtpUgFrqK1TY_aRsFI7PUomoBGzNZ6vdW0DbiX-iN6NNR58EycadzjUqAw/w300-h400/IMG_5226.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18th-century portrait, Rector's Palace</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3L2qb4AccVg4mOnrgJmipwTOUdtQdAPqVlTDx16BpWO8bjL0MCmPpqHSoej6CpicIfWytC4uUh3p3TiWv_GXvIGgibkRa_TeRtyNiYpCkRuES9cP3FE50zwytooP5OVI5i7fFwkSal-7eCluyGR3-zLOzxPUdM0VGioI9rGQJ-SXR0lCKB7v0dBW/s4032/IMG_5231.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3L2qb4AccVg4mOnrgJmipwTOUdtQdAPqVlTDx16BpWO8bjL0MCmPpqHSoej6CpicIfWytC4uUh3p3TiWv_GXvIGgibkRa_TeRtyNiYpCkRuES9cP3FE50zwytooP5OVI5i7fFwkSal-7eCluyGR3-zLOzxPUdM0VGioI9rGQJ-SXR0lCKB7v0dBW/s400/IMG_5231.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Column capital showing Asclepius (Greek god of medicine) <br />with Dubrovnik Cathedral dome in the background</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To end the day, we then took the cable car up to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srđ" target="_blank">Srđ</a> to get a fantastic view of the city from a steep elevation of about 400 metres.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CEjvQ2kd0U3WT8godOCaLqOfx9ukxonI-EzanG8bpbeRyhbRDJ9a8MfklTJutabOuVLAZrxbzKvgVQPM0iTN7W7QfEZhejoKBGfyY2T9D0i2-LrkGO6MvBuOEi3vgkzGhYvQdQbkp6DDj_WoIFdg_sCJhghCp5gp1FCu4ymK3zU11y9KoqtyL-Lz/s4032/IMG_5241.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CEjvQ2kd0U3WT8godOCaLqOfx9ukxonI-EzanG8bpbeRyhbRDJ9a8MfklTJutabOuVLAZrxbzKvgVQPM0iTN7W7QfEZhejoKBGfyY2T9D0i2-LrkGO6MvBuOEi3vgkzGhYvQdQbkp6DDj_WoIFdg_sCJhghCp5gp1FCu4ymK3zU11y9KoqtyL-Lz/s400/IMG_5241.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking down onto Dubrovnik old city from Srđ</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHQ96JzQto_kCgLpDM1rbMmEPJr0PenFF15x-4Gyq5vOTA2dG5fr1BjoAhc-Tv3ObnbvZPLjzp_XBGGU4j_SExV8vDClh_augTFeoteKSlzwiPA9McJ5D9sdMVgl2gV92dfEa2NiicZCAFLCPmLtsh0jbsk9qUm12lFpvHm9BdiPmGtlz4UB0ir9q/s4032/IMG_5242.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHQ96JzQto_kCgLpDM1rbMmEPJr0PenFF15x-4Gyq5vOTA2dG5fr1BjoAhc-Tv3ObnbvZPLjzp_XBGGU4j_SExV8vDClh_augTFeoteKSlzwiPA9McJ5D9sdMVgl2gV92dfEa2NiicZCAFLCPmLtsh0jbsk9qUm12lFpvHm9BdiPmGtlz4UB0ir9q/s400/IMG_5242.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking north from Srđ<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: justify;">On our final full day, we chose to take a boat trip to visit three of the 14 </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaphiti_Islands" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Elafiti islands</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> that lie just off the north-west coast of Dubrovnik. The three we visited are the only islands that are permanently inhabited.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMzFBMvkNWceVtblogRtk9MY4NjLXAZuFdF4fllBkMykmgfdMy10ki1JR1oiusi_JAO9v8t3li9zMDmWbqI0y7Bx6W7891i0W_DXq4y7nUFnjrMVfkp0PpByR74eKp8x-89qRvZeLVfx4pArCUSs_BSac_vV-OvxSVWk8GIzeqqdYVM0yC0ThL53j/s4032/IMG_5257.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMzFBMvkNWceVtblogRtk9MY4NjLXAZuFdF4fllBkMykmgfdMy10ki1JR1oiusi_JAO9v8t3li9zMDmWbqI0y7Bx6W7891i0W_DXq4y7nUFnjrMVfkp0PpByR74eKp8x-89qRvZeLVfx4pArCUSs_BSac_vV-OvxSVWk8GIzeqqdYVM0yC0ThL53j/s400/IMG_5257.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kolocep is the nearest island to Dubrovnik and has a population of 163<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckqGEb-4L48ncd6wgEtbDW9nRWzq8jlOht8p4Mv304slXwaX5X739t2LItj-XTQyHx5aUk9ucsGFx9LYJmbfEudpN_LNtplRQswpxg8R20J9cgEC2DlzFhLZ0jTUtauargFYOhgsoN2kxLmkNkeWALDVTsgyKbDYMgKzG2XIukiQl52YOf17nHMR7/s4032/IMG_5260.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckqGEb-4L48ncd6wgEtbDW9nRWzq8jlOht8p4Mv304slXwaX5X739t2LItj-XTQyHx5aUk9ucsGFx9LYJmbfEudpN_LNtplRQswpxg8R20J9cgEC2DlzFhLZ0jTUtauargFYOhgsoN2kxLmkNkeWALDVTsgyKbDYMgKzG2XIukiQl52YOf17nHMR7/s400/IMG_5260.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">with an area of 16 sq. km, Sipan is the largest Elafiti island</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjyA8Xl83TprKbaJQbgqrnI11EdpelGUS73RPEnWA_0CGhapQyWsIlm-vxllxIVDC4M-T1Hcf1-37712w6dLgXS6nkhoQuOo5hpbHy62ArdPeaI7hL0rwqtdkhL2ugzjYR46jtgsX2JzPpvr_tMFzs_n3hMD38H4hzSrCuh8Ie5fCBlGeoF3WBDW3/s4032/IMG_5282.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjyA8Xl83TprKbaJQbgqrnI11EdpelGUS73RPEnWA_0CGhapQyWsIlm-vxllxIVDC4M-T1Hcf1-37712w6dLgXS6nkhoQuOo5hpbHy62ArdPeaI7hL0rwqtdkhL2ugzjYR46jtgsX2JzPpvr_tMFzs_n3hMD38H4hzSrCuh8Ie5fCBlGeoF3WBDW3/s400/IMG_5282.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lopud is car-free</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpdnA5NLK6iNw0UZkp33zZ6QfW9_PpDiJ0pOopYFN_38Ez3oGNe_wnYt08sz3IJAQ_wNkwTeocz8UzxbxwVbZnWadlqONDBsYrcosDQgSYj4tapScWf3hVZ9k3KDBfaQ77UAgEJocWLo__2TjIk3GhKwuymbhveBTE6palNT0XB98v77JKRNWNezO/s4032/IMG_5158.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpdnA5NLK6iNw0UZkp33zZ6QfW9_PpDiJ0pOopYFN_38Ez3oGNe_wnYt08sz3IJAQ_wNkwTeocz8UzxbxwVbZnWadlqONDBsYrcosDQgSYj4tapScWf3hVZ9k3KDBfaQ77UAgEJocWLo__2TjIk3GhKwuymbhveBTE6palNT0XB98v77JKRNWNezO/w300-h400/IMG_5158.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sign at our guest house. We didn't have time to visit Lokrum, <br />go the beach or go sea kayaking but we did most of the rest!</span></td></tr></tbody></table> <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After three days in Dubrovnik, we headed south along the coast to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herceg_Novi_Municipality" target="_blank">Herceg Novi</a> in Montenegro.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM114IGjcjLL8uNvgasd71seqTA6RD4_tdJZMqp52A8AnzDWEOXmc6MlezNQ2C8xVBlo7fkCMQC0sWCPzWBBC7pyU9Z0GynIdwOo3ofBYVlbyNVr67rN1XP2Yb4hScEeyySOWHfcRYz3CcQ6Z1qLbqBZPHvp5vVdLYfkseZCl0ENXAbTeNNLfKYYu/s960/283721625_10225378977775590_4872365799300709707_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="721" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM114IGjcjLL8uNvgasd71seqTA6RD4_tdJZMqp52A8AnzDWEOXmc6MlezNQ2C8xVBlo7fkCMQC0sWCPzWBBC7pyU9Z0GynIdwOo3ofBYVlbyNVr67rN1XP2Yb4hScEeyySOWHfcRYz3CcQ6Z1qLbqBZPHvp5vVdLYfkseZCl0ENXAbTeNNLfKYYu/w300-h400/283721625_10225378977775590_4872365799300709707_n.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dubrovnik seen when heading to Montenegro</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We stayed in the hotel where my conference was taking place, located at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbor" target="_blank">Kumbor</a> on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Kotor" target="_blank">Bay of Kotor</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fgi-BlJ_8732WNlGDHCv-f6rbQnKH6MynyjoHoinvYfRe7h_WEAKx4QCLe5Pfi-u52tyhfDKGTvDFS5qbeonrJRAaQdE_dH34-5FWPjW5U4TgVZSnk246oGGDmtuILGkKXo9ggt9Rmbyesb6EiqM3bU5pdADvIodWYe9dVOsdazdFZyvpKlTmaey/s4032/IMG_5345.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fgi-BlJ_8732WNlGDHCv-f6rbQnKH6MynyjoHoinvYfRe7h_WEAKx4QCLe5Pfi-u52tyhfDKGTvDFS5qbeonrJRAaQdE_dH34-5FWPjW5U4TgVZSnk246oGGDmtuILGkKXo9ggt9Rmbyesb6EiqM3bU5pdADvIodWYe9dVOsdazdFZyvpKlTmaey/w400-h300/IMG_5345.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking north from the hotel</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROwmULm_my6QxeKIgcyufz9usN8ig_TT1fGx7iCV8pfhuaMhxqgrpPwFfJGDyjuJd8vF93nOhYN0_Mchz_4AkVHCyRtbi6KbiuxWI6WBaq_t2W_6ijonUm-Z_q64GJXYy69QS9ETaE1BeBZO5bGfYZBnuVQ4tij--vbMxyQeZGfIzRLJH_LO0aTPl/s4032/IMG_5354.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROwmULm_my6QxeKIgcyufz9usN8ig_TT1fGx7iCV8pfhuaMhxqgrpPwFfJGDyjuJd8vF93nOhYN0_Mchz_4AkVHCyRtbi6KbiuxWI6WBaq_t2W_6ijonUm-Z_q64GJXYy69QS9ETaE1BeBZO5bGfYZBnuVQ4tij--vbMxyQeZGfIzRLJH_LO0aTPl/w400-h300/IMG_5354.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunset, Bay of Kotor</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was rather surprising to open your room curtains and realise a massive cruise ship was silently sailing past. They arrived in the morning and left at day's end.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7w53Gm_cRM0RWTk4vpzbbNWTq19JCbkj7JnXcnt9n5evqi3KcmhwyFtngMzOrjoSyf1vtdZCu2cn9WEcx0_vhTxFKXSaOPAzc797P-zA7t8GhWZhRewtnZ9mr1i-iboxtUVf57NyOzIsB_U6d67TzfSEY3166aDYs54x-lwMY6G95n2iBjlGo4an-/s4032/IMG_5352.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7w53Gm_cRM0RWTk4vpzbbNWTq19JCbkj7JnXcnt9n5evqi3KcmhwyFtngMzOrjoSyf1vtdZCu2cn9WEcx0_vhTxFKXSaOPAzc797P-zA7t8GhWZhRewtnZ9mr1i-iboxtUVf57NyOzIsB_U6d67TzfSEY3166aDYs54x-lwMY6G95n2iBjlGo4an-/w400-h300/IMG_5352.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cruise ship, Bay of Kotor</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The next day we went on a boat trip to one of Montenegro's most famous sites, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perast" target="_blank">Perast</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Rocks" target="_blank">Our Lady of the Rock</a>.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaaN8Uy1jWJ_VNqRrwH_Oqpf1KarVzsZHsEqtTm5hjf88hukj0wFELv0nnIuLo8QGrpEkY7H6rspxOulk6LnRm4KIZoSKv-SUZc2Vp_8QaRzSljVt9-Et0XN6qfoeHuvbDHdZkHb-CxkZPrgrkKI91zsiKRyiZa71Rm6ruNwIGb-OgkGmPn8RweAab/s3826/IMG_5358.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2465" data-original-width="3826" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaaN8Uy1jWJ_VNqRrwH_Oqpf1KarVzsZHsEqtTm5hjf88hukj0wFELv0nnIuLo8QGrpEkY7H6rspxOulk6LnRm4KIZoSKv-SUZc2Vp_8QaRzSljVt9-Et0XN6qfoeHuvbDHdZkHb-CxkZPrgrkKI91zsiKRyiZa71Rm6ruNwIGb-OgkGmPn8RweAab/w400-h259/IMG_5358.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">on our way to Perast ...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfV3R5XUds8RuIiFGuzwsUWJ78PP47JK60hE_Sseenu1R1Qs3zTlA5qnEHahKvoGaHXQUbD_hMfybGIP5Vhhw3KeuV51ikE3fN3f5zsIakiufuz4epgnz6uYLugt-6STYiUg9eWjF2-zWfDv43GTQe25kZirDoB55VjzkWFzOQZropapCkfn0AFKk/s3742/IMG_5360.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2806" data-original-width="3742" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfV3R5XUds8RuIiFGuzwsUWJ78PP47JK60hE_Sseenu1R1Qs3zTlA5qnEHahKvoGaHXQUbD_hMfybGIP5Vhhw3KeuV51ikE3fN3f5zsIakiufuz4epgnz6uYLugt-6STYiUg9eWjF2-zWfDv43GTQe25kZirDoB55VjzkWFzOQZropapCkfn0AFKk/w400-h300/IMG_5360.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... being chased by a cruise ship</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SoGEVNp916LRdCCTlik1TqBSZ488rKmM-rFtPgY3y4lSd7wJYJ_OznViO6bREWaRiQZxBmhrbZylKwJBRtO13ngnR_cP5_Txe-LXqojBHEy3HOwMMJghCyEHzS5rm7ch_FhP4GPokvTU1tA-0XAqStA8ipLIwgd0FhXXR9lB5uI4zoFk5RRL1AQf/s4032/IMG_5369%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SoGEVNp916LRdCCTlik1TqBSZ488rKmM-rFtPgY3y4lSd7wJYJ_OznViO6bREWaRiQZxBmhrbZylKwJBRtO13ngnR_cP5_Txe-LXqojBHEy3HOwMMJghCyEHzS5rm7ch_FhP4GPokvTU1tA-0XAqStA8ipLIwgd0FhXXR9lB5uI4zoFk5RRL1AQf/w400-h300/IMG_5369%202.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">typical Montenegrin scenery </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhtIfl7eEB0bciLH8fHWbIP24FoJmJkl4Dqd8UDNd44JZFO7XU1DqpH2_oFm15eamAKUCJMPr0e_w5wt9gORFih6IKYFQ8OFDlMzEKRU6GMVrfiNUldXo_uej7qAOCXJ6WAOca14jqx2njLJfPGSaxEybLTIW9pWX_F6bocwCLFyT5vcK1L-PkQYP/s4032/IMG_5376.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhtIfl7eEB0bciLH8fHWbIP24FoJmJkl4Dqd8UDNd44JZFO7XU1DqpH2_oFm15eamAKUCJMPr0e_w5wt9gORFih6IKYFQ8OFDlMzEKRU6GMVrfiNUldXo_uej7qAOCXJ6WAOca14jqx2njLJfPGSaxEybLTIW9pWX_F6bocwCLFyT5vcK1L-PkQYP/w400-h300/IMG_5376.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">St George's Island, which houses a monastery and can't be visited</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Our Lady of the Rock is actually an artificial islet created by locals adding rocks after finding an icon of the Madonna on the original rock in the sea in 1452. It houses a church built in 1630 which has a small museum whose most famous exhibit is a tapestry of the Madonna partly made embroidered the hair of its maker (we weren't allowed to photograph it).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpkfuaz_fF6f2i90sS6nU2pn13iYwr6uFdok-VOr5Xs_YCr7tvRm2QSBaEYHGcqWTnI1fG-Qkncx_l9qBfLiRhJel0GdIf7XlVe5ABVdRsw1s9O1VkqIBM3kh0fX0Z96zWoHpPjlXkGwldZE3IciiRLro3MgZzB1YVbhBYaLQLAYoNu7pvsGtZv10/s2048/307259467_843512979983073_485580314731985564_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="2048" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpkfuaz_fF6f2i90sS6nU2pn13iYwr6uFdok-VOr5Xs_YCr7tvRm2QSBaEYHGcqWTnI1fG-Qkncx_l9qBfLiRhJel0GdIf7XlVe5ABVdRsw1s9O1VkqIBM3kh0fX0Z96zWoHpPjlXkGwldZE3IciiRLro3MgZzB1YVbhBYaLQLAYoNu7pvsGtZv10/w400-h249/307259467_843512979983073_485580314731985564_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lady of the Rock</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnRQhPlvFQE08pA_8EB5wzb2nQ_mUBFqilkEl21pe5bZDnH0mE8uBv49mm26sgOOGeELq4W6SPuPY5fIoAnma_ZDrFSN8VuPwz6ZmwrizzQGiljQ6XW0vgHOFJfBkHxIqOLJp2JxevZZDPhBqQKNlr3auoPsVTBqmifhCyu_JtW-z_jgD9A4Mn97E/s1904/308190644_858686248838725_1669929727343330809_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1904" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXnRQhPlvFQE08pA_8EB5wzb2nQ_mUBFqilkEl21pe5bZDnH0mE8uBv49mm26sgOOGeELq4W6SPuPY5fIoAnma_ZDrFSN8VuPwz6ZmwrizzQGiljQ6XW0vgHOFJfBkHxIqOLJp2JxevZZDPhBqQKNlr3auoPsVTBqmifhCyu_JtW-z_jgD9A4Mn97E/w400-h225/308190644_858686248838725_1669929727343330809_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the church on Our Lady of the Rock</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLA1XOF-8E89ww8p8XNkCGeXUFf6YAnA77miDWq1nwR5B4QxlRUX3z-YcYL1UG8DvvvH4AkwP0twWdIDunU0cQ_5meCKe_oi_GkPU5GcNMSrrS6m52HQUI9ywNDLbfamA9HNGzzKNQ6EaPwsJfOFyPwH5fn5pt9eK-rRt0VvCDAP9X1pQtcJF0fjRF/s2047/307388286_874903063887023_7014692740649420371_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1092" data-original-width="2047" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLA1XOF-8E89ww8p8XNkCGeXUFf6YAnA77miDWq1nwR5B4QxlRUX3z-YcYL1UG8DvvvH4AkwP0twWdIDunU0cQ_5meCKe_oi_GkPU5GcNMSrrS6m52HQUI9ywNDLbfamA9HNGzzKNQ6EaPwsJfOFyPwH5fn5pt9eK-rRt0VvCDAP9X1pQtcJF0fjRF/w400-h215/307388286_874903063887023_7014692740649420371_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">close-up of the church on Our Lady of the Rock</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sUOrAPzyTohQH9YCCwge8l0u6BvaIEHE7eEv5xU-uU5cZ8MaTL5EUZ_We1ALVeqSP2-OtnGzGuNcI8U-wcQQNIIQspV4Z9gNQA_KYSxUEZ1b1-iPq2kUK5oERiA7YWpPA-m51iUkJg_ZKemEeVPaLxl6cY5nCXv-vh3Ee8Nw3IdkWzteIeS2VYnW/s4032/IMG_5365.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sUOrAPzyTohQH9YCCwge8l0u6BvaIEHE7eEv5xU-uU5cZ8MaTL5EUZ_We1ALVeqSP2-OtnGzGuNcI8U-wcQQNIIQspV4Z9gNQA_KYSxUEZ1b1-iPq2kUK5oERiA7YWpPA-m51iUkJg_ZKemEeVPaLxl6cY5nCXv-vh3Ee8Nw3IdkWzteIeS2VYnW/w400-h300/IMG_5365.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside our Lady of the Rock church </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpz6Ar4mcFzmYoxB6bNp2U_2lhzIzm4aHvTZtf8Zga0-M-6vggpjVJm7lWQWP2Mj2SC_qGWp4zV-vXlHUFwWWZeTWjiDAWFegIClfkRsnN8ZhGSJS1X9vrZeGQ2VnPyE9sAMKJ9VD_wf4AIRrUyLlY7pFaT3yLytciFRtFAiXT2dZHWSPr0hIk10hO/s4032/IMG_5367.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpz6Ar4mcFzmYoxB6bNp2U_2lhzIzm4aHvTZtf8Zga0-M-6vggpjVJm7lWQWP2Mj2SC_qGWp4zV-vXlHUFwWWZeTWjiDAWFegIClfkRsnN8ZhGSJS1X9vrZeGQ2VnPyE9sAMKJ9VD_wf4AIRrUyLlY7pFaT3yLytciFRtFAiXT2dZHWSPr0hIk10hO/w300-h400/IMG_5367.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside our Lady of the Rock church </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Just across the water lies the attractive small town of Perast.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapNYD41Q1Jv2ZTUZKczHFZUulUe1CtPaHiJsOS1XUMDAn-Le13XzkTRE59c5XJYuudPI95RBWbQVzFJGGsM-JVJcDzNKux-gfUXD23A7Wy5XEDhCxauIK29Ahq19jMKfheLGs5zaqQDEHcEah2bf5ZN4EazOyKt3YB6ihXPbS2YkO-QPI1c6ZXPTo/s4032/IMG_5384%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapNYD41Q1Jv2ZTUZKczHFZUulUe1CtPaHiJsOS1XUMDAn-Le13XzkTRE59c5XJYuudPI95RBWbQVzFJGGsM-JVJcDzNKux-gfUXD23A7Wy5XEDhCxauIK29Ahq19jMKfheLGs5zaqQDEHcEah2bf5ZN4EazOyKt3YB6ihXPbS2YkO-QPI1c6ZXPTo/w400-h300/IMG_5384%202.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perast</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdrQ4A1sqDL_5zDBYepLdPNZWdRGgJn0ZBrZTblE9gn5q7v37nmGxrSj147kuH4pZ6h4m8L5iHXP25MuQBu2KTW84kQ4hf3HmNiasJuhKPAQoZXjIH-I-CnAsFiC1gucggwDPLJS2gmmqR8f82IuDEG6La9UdY4khEFXg75G6sBjKgMQD-ovH7a7M/s3903/IMG_5387.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3903" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdrQ4A1sqDL_5zDBYepLdPNZWdRGgJn0ZBrZTblE9gn5q7v37nmGxrSj147kuH4pZ6h4m8L5iHXP25MuQBu2KTW84kQ4hf3HmNiasJuhKPAQoZXjIH-I-CnAsFiC1gucggwDPLJS2gmmqR8f82IuDEG6La9UdY4khEFXg75G6sBjKgMQD-ovH7a7M/w400-h266/IMG_5387.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perast from the water</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'll leave you with this (great) video from the conference, which has some great drone footage of the Bay of Kotor, and starts with a shot of Our Lady of the Rocks (you can see St George's Island just behind, and Perast to the left).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/kmr9InUWegw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After four lovely days in Montenegro, it was time to head to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Smartranslate/posts/pfbid07QZ5JigknFKRShgKEgqsts9uv2TBbfbf8F8ec74tJEbG6o6KtWcq8tej9xkk9xFdl" target="_blank">Brighton for the third and final conference</a> of my 2022 European tour!<br /><br /><u>You might also like:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2011/08/48-hours-in-amsterdam.html" target="_blank">Amsterdam</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2015/01/48-hours-in-barcelona.html" target="_blank">Barcelona</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2011/01/48-hours-in-brussels.html" target="_blank">Brussels</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2016/07/corsica.html" target="_blank">Corsica</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Iceland" target="_blank">Iceland</a> </li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Ireland" target="_blank">Ireland</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Norway" target="_blank">Norway</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/08/seton-collegiate-church.html" target="_blank">Seton Collegiate Church </a></li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Adriatic Sea41.855090399999987 17.290283913.544856563821142 -17.8659661 70.165324236178833 52.4465339tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-79116112336223247882021-01-03T18:48:00.197+04:002021-01-10T18:56:29.337+04:00Domaine de la Roseraye, Ste-Rose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Domaine de la Roseraye is a small former sugar factory in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainte-Rose,_Réunion" target="_blank">Sainte-Rose</a>, on Reunion's south-east coast. We were some of the first people to visit it as part of a new series of guided tours organised by <a href="http://www.visitereunion.fr" target="_blank">Les Aventuriers de l'Est</a> in partnership with the site's owners, the Adam De Villiers family.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DZJx7fl5THRdARNLGoGS8zEaGkJ3SaNSSUa8JzpNlZ5fFrzjz7lupJvlgHcImheSsUk6ylfBYF0rMkBIxP7rssYplq2P5ufISMV6n267VP_C08bRzL6uBWMyccdQB7LQNV1azeKoO0E/s3749/IMG_1040.jpeg" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3749" data-original-width="2810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DZJx7fl5THRdARNLGoGS8zEaGkJ3SaNSSUa8JzpNlZ5fFrzjz7lupJvlgHcImheSsUk6ylfBYF0rMkBIxP7rssYplq2P5ufISMV6n267VP_C08bRzL6uBWMyccdQB7LQNV1azeKoO0E/s320/IMG_1040.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The site has belonged the Adam De Villiers family since the turn of the last century, but the former sugar factory ruins left there predate them and are probably mid-nineteenth century. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2uCCqjDCOdr5j56u64tS7thfvFgj3nutzRnla2FqUJNL3biJYIOhBM8iWrRi6BwaR87Y1QXVMGRfgua03xde0_dc5h9hdX8_5n1ZXUEw3nq3ikQknKpHgi9ZW03aFB1vb-D8cV7fbHE/s4032/IMG_1054.jpeg" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2uCCqjDCOdr5j56u64tS7thfvFgj3nutzRnla2FqUJNL3biJYIOhBM8iWrRi6BwaR87Y1QXVMGRfgua03xde0_dc5h9hdX8_5n1ZXUEw3nq3ikQknKpHgi9ZW03aFB1vb-D8cV7fbHE/w400-h300/IMG_1054.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The remains include an (incomplete) boiler, a broken flywheel, and a small sugar cane mill. They are interesting because Domaine de la Roseraye is one of the few, if not the only, factory sites on Reunion that has been left virtually as it was. Its small size is typical of properties of the time, and it's a piece in the jigsaw puzzle of the island's sugar cane industry development.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnds584n4hpuGBA7jMdmkXu5WrsoF3RRv0S3ivfT9P1qAYzTWg3c9fjq2zOUernHNpzDWVorPvMhmhiPdSRvInKwiWxrW4XZtZjUI-OwJLBtAUWMwsD1tWBFmwyxS9Bpv5jM9DkWk1L0/s4032/IMG_1061.jpeg"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnds584n4hpuGBA7jMdmkXu5WrsoF3RRv0S3ivfT9P1qAYzTWg3c9fjq2zOUernHNpzDWVorPvMhmhiPdSRvInKwiWxrW4XZtZjUI-OwJLBtAUWMwsD1tWBFmwyxS9Bpv5jM9DkWk1L0/w400-h300/IMG_1061.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Incidentally until the late 19th century the only way to reach Ste-Rose from the north and east was by sea. The bridge over the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivière_de_l%27Est" target="_blank">Rivière de l'Est</a> - the world's longest at the time - was only built in 1894.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrG60pWhFMQi9IG1r7w7jpxZ6uoAs2Q4ZmGSrbMAQEL2g36l7Dzgs1K-8iTJ93wQW-DHRxzjdc5joiM27hjBa_GcPCcawuSG8tkBz-yRjSvunFWb-7vNfD_fuoAL_Fphxdk44BrN-7A4/s4032/IMG_1056.jpeg" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrG60pWhFMQi9IG1r7w7jpxZ6uoAs2Q4ZmGSrbMAQEL2g36l7Dzgs1K-8iTJ93wQW-DHRxzjdc5joiM27hjBa_GcPCcawuSG8tkBz-yRjSvunFWb-7vNfD_fuoAL_Fphxdk44BrN-7A4/w300-h400/IMG_1056.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghXk4a3q35a4CaEktQfqWRLELSDxaIejIyJ7w6e2xIFttXWGm5qOVgLUtm_DYcWOCGwl79argeEIdwsZA0WbWciYlHsZqFp78SDhuN6Cs0mSxhCrj_FsFrPk89FWrS4ZKZYNHu6dCM_2o/s4032/IMG_1062.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghXk4a3q35a4CaEktQfqWRLELSDxaIejIyJ7w6e2xIFttXWGm5qOVgLUtm_DYcWOCGwl79argeEIdwsZA0WbWciYlHsZqFp78SDhuN6Cs0mSxhCrj_FsFrPk89FWrS4ZKZYNHu6dCM_2o/w400-h300/IMG_1062.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYuDqinZcisoYjNXFgRvkRhMrFrkjOjtlH_bPs2M8heTKpu7aONVOpOJnz09YG5doNnGXu52WzxNhQ3FGXQCIw8UbB2ZirTCoxtM7XfrOd_-zSglI1NxMuxtfg8p8BwbnZI_bFknIYWE/s4032/IMG_1063.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYuDqinZcisoYjNXFgRvkRhMrFrkjOjtlH_bPs2M8heTKpu7aONVOpOJnz09YG5doNnGXu52WzxNhQ3FGXQCIw8UbB2ZirTCoxtM7XfrOd_-zSglI1NxMuxtfg8p8BwbnZI_bFknIYWE/w400-h300/IMG_1063.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuemkvoeSmSQTX6vrYsu5DrpD7cG7FHeirB4mLWcsDvI7hYDgKRY_r3lvC2lqVYJTjiGGJO6l8NSvIJLxxVo0Q7Uvzhn3uTT8TlQt_o0WWWFsXrkimqllfMhF3xrYQl49gdr6sirEz8M/s4032/IMG_1066.jpeg"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuemkvoeSmSQTX6vrYsu5DrpD7cG7FHeirB4mLWcsDvI7hYDgKRY_r3lvC2lqVYJTjiGGJO6l8NSvIJLxxVo0Q7Uvzhn3uTT8TlQt_o0WWWFsXrkimqllfMhF3xrYQl49gdr6sirEz8M/w400-h300/IMG_1066.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The family had some archaeological work carried out between 2015 and 2018 but frustratingly French regulations mean that if there is no active archaeological research being carried out the site has to be recovered in order to preserve what's underneath. Prior to 2015 it was a guest house, with rooms in the converted stables. The actual house is quite unprepossessing and was apparently never lived in full-time. Located in such a backwater it didn't need the bling-bling of houses such as those on <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Saint%20Denis" target="_blank">St-Denis</a>' Rue de Paris for example.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWPkw9cLjgXTCmrgrJ6dInmUEUF2YGlU4Haywh33gD6_I0ll03fDLtoY0PXAqEXygDN1NkFZxVIXxfMINT8OEQSikuTuDexsblqO-mxp4yBYl8bJqV5m66p2seyqruTFZ-k85bebmrOA/s4032/IMG_1075.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWPkw9cLjgXTCmrgrJ6dInmUEUF2YGlU4Haywh33gD6_I0ll03fDLtoY0PXAqEXygDN1NkFZxVIXxfMINT8OEQSikuTuDexsblqO-mxp4yBYl8bJqV5m66p2seyqruTFZ-k85bebmrOA/w400-h300/IMG_1075.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">house at Domaine de la Roseraye</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabF-qXzEXITd22TOiUTFkKFskb9Z05iYUjQnIKjmYUUrNHTxBdkd-jI_eu4OmEi_19R2M6wFwd3CWdwDs1C5KHPcQ5OjuF-CoeL8gPooe7A9KKO8SrE58tcW5NKrRyV5GXFjGaMq5nQo/s3678/IMG_1069.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2758" data-original-width="3678" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabF-qXzEXITd22TOiUTFkKFskb9Z05iYUjQnIKjmYUUrNHTxBdkd-jI_eu4OmEi_19R2M6wFwd3CWdwDs1C5KHPcQ5OjuF-CoeL8gPooe7A9KKO8SrE58tcW5NKrRyV5GXFjGaMq5nQo/w400-h300/IMG_1069.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">verandah of the house at Domaine de la Roseraye</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Whoever planted the garden must have loved <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliconia" target="_blank">Heliconias</a>, as I've rarely seen so many different varieties in one place!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC6lEiXiKPUt7tN9E2WhDmNnmjhri8weNCYudVXbdX_5gS9n87xhewitBJIn65Ywq9YEC3yBBXlPfvWGLrTHRD7ht7BJeW27cE9qXhTqplHCdfcwECAuRAksf1MNl1IwCmFj49prM1lI/s4032/IMG_1059.jpeg" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC6lEiXiKPUt7tN9E2WhDmNnmjhri8weNCYudVXbdX_5gS9n87xhewitBJIn65Ywq9YEC3yBBXlPfvWGLrTHRD7ht7BJeW27cE9qXhTqplHCdfcwECAuRAksf1MNl1IwCmFj49prM1lI/w300-h400/IMG_1059.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JzLov_AfvD6iRJihhDHPOOAUAWqxlwmnlg9JI_vvlNkeryw_PFPCuIKtsBInZ46g4nH6xWe0RXqZjX0HeGIBppYptfxlsgwmOZH3-Exvpfihq3Jz_zUaamFCYIOdXPnam07eFhy03rE/s4032/IMG_1041.jpeg" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JzLov_AfvD6iRJihhDHPOOAUAWqxlwmnlg9JI_vvlNkeryw_PFPCuIKtsBInZ46g4nH6xWe0RXqZjX0HeGIBppYptfxlsgwmOZH3-Exvpfihq3Jz_zUaamFCYIOdXPnam07eFhy03rE/w400-h300/IMG_1041.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZt3wHs4Qq1ysv0wviYDHfPecqGAbnWb2gdN0Ih0oNGdr5FVJH_JGlX-hD3VIO3HS8_iniLpuK8tRIc5h2FaQCy-XUtZXYBmBIIiX8aqK67Fs_nxyvcQFwDOY-azgzqz5GPlOCYO3RoC8/s4032/IMG_1043.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZt3wHs4Qq1ysv0wviYDHfPecqGAbnWb2gdN0Ih0oNGdr5FVJH_JGlX-hD3VIO3HS8_iniLpuK8tRIc5h2FaQCy-XUtZXYBmBIIiX8aqK67Fs_nxyvcQFwDOY-azgzqz5GPlOCYO3RoC8/w400-h300/IMG_1043.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cRDJBK5qZBiszl5t2zHA6kl3zB3_7rmOGCNMxWkibKNqrcWe_y4zdUoGai6O2VUJAOiP6t-sc6l51K4d5vQv07U8CXyW2e6ZXDr0DM5FX5wtqm8Cx2Q7N7duW6Bk2N9kVTmTztUbLBk/s4032/IMG_1046.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cRDJBK5qZBiszl5t2zHA6kl3zB3_7rmOGCNMxWkibKNqrcWe_y4zdUoGai6O2VUJAOiP6t-sc6l51K4d5vQv07U8CXyW2e6ZXDr0DM5FX5wtqm8Cx2Q7N7duW6Bk2N9kVTmTztUbLBk/w300-h400/IMG_1046.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Heliconia rostrata</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6w1AcG6gvdyuGzYmj2gMqLDnsTgyWLt35UgJqEwnwrHI1PKPu4y79527mzqVjjShlmwuvJdFh0V4rJ1bLNmrck88NUvV1fXYvQ0N0TIcIgITUa5XvoOW4XGtirrcRBxytMJSWV0ZtXcw/s4032/IMG_1047.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6w1AcG6gvdyuGzYmj2gMqLDnsTgyWLt35UgJqEwnwrHI1PKPu4y79527mzqVjjShlmwuvJdFh0V4rJ1bLNmrck88NUvV1fXYvQ0N0TIcIgITUa5XvoOW4XGtirrcRBxytMJSWV0ZtXcw/w400-h300/IMG_1047.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TizpVWUuh-vYMmPKQa00LZF_38pabGW8n87qPZrKoCe2shcVGQbCMnVru4A4QL5MQ6AQ6VfQ7CBZDP3bhzH3zS-j4JA19D8W9iE1D6v7Ql7zFzJJwlwowCTG_vrUeC1tuxKNkx8XbYE/s4032/IMG_1049.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3TizpVWUuh-vYMmPKQa00LZF_38pabGW8n87qPZrKoCe2shcVGQbCMnVru4A4QL5MQ6AQ6VfQ7CBZDP3bhzH3zS-j4JA19D8W9iE1D6v7Ql7zFzJJwlwowCTG_vrUeC1tuxKNkx8XbYE/w300-h400/IMG_1049.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pOB74Av-iktTjC0ybuJ78ULDJD06QLHfVk2-0Y_9-dBYDTGDYU1wm2OSSVpGu7KgJPPMsP8ZBb56grWuKUpQffOmhSVDQXt3yn4nUI6Q5Ie2GpDamf2j6R4GeBCqWiTWvbgBwAvul4w/s4032/IMG_1057.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pOB74Av-iktTjC0ybuJ78ULDJD06QLHfVk2-0Y_9-dBYDTGDYU1wm2OSSVpGu7KgJPPMsP8ZBb56grWuKUpQffOmhSVDQXt3yn4nUI6Q5Ie2GpDamf2j6R4GeBCqWiTWvbgBwAvul4w/w300-h400/IMG_1057.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoTrB3ac0dk-3KXbwIG4j0Ne_itnGfxqT7qYtzS7f9vJvzEY-JI_NmFPsM97Vbe4rWYEahtKSBbQzq_TliUvW8R-Zos6TI0a-kIoznDfgF1beWCMVtHKJBR2oNfweTSWxiCKKPYlkWxo/s4032/IMG_1071.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoTrB3ac0dk-3KXbwIG4j0Ne_itnGfxqT7qYtzS7f9vJvzEY-JI_NmFPsM97Vbe4rWYEahtKSBbQzq_TliUvW8R-Zos6TI0a-kIoznDfgF1beWCMVtHKJBR2oNfweTSWxiCKKPYlkWxo/w300-h400/IMG_1071.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Heliconia chartacea</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">There were also plenty of other plants and trees in the garden. As Ste-Rose is located on Reunion's windward coast it gets lots of rain, which means gardens in the area are extremely lush.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiVJPt-AhqeNJ_siOocTVGS29Yx0q7T_7OZs0ZnP5qpVkMe2o9qI-NgyKW_M3_OpIvqIi2q_SjIXR0k6X27wao-5bA7xdbSQ5lI0TMO45MZadtQCowEj2ZYIl7vaotHdD-n-iH4_j8aM/s4032/IMG_1050.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiVJPt-AhqeNJ_siOocTVGS29Yx0q7T_7OZs0ZnP5qpVkMe2o9qI-NgyKW_M3_OpIvqIi2q_SjIXR0k6X27wao-5bA7xdbSQ5lI0TMO45MZadtQCowEj2ZYIl7vaotHdD-n-iH4_j8aM/w400-h300/IMG_1050.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">starfruit flowers</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-dP54JQK_d9DX78XDDoNdXzVePVJs0GZfE69n6MESyh-Z-8RwBbREp2zirS2EnNuPTk0i-yJJY3pawIpeyie6fXr-EvwO9q__iOeHjYmFYFTUAkSE1lbsbzo3nqfvNSEjSQxe7a2qQQ/s4032/IMG_1073.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-dP54JQK_d9DX78XDDoNdXzVePVJs0GZfE69n6MESyh-Z-8RwBbREp2zirS2EnNuPTk0i-yJJY3pawIpeyie6fXr-EvwO9q__iOeHjYmFYFTUAkSE1lbsbzo3nqfvNSEjSQxe7a2qQQ/w300-h400/IMG_1073.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lipstick palm (<i>Cyrtostachys renda</i>)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuM0P3PBCeeSOUlbkB8TLHFbOE4sZAJ7Qn36FMgiYFDWk9vZHjpaFfGh-6AusrhtAFE_Rpt1cHD3w7BXS2MMZZwO5J9A_CHsfO8SzNBjujIKg6SMAWPfAATP7MGOKoVqFP3hEscml9Rw/s4032/IMG_1076.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmuM0P3PBCeeSOUlbkB8TLHFbOE4sZAJ7Qn36FMgiYFDWk9vZHjpaFfGh-6AusrhtAFE_Rpt1cHD3w7BXS2MMZZwO5J9A_CHsfO8SzNBjujIKg6SMAWPfAATP7MGOKoVqFP3hEscml9Rw/w300-h400/IMG_1076.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb28tDHW2tXssrjXU62F0C9EVlU7FDCh2oBqCNe1uP2Fk1v_UwmOpz9iETvEXwwRbLz5qqOmXR-NTS_82JxCCcNqY3Y_P8N-th7qSQr_KlMWKx6VsmZfLHQ95F9ormK4pI5X0QtAaZqc4/s4032/IMG_1078.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb28tDHW2tXssrjXU62F0C9EVlU7FDCh2oBqCNe1uP2Fk1v_UwmOpz9iETvEXwwRbLz5qqOmXR-NTS_82JxCCcNqY3Y_P8N-th7qSQr_KlMWKx6VsmZfLHQ95F9ormK4pI5X0QtAaZqc4/w300-h400/IMG_1078.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv3ExoRFD9jhGlpxaLmEiN_sgfvrU5z4MsHSyGmfHOHj_hM1fm9ZUs2Yx_VgkWQ9dr1m2JB7d9LYBd4AeQqlGbVLWWSD9cQBJcwkM7XS6Q2N8bntG4zNp9qtEi055jdt11rdo8aKCxfk/s4032/IMG_1080.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv3ExoRFD9jhGlpxaLmEiN_sgfvrU5z4MsHSyGmfHOHj_hM1fm9ZUs2Yx_VgkWQ9dr1m2JB7d9LYBd4AeQqlGbVLWWSD9cQBJcwkM7XS6Q2N8bntG4zNp9qtEi055jdt11rdo8aKCxfk/w300-h400/IMG_1080.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfD42pRIKRbT6B2rfdhxH-7LQPAg6obk_alQ7419kMSh_jUCEiH6AclzJlU7ADGxgfRQLfam5P-NH-sBJpHL-rT3uFY7WuR7mn-h0tN7-oPkhZvgYFH7g-hTShY8aC7TX5wkcDiMbWe0/s4032/IMG_1081.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfD42pRIKRbT6B2rfdhxH-7LQPAg6obk_alQ7419kMSh_jUCEiH6AclzJlU7ADGxgfRQLfam5P-NH-sBJpHL-rT3uFY7WuR7mn-h0tN7-oPkhZvgYFH7g-hTShY8aC7TX5wkcDiMbWe0/w300-h400/IMG_1081.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs2QZzsrX6kVFCi2D7VSTwCPcKrQUtYLSIqHXqtXWyIDokRd8vMQdE1QqIXo6_uaZURTIT5IpiU_ulryG8qyH6aqWHA7STqxn6xHJvmXfT2ScGyRixqn76uXGIRGMWvRSyGEkg5h0z3X4/s4032/IMG_1084.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs2QZzsrX6kVFCi2D7VSTwCPcKrQUtYLSIqHXqtXWyIDokRd8vMQdE1QqIXo6_uaZURTIT5IpiU_ulryG8qyH6aqWHA7STqxn6xHJvmXfT2ScGyRixqn76uXGIRGMWvRSyGEkg5h0z3X4/w300-h400/IMG_1084.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Incidentally a TV journalist was there at the same time as us, and her news segment can be seen here:</p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe framborder="0" src="https://cdn.antenne.re/nas/V2domainedelaroseraye_030120211900.mp4" style="height: 350px; width: 600px;"></iframe></p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/DomainedeLaRoseraye" target="_blank">Domaine de la Roseraye</a> guided visits take place on the 1st Sunday of every month and you should contact <a href="http://www.visitereunion.fr" target="_blank">Les Aventuriers de l'Est</a> at aventuriersdelest@gmail.fr or 0692 34 45 21 to book. Visits for 15 or more people can be organised on other dates.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>See also:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2015/02/under-volcano-visiting-reunions-lava.html" target="_blank">Under the volcano - visiting Reunion's lava tubes</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/04/saga-du-rhum-museum.html" target="_blank">Saga du Rhum museum</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2018/10/daytime-visit-to-bois-rouge-distillerie.html" target="_blank">Daytime visit to Bois Rouge & Distillerie de Savanna</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2015/10/night-visit-to-bois-rouge-sugar-factory.html" target="_blank">Night visit to Bois Rouge sugar factory</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2014/04/distillerie-de-savanna.html" target="_blank">Distillerie de Savanna</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/08/grand-hazier-la-vanilleraie.html" target="_blank">Grand Hazier & La Vanilleraie</a></li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-38693801645007550292020-12-06T18:47:00.063+04:002020-12-21T18:04:33.238+04:00Cascade Blanche<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Falling 640 metres, Cascade Blanche is one of France's highest waterfalls, and Reunion's third-highest (the tallest is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trou_de_Fer" target="_blank">Trou de Fer</a>). Often associated with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salazie" target="_blank">Salazie</a> as it lies near the entrance to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldera#List_of_volcanic_calderas" target="_blank">cirque</a>, in fact it technically falls within the municipality of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bras-Panon" target="_blank">Bras Panon</a>. It's very visible on the drive in and out of Salazie cirque, although on the way in you have to look back over your shoulder just past <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2014/03/some-tasteless-humour.html" target="_blank">Pisse en l'Air</a> to see it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztK3aebGZ0i8nszy60OCW2NOK1V6EtiXb8Z7qa_Hjormp37d7_JDMxuSku5Yay-jSpgTv2diWQaFVdfWF5jc1qQBfGXag3LDdRAkkC_JAkfAICBaop-q_c-h9721fzjnFFDYG2rVbAgA/s4032/IMG_0764.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztK3aebGZ0i8nszy60OCW2NOK1V6EtiXb8Z7qa_Hjormp37d7_JDMxuSku5Yay-jSpgTv2diWQaFVdfWF5jc1qQBfGXag3LDdRAkkC_JAkfAICBaop-q_c-h9721fzjnFFDYG2rVbAgA/w300-h400/IMG_0764.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cascade Blanche</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Getting to a good viewpoint just opposite the waterfall is a fairly easy 35-minute hike, although actually getting to the foot of the waterfall is a little more "athletic" (it involves fording a river, wading through muddy channels, and clambering over large boulders).</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OeFSlnIihuloVYySUdgeTf09UlRvv9kou4oizEYSMFeCEZhFLfvBWsC8LLjlW1xF4rednBhmDy4kT9HQ_pe35uV8E7f4M6ZQ3yx6zs__fbCpbU20vE4uR4wXIZNE_M5TTUqPzRgNmPY/s4032/IMG_0761.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OeFSlnIihuloVYySUdgeTf09UlRvv9kou4oizEYSMFeCEZhFLfvBWsC8LLjlW1xF4rednBhmDy4kT9HQ_pe35uV8E7f4M6ZQ3yx6zs__fbCpbU20vE4uR4wXIZNE_M5TTUqPzRgNmPY/w400-h300/IMG_0761.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sign near the start of the hike</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ynlKu6nyChU61rOCP2xEE5FsWtcMyd9XdICzV1t6IFEwn4qVOiAaRQeBlcX86m6Am2ko0hNApl7YfoCYN-5yUbauU0If8WnqWfddhvo8ezC8zqVcGKcJosJxY1p3qTohMs3qWy2FFBI/s4032/IMG_0763.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ynlKu6nyChU61rOCP2xEE5FsWtcMyd9XdICzV1t6IFEwn4qVOiAaRQeBlcX86m6Am2ko0hNApl7YfoCYN-5yUbauU0If8WnqWfddhvo8ezC8zqVcGKcJosJxY1p3qTohMs3qWy2FFBI/w300-h400/IMG_0763.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forestry Commission sign at start of hike, <br />warning that part of the pathway is unstable</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDBviUPw9gT7RqUkNJbAHAFaFcj72J4txh8kXLG5EgcI7-C_mE4ngR3PCHbzXIWITCohXA1rcCm2uxK3FxKBDjJOOhBrn1J0yT4eAyAbt71m3Ml8fHDHbWuZTyjhmCcYO9nAV6ga4A2U/s4032/IMG_0760.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMDBviUPw9gT7RqUkNJbAHAFaFcj72J4txh8kXLG5EgcI7-C_mE4ngR3PCHbzXIWITCohXA1rcCm2uxK3FxKBDjJOOhBrn1J0yT4eAyAbt71m3Ml8fHDHbWuZTyjhmCcYO9nAV6ga4A2U/w400-h300/IMG_0760.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a species of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliconia" target="_blank">Heliconia</a></i> growing wild</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jHSX9cuynZDMDA4vqJEmCmKKH3iuJvLsitHN8I0b4jGTGSt6ybbiJtb8bexqLJ6u93wWv80a_cXHZjhYNloP_t4fc8yy28VNheCxT8KFmcnfY341F5sh-T3m-UFKSAKSXmOl2nVe9K8/s4032/IMG_0772.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jHSX9cuynZDMDA4vqJEmCmKKH3iuJvLsitHN8I0b4jGTGSt6ybbiJtb8bexqLJ6u93wWv80a_cXHZjhYNloP_t4fc8yy28VNheCxT8KFmcnfY341F5sh-T3m-UFKSAKSXmOl2nVe9K8/w300-h400/IMG_0772.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of path</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CAbW9ZyIwlZcOzhPFr2HCiXmw1uqtQtlj5sGgZE4d3gaaYo25tWLEu2Ws8Hzc0K7cg5YIBfZAbLrQe-jYxnhDRJAfo45jMPX3t5Mz-mYF_w_GyXmQ-a6T0wEA4GX0tc2csNmCGsQL0c/s4032/IMG_0773.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CAbW9ZyIwlZcOzhPFr2HCiXmw1uqtQtlj5sGgZE4d3gaaYo25tWLEu2Ws8Hzc0K7cg5YIBfZAbLrQe-jYxnhDRJAfo45jMPX3t5Mz-mYF_w_GyXmQ-a6T0wEA4GX0tc2csNmCGsQL0c/w300-h400/IMG_0773.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sign at the viewpoint marking the end of the maintained <br />path. While it doesn't forbid from going any further, <br />it warns hikers to watch out for flash floods in the river<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JSIcubFkaVVMpp5tJkFvsziOG05pSPmGBUvJldzvLTyJGDnGK0pPU5kAzuL2_WgeTZj06EVohk6fpjvTsmC9sDX6pXCFU8kox9NLaXqPqwCGggLFK8UgFJ0bO_ErjcThvdprYTMlaPQ/s4032/IMG_0769.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JSIcubFkaVVMpp5tJkFvsziOG05pSPmGBUvJldzvLTyJGDnGK0pPU5kAzuL2_WgeTZj06EVohk6fpjvTsmC9sDX6pXCFU8kox9NLaXqPqwCGggLFK8UgFJ0bO_ErjcThvdprYTMlaPQ/w300-h400/IMG_0769.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of Cascade Blanche from the viewpoint</td></tr></tbody></table><p>After cooling our <strike>heels</strike> ankles in the river (called <i>Bras de Caverne</i>), we then made our way to the foot of the waterfall where we took a dip in the water before making our way back.</p><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrhub0ZBqdD1uBhuGRERnjZOTGMy5j2piZJVENEdXELiCt_aDV78CFYT1vBYY7Lamco9CFr0Dco3AVygfwCQQG9lKIAOqGc-ox7a7bWts3EVJH68ZabAKIyVgIXiVJ_zd8lT-DgduK_w/s4032/IMG_0775.jpeg" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrhub0ZBqdD1uBhuGRERnjZOTGMy5j2piZJVENEdXELiCt_aDV78CFYT1vBYY7Lamco9CFr0Dco3AVygfwCQQG9lKIAOqGc-ox7a7bWts3EVJH68ZabAKIyVgIXiVJ_zd8lT-DgduK_w/w400-h300/IMG_0775.jpeg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFWHZGkoAEhhyUA0LxYOqqQZzK_lXms_uh0A6HiWudFftUWrfpEwma67pJ3_KEeRLdB5AaeyD4UHhaO4HZgTzY_J1YDbmwBfS95wxzMa64b5tPLhnSPzEJGA4V1yMV3XdQ79p1trN-00/s4032/IMG_0776.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFWHZGkoAEhhyUA0LxYOqqQZzK_lXms_uh0A6HiWudFftUWrfpEwma67pJ3_KEeRLdB5AaeyD4UHhaO4HZgTzY_J1YDbmwBfS95wxzMa64b5tPLhnSPzEJGA4V1yMV3XdQ79p1trN-00/w300-h400/IMG_0776.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgll6nq0zR_QzEQ-8bKQr99MZ6IhMW-WTLwOoJXTwzkUHcwFabxBTUGJGDR7ewzOCVgLrOEE7dWpUoVC8eOc9VcYssuCMwx1NyU4rpBtkpinja4jt1EVx9yGV6OcDkYWyxs23oE5ndV6uc/s750/130247090_299384574704748_220051137742979242_n.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="336" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgll6nq0zR_QzEQ-8bKQr99MZ6IhMW-WTLwOoJXTwzkUHcwFabxBTUGJGDR7ewzOCVgLrOEE7dWpUoVC8eOc9VcYssuCMwx1NyU4rpBtkpinja4jt1EVx9yGV6OcDkYWyxs23oE5ndV6uc/w179-h400/130247090_299384574704748_220051137742979242_n.jpg" width="179" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Might be of interest: <a href="https://www.worldwaterfalldatabase.com/waterfall/Blanche-Cascade-60" target="_blank">Cascade Blanche on the World Waterfall Database</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>If you read/understand French you can find out more about the hike here:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://randopitons.re/poi/1068-cascade-blanche-entree-salazie" target="_blank">Randopitons</a></li><li><a href="https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-cascade-blanche/-2" target="_blank">Visorando</a></li><li><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Attraction_Review-g790468-d10683056-Reviews-Cascade_Blanche-Salazie_Arrondissement_of_Saint_Benoit.html" target="_blank">Tripadvisor</a></li><li><a href="http://randotectec.reunion-parcnational.fr/data/api/fr/treks/14463/sentier-de-cascade-blanche.pdf" target="_blank">National Park factsheet</a> about the hike and what there is to see</li><li><a href="https://habiter-la-reunion.re/la-cascade-blanche/" target="_blank">Habiter à la Réunion</a></li><li><a href="https://www.cartedelareunion.fr/listings/sentier-de-cascade-blanche">CartedelaReunion.fr</a></li><li><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Blanche" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bou6Yr5LPVvMV0EkOat8iU5X1xyK9JD7WnQyBSBYkkWbro57DQNNq6d40DpAbPgB-czDvyJNEcFrX2MwsRGAtj_4rDNuqiSZx6XQt07N-RSuoFyPqgJqan82Y4a3VhNlEecS9VGfbH8/s4032/IMG_0779.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bou6Yr5LPVvMV0EkOat8iU5X1xyK9JD7WnQyBSBYkkWbro57DQNNq6d40DpAbPgB-czDvyJNEcFrX2MwsRGAtj_4rDNuqiSZx6XQt07N-RSuoFyPqgJqan82Y4a3VhNlEecS9VGfbH8/w300-h400/IMG_0779.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view on the way back</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>See also:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/p/here-are-some-facts-about-reunion-you.html" target="_blank">Did you know? Some facts about Reunion</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2014/09/cascade-du-chien.html" target="_blank">Cascade du Chien</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2020/08/cascade-biberon.html" target="_blank">Cascade Biberon</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2011/11/back-to-salazie.html" target="_blank">Back to Salazie</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2020/02/more-blog-articles-about-reunion-island.html" target="_blank">A round-up of some blog articles about Reunion</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2018/05/hellbourg-to-belouve-hike.html" target="_blank">Hellbourg to Belouve hike</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2016/03/maison-morange-music-museum.html" target="_blank">Maison Morange music museum</a></li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Cascade Blanche, Réunion-21.0079452 55.5834257-52.367463168725806 20.4271757 10.351572768725806 90.739675699999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-9112975551690947722020-11-29T18:48:00.111+04:002021-01-10T17:44:39.668+04:00Rivière du Mât<p style="text-align: justify;">Although I worked for 9 years at Bourbon Plastiques, I never <a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/hiking" target="_blank">hiked</a> this path up alongside the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivière_du_Mât" target="_blank">Rivière du Mât</a> river although I'd heard about. It's now been 12 years since I left BP to move to <a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Korea" target="_blank">Seoul</a> for three years, so when an <a href="https://randopitons.re/randonnee/1140-boucle-bassins-mer-aigrettes-depuis-riviere-mat" target="_blank">outing to Rivière du Mât</a> was suggested by a group of friends I was keen to participate.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuIXjJD5VrRMFeT_74aWARlntBtbiRGzsr34fSpqJVDAFa-A8wZLDBUPPzbgdA7QDe0l53KOwhOcWDaE72AG85cpQ-kIOhR38Y3CR-64GedQqVz6jfM12CGwhOMee4VY1xhPr6dkB71I/s4032/IMG_9561.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuIXjJD5VrRMFeT_74aWARlntBtbiRGzsr34fSpqJVDAFa-A8wZLDBUPPzbgdA7QDe0l53KOwhOcWDaE72AG85cpQ-kIOhR38Y3CR-64GedQqVz6jfM12CGwhOMee4VY1xhPr6dkB71I/w400-h300/IMG_9561.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bourbon Plastiques roofs are just visible behind the vegetation</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's not a very difficult hike, and the path is flat most of the time. We only went as far as Bassin des Aigrettes, which should not be confused with its homonym at Saint-Gilles, although they do look similar.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTwqHo6F1nW8itgYH2SuEKMz181_IR2_Y5ZJwWjXRbSr7tfp3-gFlO6Yiqm-UZ-1czCZV_M1u52o2Eo7WY3JW0negi2cpcB-LAwTG-nPzZXW9hpgGp1Mspoh0qQ2K087vc1KA30KKJWs/s4032/IMG_9564.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTwqHo6F1nW8itgYH2SuEKMz181_IR2_Y5ZJwWjXRbSr7tfp3-gFlO6Yiqm-UZ-1czCZV_M1u52o2Eo7WY3JW0negi2cpcB-LAwTG-nPzZXW9hpgGp1Mspoh0qQ2K087vc1KA30KKJWs/w300-h400/IMG_9564.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdjFl1QbLRxP21ludnv_YCDdoTSXpV-ri9nSW9q1FA-M1fW2Eeh4dN3C-XNNUAtdZ04CraycoO5TtGxrXcbvCDQG7MCpZqbGFAflcMRicxrACw9Nu2glWoML_5UISeW7nPdKmaaDr8FU/s4032/IMG_9567.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdjFl1QbLRxP21ludnv_YCDdoTSXpV-ri9nSW9q1FA-M1fW2Eeh4dN3C-XNNUAtdZ04CraycoO5TtGxrXcbvCDQG7MCpZqbGFAflcMRicxrACw9Nu2glWoML_5UISeW7nPdKmaaDr8FU/w300-h400/IMG_9567.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPeyKMHMn4L75Nd6G1A46_UnYd1Jxtlv-xdd58MKs6MpTMyQ2lE47nq5cm1tlL0VYeypRU0e6aITU1sTg3bBiRVtKTEgJbGM_cLBQUknltulYW5TJxOczpP-pe_orrllranDOusIqQe0/s4032/IMG_9569.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPeyKMHMn4L75Nd6G1A46_UnYd1Jxtlv-xdd58MKs6MpTMyQ2lE47nq5cm1tlL0VYeypRU0e6aITU1sTg3bBiRVtKTEgJbGM_cLBQUknltulYW5TJxOczpP-pe_orrllranDOusIqQe0/w300-h400/IMG_9569.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBzBY5yz8dK_BYUiO76SXSPEW0vo94hP6Zl4-5yCpuVMUvrRqvdMLqss-j5GDApm39skDWeTtjklf3J7RuyYbZ0V2AsA6xkW1y1jRLF_uswM8nU_KcYfLmRfYoCn3z-1MuDaSqw4mDWA/s4032/IMG_9580.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBzBY5yz8dK_BYUiO76SXSPEW0vo94hP6Zl4-5yCpuVMUvrRqvdMLqss-j5GDApm39skDWeTtjklf3J7RuyYbZ0V2AsA6xkW1y1jRLF_uswM8nU_KcYfLmRfYoCn3z-1MuDaSqw4mDWA/w300-h400/IMG_9580.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHXDYFvtIDdqSxvhPtVwAUMmFuZ3JOPlUjaY8jtKexraK8LT7DUa1mvXXT1CLApL_QNI-1NVaUzSgAFHKcLgLNh4SzTXvrlDt8b9N98sjzEYnOhIWD-m-bFaTryryC9xCL-Gi99sFU98/s4032/IMG_9581.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrHXDYFvtIDdqSxvhPtVwAUMmFuZ3JOPlUjaY8jtKexraK8LT7DUa1mvXXT1CLApL_QNI-1NVaUzSgAFHKcLgLNh4SzTXvrlDt8b9N98sjzEYnOhIWD-m-bFaTryryC9xCL-Gi99sFU98/w300-h400/IMG_9581.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvBEJ2X6osGD76ul1Pm9j9Vjsdu39HytoqqinxtIzAJJbyjkTEDHyzLf9Vo2KohPopF2W2JFVJTrLriuyrKE-_kWs2ECbKo4iB6zGBcKBtN9UnUDwEm_X8s_ZqjRflCYkx1RfLXHlWN4/s4032/IMG_9586.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvBEJ2X6osGD76ul1Pm9j9Vjsdu39HytoqqinxtIzAJJbyjkTEDHyzLf9Vo2KohPopF2W2JFVJTrLriuyrKE-_kWs2ECbKo4iB6zGBcKBtN9UnUDwEm_X8s_ZqjRflCYkx1RfLXHlWN4/w400-h300/IMG_9586.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At one point on the path a sign indicates Bassin De La Mer, which is a bit further on and slightly steeper to get to. Again this should not be confused with its near-homonym Bassin La Mer at Saint-Benoit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2r-qBHajKzSZ2-7o-o0UBcNBnr1SJaBUXbcJNL5t1C0n13zpnIk3aW8Bmm6QqOae29HWWaxzhVk305OVHVjrOEq7DCcXH3asxeLtkvQVxNhxo9bBoq7gJgnLgVmJWHJ8VmCOYo29t7G8/s4032/IMG_9573.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2r-qBHajKzSZ2-7o-o0UBcNBnr1SJaBUXbcJNL5t1C0n13zpnIk3aW8Bmm6QqOae29HWWaxzhVk305OVHVjrOEq7DCcXH3asxeLtkvQVxNhxo9bBoq7gJgnLgVmJWHJ8VmCOYo29t7G8/w300-h400/IMG_9573.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sign to Bassin De La Mer</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJJrmsRbi6UnwzHKyPa_TNBhswD6YEI6Bvqrk8m7ChwfIj_bk-o15RV-RBGurOFQHB7kS9-ld3YvrOIYsFdbF_htVdEnQ6_mvRdiIvHhoFrTx9DWnf54Lw2B6bDNpYug7Me4c6q1s5WU/s4032/IMG_9572.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJJrmsRbi6UnwzHKyPa_TNBhswD6YEI6Bvqrk8m7ChwfIj_bk-o15RV-RBGurOFQHB7kS9-ld3YvrOIYsFdbF_htVdEnQ6_mvRdiIvHhoFrTx9DWnf54Lw2B6bDNpYug7Me4c6q1s5WU/w400-h300/IMG_9572.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bassin des Aigrettes, Rivière du Mât</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The way back was by the same path, and we stopped off to cool our feet in the river.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gEtZstJjZ_ha3JFlJWlThqff53SSo0GKF684q61IiW97QWEqxFXhePUXRrMRZ8wSPz4RTZrabg3vZd0pkvBDOrELaXco5txjWEOY59kNHpVqbVqNS07eDrM36vLct-Hc5SgwyqZNMj4/s4032/IMG_9587.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gEtZstJjZ_ha3JFlJWlThqff53SSo0GKF684q61IiW97QWEqxFXhePUXRrMRZ8wSPz4RTZrabg3vZd0pkvBDOrELaXco5txjWEOY59kNHpVqbVqNS07eDrM36vLct-Hc5SgwyqZNMj4/w400-h300/IMG_9587.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rivière du Mât, looking east towards the sea</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The area near the carpark where the hike starts and finishes has been landscaped to a certain extent, and there are some attractive plants as well as some old remnants of the former sugar factory that Bourbon Plastiques stands on the site of.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUJQEWT2Rr3NULA9zJkSe704ry7PPF-8ISe-tbVP9u8T1eJ-dbPVwOTSXRwj3GNC8prhLK11WdlIi4SIBzjV6wV0NfjEkau4EoSgzyZmnNR8fPAx4nrS706WrjPLcYUYzyDIBoQ5k_NE/s4032/IMG_9591.jpeg" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUJQEWT2Rr3NULA9zJkSe704ry7PPF-8ISe-tbVP9u8T1eJ-dbPVwOTSXRwj3GNC8prhLK11WdlIi4SIBzjV6wV0NfjEkau4EoSgzyZmnNR8fPAx4nrS706WrjPLcYUYzyDIBoQ5k_NE/w300-h400/IMG_9591.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHqMjaLES4_hn81bKi-QSuC5OsVyesUnBnP0vxIcElBO1UuOqkXvSFNMebzBOvhrO5nM14zBvh70FveRGxNKNnjxprdUtVxZ5x2qsSEHFzsitFteZDbhQsRz0W8KnCrJeuA_VErLBAFE/s4032/IMG_9584.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHqMjaLES4_hn81bKi-QSuC5OsVyesUnBnP0vxIcElBO1UuOqkXvSFNMebzBOvhrO5nM14zBvh70FveRGxNKNnjxprdUtVxZ5x2qsSEHFzsitFteZDbhQsRz0W8KnCrJeuA_VErLBAFE/w300-h400/IMG_9584.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWx-xp3Q8CU-Ko5HzucKjvILN7pYWyfGDojlJWN83le1brqhg_YAQdia_tUa_uGWHEoSst9CwrFhDMBMdWWW5vprbtu6lOkYcIclVxV1smYDFzbROkwxv95ALNEINAm68qW83yZV_3dU/s4032/IMG_9588.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWx-xp3Q8CU-Ko5HzucKjvILN7pYWyfGDojlJWN83le1brqhg_YAQdia_tUa_uGWHEoSst9CwrFhDMBMdWWW5vprbtu6lOkYcIclVxV1smYDFzbROkwxv95ALNEINAm68qW83yZV_3dU/w300-h400/IMG_9588.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">jackfruit growing</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1tFs72gcrPFk3NYevx79uSiaY5TFKB_73V9zfLj186RaHeEOKjcFTLDXS_R45FhHl6IbtmYHbT3P63HwOp5bJIz73Xtwid1nYZqT5Sw6yNJwJe3uaot8BjpL4bMW0_jwkt0KUpkJ_7M/s4032/IMG_9582.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1tFs72gcrPFk3NYevx79uSiaY5TFKB_73V9zfLj186RaHeEOKjcFTLDXS_R45FhHl6IbtmYHbT3P63HwOp5bJIz73Xtwid1nYZqT5Sw6yNJwJe3uaot8BjpL4bMW0_jwkt0KUpkJ_7M/w300-h400/IMG_9582.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heliconia</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGovhLKovCih5fuH7Fhc5QP2Fq8sZL-ZoRZLWFPgnxcfhCgHv1lrAgtJ1QnJ_NaPk0BuosfgvxhBKbd4Udb7zHtRq5zepRVRUjRvXohzQTjfuUwPZdyYdX1hh1NRjRCR78Nzwec_r9UQ0/s4032/IMG_9590.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGovhLKovCih5fuH7Fhc5QP2Fq8sZL-ZoRZLWFPgnxcfhCgHv1lrAgtJ1QnJ_NaPk0BuosfgvxhBKbd4Udb7zHtRq5zepRVRUjRvXohzQTjfuUwPZdyYdX1hh1NRjRCR78Nzwec_r9UQ0/w300-h400/IMG_9590.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ornamental banana</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>If you're interested in this hike, information in French can be found at <a href="https://randopitons.re/randonnee/1140-boucle-bassins-mer-aigrettes-depuis-riviere-mat" target="_blank">La boucle des Bassins de la Mer et des Aigrettes depuis la Rivière du Mât</a>.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><u>See also:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><ul><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2020/12/cascade-blanche.html" target="_blank">Cascade Blanche</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2014/09/cascade-du-chien.html" target="_blank">Cascade du Chien</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2020/08/cascade-biberon.html" target="_blank">Cascade Biberon</a></li></ul></div><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Bras-Panon, Réunion-21.0157619 55.6134608-49.325995736178847 20.4572108 7.2944719361788444 90.7697108tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-38357563648230045342020-10-08T15:50:00.060+04:002020-10-08T17:30:18.690+04:00Sentier des Cordistes from Moulin Kader<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBO8M8DehuB5du4vpmBjt64GDci0WIB7Zd2Gqw2_-jVohJ8UAOdh2fV98KiC5nlPbn2h2RmhPhk2SByAz9aA3kSxs0TnJRSsSgfN3mkkgU4-Ol1j8X-1mP0PWf3E3NfQu3Yhp_nTZ2UH4/s4032/IMG_4696.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBO8M8DehuB5du4vpmBjt64GDci0WIB7Zd2Gqw2_-jVohJ8UAOdh2fV98KiC5nlPbn2h2RmhPhk2SByAz9aA3kSxs0TnJRSsSgfN3mkkgU4-Ol1j8X-1mP0PWf3E3NfQu3Yhp_nTZ2UH4/w400-h300/IMG_4696.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Moulin Kader is a near-derelict old mill at La Montagne which was used for making fibre similar to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisal" target="_blank">sisal</a> out of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furcraea_foetida" target="_blank"><i>kader</i></a> (also known as <i>cader</i> or <i>choca</i>) leaves. It's also the start of a hike known as the Sentier des Cordistes as the path (<i>sentier</i>) passes by the top of the gigantic netting that is used to stop rockfalls on the Route du Littoral. These nets are installed and maintained by <i>cordistes</i> (rope access technicians), hence the name of the path. The Route du Littoral, which currently runs at the base of the cliff we were walking on top of, is due to be replaced by a new offshore coastal highway within the next year or two. We had amazing birds-eye views of the road under construction from certain parts of the path.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19nBRAzMbcvvsCjddZgedSliIh97MWSA0u15QLrOmbFYHRgScjyeWsiHfKhxQ0XAnxDUuzKuH-o2wLk4yrpLgY1lZC1DGChJV7HxmK6TDP7o3CQnGNGTx64f-txwkCddhPp6jyfmEboM/s4032/IMG_4697.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19nBRAzMbcvvsCjddZgedSliIh97MWSA0u15QLrOmbFYHRgScjyeWsiHfKhxQ0XAnxDUuzKuH-o2wLk4yrpLgY1lZC1DGChJV7HxmK6TDP7o3CQnGNGTx64f-txwkCddhPp6jyfmEboM/w300-h400/IMG_4697.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">old and new coastal highways<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ON30rz7qnW4SalDGIwezYv4q9PF2HRXHLA9ZOxyMh-MnZf__bNKC_oVjKJbY075bHMv7XQucEnI2tgvrnWmFeUCNo2G4aNLuhUqxM_38Tz7_sU96jooK6pNMMmak2zi_YjyOgu3cuFo/s4032/IMG_9108.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ON30rz7qnW4SalDGIwezYv4q9PF2HRXHLA9ZOxyMh-MnZf__bNKC_oVjKJbY075bHMv7XQucEnI2tgvrnWmFeUCNo2G4aNLuhUqxM_38Tz7_sU96jooK6pNMMmak2zi_YjyOgu3cuFo/w300-h400/IMG_9108.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">top of rockfall netting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXtV-vc9A9vT2S1L-6ahlDpRbOpv8NVE4jRkWFB94SbIDDN5IsdZl9Er6F04djCfdYn7-hCHPOpXmaqNqgFg0Yd3F4d7fra6JQyVdfGPH1oPzsRyWPQI8coSKRJYcEFmJzg2b8POtwv0/s1431/47234139-37443399.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1293" data-original-width="1431" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXtV-vc9A9vT2S1L-6ahlDpRbOpv8NVE4jRkWFB94SbIDDN5IsdZl9Er6F04djCfdYn7-hCHPOpXmaqNqgFg0Yd3F4d7fra6JQyVdfGPH1oPzsRyWPQI8coSKRJYcEFmJzg2b8POtwv0/w400-h361/47234139-37443399.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fastenings at top of rockfall netting (<a href="https://www.zinfos974.com/Michou-et-ses-freres-rehabilitent-benevolement-le-sentier-du-Moulin-Cader_a156119.html" target="_blank">source</a>)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Although I'd walked to the Moulin Kader picnic spot at the start of the hike before, I'd never been any further. The overgrown path was <a href="https://www.zinfos974.com/Michou-et-ses-freres-rehabilitent-benevolement-le-sentier-du-Moulin-Cader_a156119.html" target="_blank">cleared by a local family</a> during Reunion's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Réunion" target="_blank">lockdown</a> and is now much more accessible than it was before.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTwnq_nmx2oGpdnX5d_m10Lb3XwV3VmkaowwzpxWoOg91INsul1ZAU6fFYX_PCSvDTE0_DOj6PC9u3EaxU8_EBIV72helbu6Mp9Nyo-xuUKiZbHPeWnUbxLXlDCYNR0V69JHvsoBK4Dw/s4032/IMG_9110.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTwnq_nmx2oGpdnX5d_m10Lb3XwV3VmkaowwzpxWoOg91INsul1ZAU6fFYX_PCSvDTE0_DOj6PC9u3EaxU8_EBIV72helbu6Mp9Nyo-xuUKiZbHPeWnUbxLXlDCYNR0V69JHvsoBK4Dw/w300-h400/IMG_9110.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking back<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7V7Eo_Ar44vgIPImUr_78MPIEwm5n-NRTN2aaUnrA-qX9Xkt_QQX4-aXIzLCrWzAvmTwFoWLgIxERBYFaeMFmmuZjSiZm6p4pkvzdZ8ovqM9mR1cWHROaYxqBCnNGmxgGiRhwIpRm5_c/s4032/IMG_9113.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7V7Eo_Ar44vgIPImUr_78MPIEwm5n-NRTN2aaUnrA-qX9Xkt_QQX4-aXIzLCrWzAvmTwFoWLgIxERBYFaeMFmmuZjSiZm6p4pkvzdZ8ovqM9mR1cWHROaYxqBCnNGmxgGiRhwIpRm5_c/w300-h400/IMG_9113.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some parts of the path have rough steps<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRlx3G3bv1RHNnh77WlmkE-zdvjl0renQNFLcTYYypdMaE8iLiqN8o4hqwRTn20w2Xy26uDaA02r8MzeNIG7DcfpwqqmZ5FXLhjuZ0YPNYsJJvV1CJ3z6lXx9gRyPzocjiBcADeJx43g/s4032/IMG_9115.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRlx3G3bv1RHNnh77WlmkE-zdvjl0renQNFLcTYYypdMaE8iLiqN8o4hqwRTn20w2Xy26uDaA02r8MzeNIG7DcfpwqqmZ5FXLhjuZ0YPNYsJJvV1CJ3z6lXx9gRyPzocjiBcADeJx43g/w400-h300/IMG_9115.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking north-north-east<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3r1P_Tge0lHvujaWKk8ogDZIWaCDd2ZP7apm4TqfAG2Jo1W1UoClE1NuNsnsfz2Dkh2aRzNqwknncz_btd5RweaFa_eBSHRhRvbaxA0W3vG9a98XY98196wfUbyw_lb156T3sl7V5uio/s8706/IMG_4704.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3628" data-original-width="8706" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3r1P_Tge0lHvujaWKk8ogDZIWaCDd2ZP7apm4TqfAG2Jo1W1UoClE1NuNsnsfz2Dkh2aRzNqwknncz_btd5RweaFa_eBSHRhRvbaxA0W3vG9a98XY98196wfUbyw_lb156T3sl7V5uio/w640-h268/IMG_4704.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of the path<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8qycgItKqEXw9iCeXufz2TO9LWL5nzqyKmUUXQXAvla6pw10gVnzPVz4CQJonnswAWw7C-hR-wB9ueJxHHP9CyRwfFHZ8-ka67O1wyPMTDK8ToT1wRgwGl1ElPC1UCn19yAOgR94Lq4/s4032/IMG_4698.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8qycgItKqEXw9iCeXufz2TO9LWL5nzqyKmUUXQXAvla6pw10gVnzPVz4CQJonnswAWw7C-hR-wB9ueJxHHP9CyRwfFHZ8-ka67O1wyPMTDK8ToT1wRgwGl1ElPC1UCn19yAOgR94Lq4/w300-h400/IMG_4698.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gJK2zwSBhcB8q1Ov91fvw4JCYVpBFUgOhi7_zNmRZ0supWxYelK6RAKLeL0B-fNBd-UUotBPBBZda6Vm8-OKipn0FsHqxqeh-TChCR8ibP7PI-o1WyUHqdQdjk9w8EOjSdCEa2pfRIc/s4032/IMG_4705.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gJK2zwSBhcB8q1Ov91fvw4JCYVpBFUgOhi7_zNmRZ0supWxYelK6RAKLeL0B-fNBd-UUotBPBBZda6Vm8-OKipn0FsHqxqeh-TChCR8ibP7PI-o1WyUHqdQdjk9w8EOjSdCEa2pfRIc/w300-h400/IMG_4705.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another view looking back<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7seIWS9B-kquwfk6YYqGhJ6Qraajx80jU2jCyOlRsi7DAmZE-zh_1Yy6C4WOmqkOBsV4ue8YMEXNWRsrtN91l7Axnyp0mNcs8jhyrXUwnwjT2oMPeQxHin3ieX_WIRF-7yZnswgcklk/s4032/IMG_9109.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7seIWS9B-kquwfk6YYqGhJ6Qraajx80jU2jCyOlRsi7DAmZE-zh_1Yy6C4WOmqkOBsV4ue8YMEXNWRsrtN91l7Axnyp0mNcs8jhyrXUwnwjT2oMPeQxHin3ieX_WIRF-7yZnswgcklk/w400-h300/IMG_9109.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking out to sea<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The hike can be done as a loop, and can be of varying lengths depending on how much of it you do (we only hiked 4 kilometres, for example). For more information on the time and distance see (in French):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><ul><li><a href="https://randopitons.re/randonnee/1189-boucle-moulin-kader-montagne-sentier-cordistes" target="_blank">Randopitons</a></li><li><a href="https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-de-la-grande-chaloupe-a-saint-denis-par-/" target="_blank">Visorando</a>: hike starts at <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/04/hiking-grande-chaloupe-to-la-redoute.html" target="_blank">Grande Chaloupe</a></li></ul></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_f5mhjA9pb6uVYMVFQoxKM0x-8gWopd4yXkRaVCelQp-OeVa7lzBQ9FR0oEefd9IG1ehi_Byg_fbRnoKRiqZQvqCTFCaGAtDHJHKhfL9lVVyJWvaMp7gacXrXD_Gt0t6v-inAJYOD00/s2048/120493742_764044724386128_4715495992715440034_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_f5mhjA9pb6uVYMVFQoxKM0x-8gWopd4yXkRaVCelQp-OeVa7lzBQ9FR0oEefd9IG1ehi_Byg_fbRnoKRiqZQvqCTFCaGAtDHJHKhfL9lVVyJWvaMp7gacXrXD_Gt0t6v-inAJYOD00/s320/120493742_764044724386128_4715495992715440034_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me, striding forward!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>See also:<div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/06/pic-adam.html" target="_blank">Pic Adam</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/04/hiking-grande-chaloupe-to-la-redoute.html" target="_blank">Hiking Grande Chaloupe to La Redoute</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/09/chateau-lauratet.html" target="_blank">Chateau Lauratet</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/11/la-vallee-heureuse-le-brule.html" target="_blank">La Vallée Heureuse, Le Brûlé</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2017/04/sentier-littoral-nord.html" target="_blank">Sentier Littoral Nord</a></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0La Montagne, Réunion-20.9012914 55.4084034-49.211525236178844 20.252153399999997 7.4089424361788438 90.5646534tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-17757555828635903102020-09-21T15:10:00.002+04:002020-09-21T15:24:44.067+04:00Grand Bassin<p style="text-align: justify;">Grand Bassin, in the south of <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion Island</a>, is sometimes nicknamed "Little Mafate" due to the fact that, like the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldera" target="_blank">cirque</a></i> of <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Mafate" target="_blank">Mafate</a>, you can only access it on foot. Grand Bassin literally means "large pool" and is actually the name of the small village, while the nearby waterfall is called Voile de La Mariée (not to be confused with the more well-known waterfall of the same name in <a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2011/11/back-to-salazie.html" target="_blank">Salazie</a>).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzw5kcLg9AUCkgEeQN6oNZzvBN_beEZo-801ZIKL6lSPCTZPhN3ki4JiJKMmJUHBXCaN51491xSJ325JWZqLX-IjNSCcKfP0DqHFOFs3M7AacLfsxHuMdrFu7K7TMwc2mRBsq8KK7mtg/s3888/Grand-Bassin-Re%25CC%2581union+wikipedia.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzw5kcLg9AUCkgEeQN6oNZzvBN_beEZo-801ZIKL6lSPCTZPhN3ki4JiJKMmJUHBXCaN51491xSJ325JWZqLX-IjNSCcKfP0DqHFOFs3M7AacLfsxHuMdrFu7K7TMwc2mRBsq8KK7mtg/w400-h266/Grand-Bassin-Re%25CC%2581union+wikipedia.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of Grand Bassin, waterfall and pool just visible to the left<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">There are several hiking paths to access Grand Bassin, but the most popular is the hike down from the Belvédère (look-out point) of Bois Court in the municipality of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Tampon" target="_blank">Le Tampon</a>. A <a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2017/12/how-busy-are-reunions-hiking-paths.html" target="_blank">study between January and September 2017 found that</a> <span style="text-align: left;">Grand Bassin was Reunion's fourth most popular hiking path, with 79,537 passings during those nine months</span> (bear in mind that a "passing" may be the same person walking there and back).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw14l7OHo_YycGCiyQyiXJd9CfU3-1OhT_D_b1DUXcf8GB3aFduPcWU1wcG1pQid63inKp_CjjaeEeHPBpNxapBpeIYXZ6lvFezf9ffOZWaZfuDrfr_CsUnSis2IB5PwG2UtrULjAjntE/s4032/IMG_9008.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw14l7OHo_YycGCiyQyiXJd9CfU3-1OhT_D_b1DUXcf8GB3aFduPcWU1wcG1pQid63inKp_CjjaeEeHPBpNxapBpeIYXZ6lvFezf9ffOZWaZfuDrfr_CsUnSis2IB5PwG2UtrULjAjntE/w300-h400/IMG_9008.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It actually took us about 2 hours to hike down to the village, but only 10 minutes more to hike back up the next day. The incline is quite steep as the elevation difference is about 700 metres over a distance of 4.5 kilometres. As you can see from the sign pictured above, the waterfall is about 30 minutes further on from the village.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5A8hgsjhhGwEuNgrAK0_Nj9TIFZtoxQZVpjFNnAejqASnwWBmOorilfYKA6HlfBajOX9z5xQKVmZVGDfNLquE6Mtba5hC7bMq646Xe_fu-nbC0O73XJswmuV40oV4kmbpyV_1_dy6iBM/s4032/IMG_9007.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5A8hgsjhhGwEuNgrAK0_Nj9TIFZtoxQZVpjFNnAejqASnwWBmOorilfYKA6HlfBajOX9z5xQKVmZVGDfNLquE6Mtba5hC7bMq646Xe_fu-nbC0O73XJswmuV40oV4kmbpyV_1_dy6iBM/w300-h400/IMG_9007.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Bassin seen from Bois Court<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT3_Hr96c4kIivWwEobORMsAvIJf15Yfp0NKsjdCy53RsdEB0O6WzAngcG4PS1swCHgnHJ0F_w_f8Uj567nJNz3hthWtVphe8MwXErOTnEk-dlwQ4VNvXoD9vWkooIiGb31yKf8RqttU0/s4032/IMG_9010.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT3_Hr96c4kIivWwEobORMsAvIJf15Yfp0NKsjdCy53RsdEB0O6WzAngcG4PS1swCHgnHJ0F_w_f8Uj567nJNz3hthWtVphe8MwXErOTnEk-dlwQ4VNvXoD9vWkooIiGb31yKf8RqttU0/w400-h300/IMG_9010.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of the coast and the Bras de la Plaine river, <br />taken from the hiking path at an elevation of 1200 metres<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqD5Ok-2Ctme9xoQnO1jKyQhfbHVTNhqiDLQeYGrix5Lb8YlXj2aBBQAI_Vkz1EbMKASjG9cAHzBT-8RrdHpiLTgSjXTBy1zSc-jRWldGcu3i1AYTjma8Xd0KK_3bugPckNHzEHJseGXc/s4032/IMG_9012.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqD5Ok-2Ctme9xoQnO1jKyQhfbHVTNhqiDLQeYGrix5Lb8YlXj2aBBQAI_Vkz1EbMKASjG9cAHzBT-8RrdHpiLTgSjXTBy1zSc-jRWldGcu3i1AYTjma8Xd0KK_3bugPckNHzEHJseGXc/w300-h400/IMG_9012.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">shrine to Ste Rita or Ste Bernadette by the side of the path<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvOZx3SU8_CEBbXHrFcaO5idQQj9OW1U2eWtlg_rLC9w-ROcPHwWZer2dB-0pJsT6t6GDhJiQ3glZJPwd-w_vFsiQNE4edT0MT619nG9G8Bqx7UHP3LBGUrJ4m9emwrbpkOaD8x1WDgM/s4032/IMG_9013.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvOZx3SU8_CEBbXHrFcaO5idQQj9OW1U2eWtlg_rLC9w-ROcPHwWZer2dB-0pJsT6t6GDhJiQ3glZJPwd-w_vFsiQNE4edT0MT619nG9G8Bqx7UHP3LBGUrJ4m9emwrbpkOaD8x1WDgM/w300-h400/IMG_9013.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">recent street art (or should that be "path art"?)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dkPvvOYacfDZCPRIz2XqgPLPWi9XFjmfjIEKm_B6aF1FopgNSzqoweGsUbW0gNv4V80mnsiJHM4i50INmyyzAiyOXlgFeInOLqMJanW9uweYRwAFFCXRx_61ja2vsPspZkNmFUbhb_c/s4032/IMG_9017.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dkPvvOYacfDZCPRIz2XqgPLPWi9XFjmfjIEKm_B6aF1FopgNSzqoweGsUbW0gNv4V80mnsiJHM4i50INmyyzAiyOXlgFeInOLqMJanW9uweYRwAFFCXRx_61ja2vsPspZkNmFUbhb_c/w300-h400/IMG_9017.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of the waterfall when nearing the village<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNhuOwjg1M2VvMORVgXHGFzXEz3rPRQIPKzX71a3d2ki3yzHxsfdfW3zO8p5nwuQW14YOhVN4x5hQmg7ZSlyACHsgBk0RphnmRF8gFsW9xKWHMfJG6JMASSkPC5uCF44W5TsnkmW98Xo/s4032/IMG_9019.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNhuOwjg1M2VvMORVgXHGFzXEz3rPRQIPKzX71a3d2ki3yzHxsfdfW3zO8p5nwuQW14YOhVN4x5hQmg7ZSlyACHsgBk0RphnmRF8gFsW9xKWHMfJG6JMASSkPC5uCF44W5TsnkmW98Xo/w300-h400/IMG_9019.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of the path not long before arriving at Grand Bassin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCB73xHWyeeCUBWHei8zKRsQHezSNzBtl6d85Bni283gkQuBxSt_3-Dj3ixL-hRB8VHWvBBL3fzv3Cqhgkup8Q_UZkht5eTDSzm7hsA6Mq_kzrrvAh0yk1EjIHs35HpBlRiHidgWUFII/s4032/IMG_9020.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCB73xHWyeeCUBWHei8zKRsQHezSNzBtl6d85Bni283gkQuBxSt_3-Dj3ixL-hRB8VHWvBBL3fzv3Cqhgkup8Q_UZkht5eTDSzm7hsA6Mq_kzrrvAh0yk1EjIHs35HpBlRiHidgWUFII/w300-h400/IMG_9020.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking north from near the village<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Villagers used to earn their living from cultivating geranium and coffee but in recent years have increasingly turned to tourism. Last time I came to Grand Bassin in 2004 there were only three <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gîte" target="_blank">gîtes</a></i> if I remember rightly. Now there are at least nine! The gîte we stayed in was very welcoming and we were offered a free drink of tea or coffee on arrival. The evening meal was very copious and included some unusual ingredients such as chayote root and taro stem.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholR1ExMWnXACxUfEVudWUUOxim_kAEYDWqH0CH9Z9pt_XvSq7UbGoxtMkmdmzgbl78sxFMYXgqMYILGyWisLpFQWYvcYvlRtYvrkzOsRlCpYqZmlYXTqaxyQ2DuH4O88-4aJ8pbAJH84/s3547/IMG_9024.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3547" data-original-width="2660" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholR1ExMWnXACxUfEVudWUUOxim_kAEYDWqH0CH9Z9pt_XvSq7UbGoxtMkmdmzgbl78sxFMYXgqMYILGyWisLpFQWYvcYvlRtYvrkzOsRlCpYqZmlYXTqaxyQ2DuH4O88-4aJ8pbAJH84/w300-h400/IMG_9024.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking inside the village chapel<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Another difference compared to 2004 was increased awareness-raising about one of the world's rarest birds, the critically endangered <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mascarene_petrel" target="_blank">Mascarene Petrel</a>, which is thought to nest high up in the surrounding mountains, (although the bird is so rare that no nest has ever been discovered). Known locally as the <i>timize</i>, its otherwordly cries made the area's early inhabitants wonder if a monster lived in the mountains, and this gave rise to a number of stories and legends. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wGQIBGxk65Y0lVknyzgtGsTFI4AGMUTAi247EBgFjw0kwMIn5z0p9zJDzpeU_l-yweqcgKFxXxqdIbOv7I0BKWO4zQgboz6EkGdMSFPidso000fhMsp7Bbgv9ZpLZ7GYNmXCp8Cyn5w/s4032/IMG_9018.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wGQIBGxk65Y0lVknyzgtGsTFI4AGMUTAi247EBgFjw0kwMIn5z0p9zJDzpeU_l-yweqcgKFxXxqdIbOv7I0BKWO4zQgboz6EkGdMSFPidso000fhMsp7Bbgv9ZpLZ7GYNmXCp8Cyn5w/w400-h300/IMG_9018.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">possible petrel breeding sites?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another endangered (as opposed to critically endangered) bird that lives in the surrounding mountains is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barau%27s_petrel" target="_blank">Barau's Petrel</a>, known locally as the <i>tayvan</i> or <i>taillevent. </i>I translated and recorded the English voiceover of a documentary about it, which you can see <a href="ttps://youtu.be/RUBR1QOsK8M" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvAooCF1PMbZeX-NGQ9_4k-UMZ8g8ChNapx9Bv4DbclhMnZ5zJNKvlICNNvdgsV5aVym2isGJqYVXl2lVgivQ3p7UYXtvwORkce3o1cpy7a5mqYtBaAiXMTDltm0uCVQ9FVehlQ61iYY/s4032/IMG_9051.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvAooCF1PMbZeX-NGQ9_4k-UMZ8g8ChNapx9Bv4DbclhMnZ5zJNKvlICNNvdgsV5aVym2isGJqYVXl2lVgivQ3p7UYXtvwORkce3o1cpy7a5mqYtBaAiXMTDltm0uCVQ9FVehlQ61iYY/w400-h300/IMG_9051.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Bassin beekeepers<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After a good night's sleep and a filling breakfast we headed to the waterfall, passing some hives and beekeepers along the way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdIJ-2Rp6-I3roxhmRojz-DiF46-S4UgzjZmTlX9N5D0zsCZRoJ-Nh5BJhgSqJROm9lbak2GL-krGhtfVt-XB01LhJGbkTRmyfJDd5IxX6vbfTsO_gX1U2WIzR_9L-9_ymJBMg4cWCb8/s4032/IMG_9044.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdIJ-2Rp6-I3roxhmRojz-DiF46-S4UgzjZmTlX9N5D0zsCZRoJ-Nh5BJhgSqJROm9lbak2GL-krGhtfVt-XB01LhJGbkTRmyfJDd5IxX6vbfTsO_gX1U2WIzR_9L-9_ymJBMg4cWCb8/w300-h400/IMG_9044.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kws0h9farRDhFuQMZctyOcxqbNYE-ChmlFTuu5UUHdjXPamZL5OtfVD6p8BWO-l9whZH4JHWhCNC21plUuAEQk4UiiP69-0Z3lVE_9N4hPASdhBEoAqsyBa0q6dwV84eqW1r0dNg3Kg/s4032/IMG_9045.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kws0h9farRDhFuQMZctyOcxqbNYE-ChmlFTuu5UUHdjXPamZL5OtfVD6p8BWO-l9whZH4JHWhCNC21plUuAEQk4UiiP69-0Z3lVE_9N4hPASdhBEoAqsyBa0q6dwV84eqW1r0dNg3Kg/w400-h300/IMG_9045.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5JTrv_8s5JLb_qD0ZE82jGta5e9po4I3GHoXs3q6E4kk2EvHfRiBIcsPoIqcTjMdDCVDFzYENvb73aZadtb8rYmpo0FM8bVNyYn_m1UCyFg4AE_oduS95j6xIUNqWAyyEknsph6gS0w/s4032/IMG_9038.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5JTrv_8s5JLb_qD0ZE82jGta5e9po4I3GHoXs3q6E4kk2EvHfRiBIcsPoIqcTjMdDCVDFzYENvb73aZadtb8rYmpo0FM8bVNyYn_m1UCyFg4AE_oduS95j6xIUNqWAyyEknsph6gS0w/w400-h300/IMG_9038.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">viewpoint over the waterfall before reaching it<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Bf_hqUSNW-9Mw4WO63_3KUR7oX0JnGAYC8vrCk0t5USn9Pj-dTPQJVVPd82XjepSokRl0M1x3M8f5Ten3oTh8KTTKLNpzKInJiGrbSNRO5fjkhehEAD0H_0bpDlsS-bZ_kOzaCiK-zE/s4032/IMG_9046.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Bf_hqUSNW-9Mw4WO63_3KUR7oX0JnGAYC8vrCk0t5USn9Pj-dTPQJVVPd82XjepSokRl0M1x3M8f5Ten3oTh8KTTKLNpzKInJiGrbSNRO5fjkhehEAD0H_0bpDlsS-bZ_kOzaCiK-zE/w300-h400/IMG_9046.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">main waterfall</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbImkih6_4z1OqWU4YLp7N_SPWj0UjFwXgYhFZz4lwyVIdkoXyBOP0S0dLGad_bwZLqm91OYzWw9eOcMdlZBSX9TOh3vIpwnNsTTy3e38oun-Tsgh6NBRVCI02NjuUifdctFRH72WaSU0/s1275/119975582_1212314785797696_133898035854084435_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1275" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbImkih6_4z1OqWU4YLp7N_SPWj0UjFwXgYhFZz4lwyVIdkoXyBOP0S0dLGad_bwZLqm91OYzWw9eOcMdlZBSX9TOh3vIpwnNsTTy3e38oun-Tsgh6NBRVCI02NjuUifdctFRH72WaSU0/w400-h300/119975582_1212314785797696_133898035854084435_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">main waterfall to the right <br />(and that's me behind the smaller waterfall to the left)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Afterwards, we headed back to the village where we picked up some sandwiches we'd ordered before the hot and dusty slog back up to Bois Court!</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYX2mNhbghXE5HAlTlHX8ePOcHivW3e0eE7ocG5TjgxHmL0_iFhIULxQVxgJ5HYVm5lRSpiMUQzQR5DwCFxFDX8YeLQ_2l0I3OD0hN6MBp7_l5nLNXSKS-jlWin3-58BlK5GXDoMZO1XI/s4032/IMG_9052.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYX2mNhbghXE5HAlTlHX8ePOcHivW3e0eE7ocG5TjgxHmL0_iFhIULxQVxgJ5HYVm5lRSpiMUQzQR5DwCFxFDX8YeLQ_2l0I3OD0hN6MBp7_l5nLNXSKS-jlWin3-58BlK5GXDoMZO1XI/w300-h400/IMG_9052.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the way back!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><u>See also:</u></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://en.reunion.fr/organize/hiking-trails/grand-bassin-575431" target="_blank">Grand Bassin hike on Reunion Islands' Tourism Board website</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Bassin_–_Le_Dimitile_Important_Bird_Area" target="_blank">Wikipedia entry </a></li><li><a href="http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/grand-bassin--le-dimitile-iba-réunion-(to-france)" target="_blank">Birdlife International entry on the Grand Bassin-Le Dimitile Important Bird Area </a></li></ul><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>You might also like:</u></div><ul><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/02/aurere-sentier-augustave.html" target="_blank">Aurère & the Sentier Augustave</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/12/cayenne-hike.html" target="_blank">Cayenne hike</a><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/02/hiking-from-maido-to-ilet-alcide.html" target="_blank">Hiking from Maïdo to Ilet Alcide</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2016/06/grand-etang.html" target="_blank">Grand Étang</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2018/05/hellbourg-to-belouve-hike.html" target="_blank">Hellbourg to Belouve hike</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/06/hike-from-le-belier-to-hellbourg.html" target="_blank">Hike from Le Belier to Hell-Bourg</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/06/hike-nez-de-boeuf-to-roche-plate.html" target="_blank">Hike Nez de Boeuf to Roche Plate (Rivière des Remparts)</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/06/hike-from-le-belier-to-hellbourg.html" target="_blank">Hike from Le Belier to Hell-Bourg</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/02/hiking-from-dos-dane-to-plaine.html" target="_blank">Hiking from Dos d'Ane to Plaine d'Affouches</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/04/hiking-grande-chaloupe-to-la-redoute.html" target="_blank">Hiking Grande Chaloupe to La Redoute</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/10/hiking-in-shadow-of-volcano.html" target="_blank">Hiking in the shadow of the volcano</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2020/05/morne-langevin.html" target="_blank">Hiking Morne Langevin</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2007/11/hiking-piton-des-neiges-from-cilaos.html" target="_blank">Hiking Piton des Neiges from Cilaos</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/03/hiking-3-cirques.html" target="_blank">Hiking the 3 cirques</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/04/hiking-canalisation-des-orangers.html" target="_blank">Hiking the Canalisation des Orangers</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/06/hiking-to-and-from-ilet-cordes.html" target="_blank">Hiking to and from Ilet à Cordes</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/02/maido-petite-france.html" target="_blank">Maïdo & Petite France</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/09/morne-de-st-francois-le-brule.html" target="_blank">Morne de St François & Le Brulé </a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/06/pic-adam.html?spref=tw" target="_blank">Pic Adam</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/05/plaine-des-palmistes-to-plaines-des.html" target="_blank">Plaine des Palmistes to Plaines des Cafres via Piton Textor</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/02/trekking-volcano.html" target="_blank">Trekking the volcano</a></li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Grand Bassin, La Plaine des Cafres, Réunion-21.1813202 55.5351222-52.640054970071759 20.378872200000004 10.277414570071766 90.6913722tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-85761080489171353622020-09-16T18:58:00.007+04:002020-09-17T13:43:33.198+04:00Chemin Pavé Lougnon, Bellemene<p style="text-align: justify;">Chemin Pavé Bellemène is one of three paved pathways that Antoine Desforges-Boucher*, then Governor of <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion Island</a>, had built between 1723 and December 1725. He encouraged settlers to plant coffee, and the paths were to help transport the crop downhill to the large warehouse in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Paul,_Réunion" target="_blank">Saint-Paul</a> (which is now the Town Hall). The first path was laid in 1719, and the Bellemène path was the last of the three to be built. Today it is the only one remaining, as increasing use of asphalt roads from 1910 onwards led to all three paths falling into disuse and being forgotten. Albert Lougnon 'rediscovered' it in the late 20th century (hence its alternative name, Chemin Lougnon), and this led to its renovation by local associations between 1999 and 2006. In certain places it was covered by two metres of earth!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtv7QicplVWygI11wLn0b33qL4V9Cn5fHNZj7rlEX_N1gMU3SkUesPRH0knHa37GtVdUz0VRl_24oWCoSY2lEQEdciN6zbvaop_P4eZm6xFHV9NK4rEXQ9R32FNt9ixQhQ_Ebmgky6Jd4/s3501/IMG_8997+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3501" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtv7QicplVWygI11wLn0b33qL4V9Cn5fHNZj7rlEX_N1gMU3SkUesPRH0knHa37GtVdUz0VRl_24oWCoSY2lEQEdciN6zbvaop_P4eZm6xFHV9NK4rEXQ9R32FNt9ixQhQ_Ebmgky6Jd4/w345-h400/IMG_8997+2.jpeg" width="345" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">start of the paved path, Tour des Roches</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">On some sections of the path you can clearly see a line of differently-sized and -placed stones running along the middle. This may have been to make it easier for pedestrians (as opposed to ox-drawn carts) to walk, or it may have been to delimit two different directions of traffic (a bit like today's two-lane roads).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-JvtzeKQS45ZDFhbpvytyzOFBTVGDrrqNbH6CczMdU6CpxcdCN2ExNTXGUSDjxnh5GZL9KFpknTN8_VrpIT7ETwQ6k6w_gGmFKeNDEP3dmLcebc_nl147ejmSkfnRGVbOI_qyS1I-gI/s4032/IMG_8972.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-JvtzeKQS45ZDFhbpvytyzOFBTVGDrrqNbH6CczMdU6CpxcdCN2ExNTXGUSDjxnh5GZL9KFpknTN8_VrpIT7ETwQ6k6w_gGmFKeNDEP3dmLcebc_nl147ejmSkfnRGVbOI_qyS1I-gI/w300-h400/IMG_8972.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">note the stones running along the middle</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinR-4AeUpXjrAMPlB37hTW3CrI4238Hhi1BOgq-eKKm9nDzEgbTTfb5pD868Q064iku0z7NOUQCHSiEyjNI9QA_mg3VWnZCDAtvr3taNa1lKYq-ilu97l55M4KEqsGjefVteWljal91fU/s4032/IMG_8975.jpeg" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinR-4AeUpXjrAMPlB37hTW3CrI4238Hhi1BOgq-eKKm9nDzEgbTTfb5pD868Q064iku0z7NOUQCHSiEyjNI9QA_mg3VWnZCDAtvr3taNa1lKYq-ilu97l55M4KEqsGjefVteWljal91fU/w300-h400/IMG_8975.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-Z8wqudHxB3XJY7HFusHmzdSwOEShQVNzigKSu2TbO7n4r5I1EWK6FnnLlbAmopatUkiOOVoamTvCWMoIet4uYpAE26ZREDuOrjdwv41-754CSCA4Pgum3RpxIYOK_8eh48arSt77Cc/s4032/IMG_8996.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-Z8wqudHxB3XJY7HFusHmzdSwOEShQVNzigKSu2TbO7n4r5I1EWK6FnnLlbAmopatUkiOOVoamTvCWMoIet4uYpAE26ZREDuOrjdwv41-754CSCA4Pgum3RpxIYOK_8eh48arSt77Cc/w400-h300/IMG_8996.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">being watched by a zebu<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leconte_de_Lisle" target="_blank">Leconte de Lisle</a>, a French poet who grew up on Reunion Island, wrote a poem in which he mentions his muse and cousin, Marie-Elixène de Lanux, coming down the path:</div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>"Sous un nuage frais de claire mousseline, tous les dimanches au matin, tu venais à la ville en manchy de rotin, par les rampes de la colline." </i>(<i>Le Manchy, Poèmes Barbares</i>)</div></blockquote><blockquote><p>"Under a cool cloud of clear muslin, every Sunday morning you came down the winding hill into town, carried in a rattan litter."</p></blockquote><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdBzU5UpUtHgpubWP5tXXLTLRvoMWXAf8yVRwbYxllJQgViYLuzxWIvq3fNdMchGbycxmwWMfGCPmjjRhIAoHRQIWpisS3bNWqm1TfBSC5i3jeYubaIO2TNPYrSYgbRFfdNnmns46Vfo/s4032/IMG_8986.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdBzU5UpUtHgpubWP5tXXLTLRvoMWXAf8yVRwbYxllJQgViYLuzxWIvq3fNdMchGbycxmwWMfGCPmjjRhIAoHRQIWpisS3bNWqm1TfBSC5i3jeYubaIO2TNPYrSYgbRFfdNnmns46Vfo/w400-h300/IMG_8986.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the branches of these two trees have become intertwined<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8HscgKvn44THq2zP4biSBknbZH5mclcFQfOmcFpLu04xE2_SryUJz_eJsDGZRS5aX68hRdDy6cMPu6GETEqWZjmB8aJKLTt-Gz3_dBtaA4cRKUZcjNne8YtTuE8tPUCDA1dEG42Z5qA/s4032/IMG_8985.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8HscgKvn44THq2zP4biSBknbZH5mclcFQfOmcFpLu04xE2_SryUJz_eJsDGZRS5aX68hRdDy6cMPu6GETEqWZjmB8aJKLTt-Gz3_dBtaA4cRKUZcjNne8YtTuE8tPUCDA1dEG42Z5qA/w300-h400/IMG_8985.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a <i>Pithecellobium dulce</i> tree, also known as <br />monkeypod due to its coiled pods <br />which are said to resemble monkey's earrings!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9ugprl5_wNeKKHEoyDgRgwP9Ch8YRX5tf-ET_eLVXK5xBq3Ea-CshKujp2xn_WGQq22Hwxrjd6ofQuHUG035MkGaRhU3PQUDQyi1I4wQDm7Nc6hEFGg03bgRjn-XMV5zrhm2P5Wg29E/s4032/IMG_8983.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9ugprl5_wNeKKHEoyDgRgwP9Ch8YRX5tf-ET_eLVXK5xBq3Ea-CshKujp2xn_WGQq22Hwxrjd6ofQuHUG035MkGaRhU3PQUDQyi1I4wQDm7Nc6hEFGg03bgRjn-XMV5zrhm2P5Wg29E/w400-h300/IMG_8983.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view looking north-west, unidentified tree in the foreground<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9Zlq2ocNWjPPw8M35XNjNOAPMGWbXzsv3jG4o3Pw8xKD-unFW-7v3MHxqwxoObd7pS2D1lk3Z91Gqatxv2LMy5y0_P4zW0ugo8nBCLM-hgl9AnIwOsivEnagT1RuDAZUvtJdcwJjQ3I/s4032/IMG_8982.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9Zlq2ocNWjPPw8M35XNjNOAPMGWbXzsv3jG4o3Pw8xKD-unFW-7v3MHxqwxoObd7pS2D1lk3Z91Gqatxv2LMy5y0_P4zW0ugo8nBCLM-hgl9AnIwOsivEnagT1RuDAZUvtJdcwJjQ3I/w400-h300/IMG_8982.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ToRW78Exp9DVoHPyb_FOWhiUHHk0v1VbOb2cQPEFcuveBZCp1Z4-BqX71ZOkxYjiCkTHcrnFjAsQ162zpYLquNSBxb7IkcTxCx-sgeHxAHJsSQChOVrIoIbUsGBGQ220VnNnhPIYAx4/s4032/IMG_8979.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ToRW78Exp9DVoHPyb_FOWhiUHHk0v1VbOb2cQPEFcuveBZCp1Z4-BqX71ZOkxYjiCkTHcrnFjAsQ162zpYLquNSBxb7IkcTxCx-sgeHxAHJsSQChOVrIoIbUsGBGQ220VnNnhPIYAx4/w300-h400/IMG_8979.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/11/some-useful-words-in-reunion-island.html" target="_blank">Saint-Expedit</a> by the side of the path<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6M60sepVJUSbrLi-6iG0YkcxOV-gRIuaSx4HgWqTDoszmDpwsLVUZxK1M6xBs49MAJ-uT9TXjKIepAM55WDH9MrYq85UQtRnVARCJEIQhYBFr2xtKI8GnA0YexdHlOpcIqD7Dc3Qix0g/s4032/IMG_8978.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6M60sepVJUSbrLi-6iG0YkcxOV-gRIuaSx4HgWqTDoszmDpwsLVUZxK1M6xBs49MAJ-uT9TXjKIepAM55WDH9MrYq85UQtRnVARCJEIQhYBFr2xtKI8GnA0YexdHlOpcIqD7Dc3Qix0g/w300-h400/IMG_8978.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cactus<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnHiXxw8hkG7tkyprNbiUks3nx8hs6-KAvuTvFBKiTOasu5ukQZ0HxM4Ipc3TQnUMOFGUKWyqOTTIJ8fOxQiA1Jxt8yDbhLnT-OrFhJKHU__FBJhYhntiJ1OJX4aP5BiWnqRB3zydRMY/s4032/IMG_8981.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnHiXxw8hkG7tkyprNbiUks3nx8hs6-KAvuTvFBKiTOasu5ukQZ0HxM4Ipc3TQnUMOFGUKWyqOTTIJ8fOxQiA1Jxt8yDbhLnT-OrFhJKHU__FBJhYhntiJ1OJX4aP5BiWnqRB3zydRMY/w300-h400/IMG_8981.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view looking south-west, agave stem in the foreground</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpii5_PKSXZFZ2z-HKGxenBWBN4lfP2gskbDS44TOpEFXLb2jpLehwcvBVyIoAVoSOLRoEIb_MY3welTD2pw3nP7Ox4X-HXKN41n4XMX433vB2tNqevrlVsxuabs9TcwBy6SUMnqENZlo/s4032/IMG_8980.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpii5_PKSXZFZ2z-HKGxenBWBN4lfP2gskbDS44TOpEFXLb2jpLehwcvBVyIoAVoSOLRoEIb_MY3welTD2pw3nP7Ox4X-HXKN41n4XMX433vB2tNqevrlVsxuabs9TcwBy6SUMnqENZlo/w300-h400/IMG_8980.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJStytJRl6CFfAuiLL75ET7_U5S_asyzODxlpmBwFHgWcI4kWKqCW7fH-PyOl1AX1rf3vSORLlZGSGo2MmiZ2H_MUaZcYtqK65CI1uznA6s1xdD8zpe7AH4o13SnONob0NZTDtd4sZtAg/s4032/IMG_8992.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJStytJRl6CFfAuiLL75ET7_U5S_asyzODxlpmBwFHgWcI4kWKqCW7fH-PyOl1AX1rf3vSORLlZGSGo2MmiZ2H_MUaZcYtqK65CI1uznA6s1xdD8zpe7AH4o13SnONob0NZTDtd4sZtAg/w300-h400/IMG_8992.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo from the Bellemène end of the path, looking back<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">From a practical point of view, you can either start the walk at Tour Des Roches and go uphill (and then back down), or start in Bellemène and walk down and then up. The path is quite steep (just under 200m of elevation gain) but the round-trip distance is 2.5 to 3 km, so it should only take you about an hour. The following links describe the walk and give more technical details but are only in French:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><a href="https://randopitons.re/randonnee/1082-chemin-pave-lougnon-ou-bellemene-depuis-tour-roches" target="_blank">Randopitons</a></li><li><a href="https://www.clicanoo.re/Societe/Article/2017/08/09/Randonnee-Saint-Paul-le-chemin-pave-Lougnon_484060" target="_blank">Journal de l'Ile</a></li><li><a href="https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-le-chemin-pave-lougnon/" target="_blank">Visorando</a></li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QMUp9m78WmO6600QgXvAd8gj0E5x6l-YxvAiTx-e7HlbZBehdHm4OR6YxxmpRW6mOmlK4_iwvqdzUqTgdtWINFg1AhdcA0uG8mQO099iSzdDyChyphenhyphenu03sHj7c7n3v7DmtjaeuCKYJsfo/s4032/IMG_8966.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QMUp9m78WmO6600QgXvAd8gj0E5x6l-YxvAiTx-e7HlbZBehdHm4OR6YxxmpRW6mOmlK4_iwvqdzUqTgdtWINFg1AhdcA0uG8mQO099iSzdDyChyphenhyphenu03sHj7c7n3v7DmtjaeuCKYJsfo/w300-h400/IMG_8966.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">on a house near the start of the path in Tour des Roches a <br />sign says: "Hey, papaya thieves, next time you will die!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">* not to be confused with his son, Antoine Marie Desforges-Boucher, who was also a Governor of Reunion 1759-1766.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>See also:</u></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><ul><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/04/hiking-grande-chaloupe-to-la-redoute.html" target="_blank">Hiking Grande Chaloupe to La Redoute</a> (also partly on a paved path, the Chemin des Anglais)</li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2014/04/musee-de-villele.html" target="_blank">Musée de Villèle</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/09/chapelle-pointue.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Chapelle Pointue</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/11/cimetiere-marin-st-paul.html" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Cimetière Marin, St Paul</a></li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Saint-Paul, Réunion-21.0452623 55.336470299999988-49.355496136178843 20.180220299999988 7.2649715361788445 90.492720299999988tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-7311966210420340692020-08-09T18:30:00.006+04:002020-08-10T08:41:27.948+04:00Hiking to Grand Place <div style="text-align: justify;">It had been a long time since I actually made an overnight trip to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafate" target="_blank">Mafate</a>; my last two trips to the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldera" target="_blank">cirque</a></i> were one-day trips to La Nouvelle with visitors, so I probably hadn't slept overnight in Mafate since 2014! But having an enforced staycation in <a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion</a> due to the COVID pandemic was the occasion to hike there with a group of friends. We started our expedition by taking a 4x4 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/taxi.mafate" target="_blank">taxi</a> from Riviere des Galets to Deux Bras.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQv7zQbVEwomdMNvo_klbctteXDPurHpdzBj1FTWPLkF9DB7o2mvmRf0VUs3jUgq1qIT2xacj1M5Vbzx1EaNxynTGN7_cnNAdtiGwMU3hJi0DVbrLo0v-shXfS5TUxyVxsFODL3jKkvjA/s4032/IMG_8757.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQv7zQbVEwomdMNvo_klbctteXDPurHpdzBj1FTWPLkF9DB7o2mvmRf0VUs3jUgq1qIT2xacj1M5Vbzx1EaNxynTGN7_cnNAdtiGwMU3hJi0DVbrLo0v-shXfS5TUxyVxsFODL3jKkvjA/w400-h300/IMG_8757.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">view further into Mafate from Deux Bras</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">From Deux Bras we started a leisurely hike of ≈7 km and ≈500 metres of positive elevation up to our night's accommodation at Grand Place les Hauts, where we stayed at <a href="https://www.allonslareunion.com/hebergement-reunion/gites--chambres-d-hotes/le-pavillon/index.html" target="_blank">Gite Pavillon</a>. On the way there we crossed Bras D'Oussy river on a high bridge (more about Bras D'Oussy later).</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWNmKydjMtGBKm3jZ0Vlig_Z0V7NB5KYmw_bgKVaf9yaiiMQaSjEj1ys63aEWgLnAd3pzdF4YCVtsah7bAdGezjKxI7AU8FCDHAcvmT_OI4xjtRPnANSnDGBqhDKPB8SFDB365iNwCak/s4032/IMG_8758.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWNmKydjMtGBKm3jZ0Vlig_Z0V7NB5KYmw_bgKVaf9yaiiMQaSjEj1ys63aEWgLnAd3pzdF4YCVtsah7bAdGezjKxI7AU8FCDHAcvmT_OI4xjtRPnANSnDGBqhDKPB8SFDB365iNwCak/w300-h400/IMG_8758.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from the Bras D'Oussy bridge<br />looking south-east towards the Gros Morne<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQv7zQbVEwomdMNvo_klbctteXDPurHpdzBj1FTWPLkF9DB7o2mvmRf0VUs3jUgq1qIT2xacj1M5Vbzx1EaNxynTGN7_cnNAdtiGwMU3hJi0DVbrLo0v-shXfS5TUxyVxsFODL3jKkvjA/s4032/IMG_8757.jpeg"></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-wmWMegO-uqqNpHtlWYN0CCN1-MdawTg7cSJvgRWRJvF203yROlT1L-I53STb_g2m5DEnW7FD_NLZNJs2-0oyWC90GpvEMD7F4kxnGUq1rUuDkUFfwZp3acQ_ao-Qhhw-HsI8QrzCJA/s4032/IMG_8767.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-wmWMegO-uqqNpHtlWYN0CCN1-MdawTg7cSJvgRWRJvF203yROlT1L-I53STb_g2m5DEnW7FD_NLZNJs2-0oyWC90GpvEMD7F4kxnGUq1rUuDkUFfwZp3acQ_ao-Qhhw-HsI8QrzCJA/w400-h300/IMG_8767.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from Bras D'Oussy bridge looking south-west towards Le Maido <br />(note the red roofs of Cayenne barely visible at the bottom left)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitK6c8kiNJYrVWaP9LZBSTp6Cf7RvrRji-bAze_plkDPQNLgl5Zg3Vt2y19ZMru-fknyHPUs2b93i4aC0ggXnX0JQ7hz1tVwhyphenhyphen2k4dXiP5x-uLU8hLo3F0kO_5dkJXnFoEtit5vukz9xw/s4032/IMG_8840.jpeg"></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1CV_-adStIxrXp5ljnYB7FAmGIuY3q55vGXEzn-rVhnIMPUiTJQO0j2c5EcpylI44gsOz-labuDYvNdTIshcflPnw3nkennB9vrhTdkJyrfBDAlFY0S6K5LfHnwY7OcgUgENLp0CBXY/s4032/IMG_8771.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1CV_-adStIxrXp5ljnYB7FAmGIuY3q55vGXEzn-rVhnIMPUiTJQO0j2c5EcpylI44gsOz-labuDYvNdTIshcflPnw3nkennB9vrhTdkJyrfBDAlFY0S6K5LfHnwY7OcgUgENLp0CBXY/w400-h300/IMG_8771.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cross by the side of the path on the way to Cayenne</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>On the way we stopped just outside of the hamlet of <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/12/cayenne-hike.html" target="_blank">Cayenne</a> for lunch.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaI37xkdN7Dp4r4fDud3cXOXic-CYhdtvLvAfGyup0W4-reJRrboCnt3VuOnb4pKYzj1BZsq4JA9U3OxlUUiPxgZRtMk1XYTue2JRMXQJ_2ZBo8C_w4uYGGq8l26Uf8sJMkO5AgnNf6so/s4032/IMG_8768.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaI37xkdN7Dp4r4fDud3cXOXic-CYhdtvLvAfGyup0W4-reJRrboCnt3VuOnb4pKYzj1BZsq4JA9U3OxlUUiPxgZRtMk1XYTue2JRMXQJ_2ZBo8C_w4uYGGq8l26Uf8sJMkO5AgnNf6so/w400-h300/IMG_8768.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gaily decorated building at our lunch stop near Cayenne<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OCiRyo4brxeviKzIzAFG2AUGiCNgN0DOWgNbcTMnEMqekZIy4UBsT7zYYb3sGQS-UJfKbGpFzN_t0Vb77CUmW4H2uS3ppPNeoV-xoiMt0u-IPNLvNreBJkKkW10xRVGG4Iro8VKhTLc/s4032/IMG_8773.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OCiRyo4brxeviKzIzAFG2AUGiCNgN0DOWgNbcTMnEMqekZIy4UBsT7zYYb3sGQS-UJfKbGpFzN_t0Vb77CUmW4H2uS3ppPNeoV-xoiMt0u-IPNLvNreBJkKkW10xRVGG4Iro8VKhTLc/w400-h300/IMG_8773.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lots of purple <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetradenia_riparia" target="_blank">ginger bush</a> was growing</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After lunch we passed by Grand Place primary school. It's one of eight schools in Mafate (the others are in La Nouvelle, Orangers, Roche Plate, Marla, <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/02/aurere-sentier-augustave.html" target="_blank">Aurère</a>, îlet à Malheur, and îlet à Bourse). For secondary school education pupils from Mafate have to board on the coast.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBP68dVCXyeIIjvpe-qNTT_R5AD84dR6vZWcXzj4fJMgA4vcbmtoEtKW84JFodyc94eaZg3AU5kVADKA3hEbhIneSALE1ofyHsJWXJni3Ksd2G9unE5XnR61ifAASb-7mI1NPprcJ7UwM/s4032/IMG_8776.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBP68dVCXyeIIjvpe-qNTT_R5AD84dR6vZWcXzj4fJMgA4vcbmtoEtKW84JFodyc94eaZg3AU5kVADKA3hEbhIneSALE1ofyHsJWXJni3Ksd2G9unE5XnR61ifAASb-7mI1NPprcJ7UwM/w400-h300/IMG_8776.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Place school</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Grand Place is overlooked by the distinctive pyramid-shaped Piton des Calumets which is 1616 metres high.<br /><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8Pyc8PcBJnbCoGkvMIE73wdYpXY3cfll9P88AsrCeWshIiKhi81MCy5mhbQaRQgpmUFRxouAxX7zjZ7r0thS2YUmHed-hx6ILKpZkCOrvPBeajf3mh4tVfKNWGN2At4Ml0jC2nxUbf0/s4032/IMG_8772.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8Pyc8PcBJnbCoGkvMIE73wdYpXY3cfll9P88AsrCeWshIiKhi81MCy5mhbQaRQgpmUFRxouAxX7zjZ7r0thS2YUmHed-hx6ILKpZkCOrvPBeajf3mh4tVfKNWGN2At4Ml0jC2nxUbf0/w300-h400/IMG_8772.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nearly there; Piton des Calumets in the background<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We arrived at the gîte quite early and were able to rest and enjoy the view. Pavillon is quite practical because it has its own small grocery shop and there's even fresh bread - a rarety in Mafate.</div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBevmbh0gI0tRxekuTfzmOPPhJ8uKgtdpOSZJAO1ayJbHhdwFJvxkRB9UobDQODhPCuHI8iw8_VyVdBS2ZwvqgB_LCgJ2ZvhcZSAoD23ABb91QcsPH9bWUw3IIyRQJWj8Y9qix2PrpNDU/s4032/IMG_8779.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBevmbh0gI0tRxekuTfzmOPPhJ8uKgtdpOSZJAO1ayJbHhdwFJvxkRB9UobDQODhPCuHI8iw8_VyVdBS2ZwvqgB_LCgJ2ZvhcZSAoD23ABb91QcsPH9bWUw3IIyRQJWj8Y9qix2PrpNDU/w400-h300/IMG_8779.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gîte Le Pavillon with Piton des Calumets benind <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2e0w7Bfli0shZiC9uxGEL8Uft7WK2PY57CP9rBQSft3Ce8DLeWdfSUL3fJ1aZ9wS4jormw-GO-kTLBsfJYYg-O1AniCFmMGQYPKy18Hs-DQ1dV6UOai8arIdeASqAwoUvkQp7r5D6GeM/s4032/IMG_8784.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2e0w7Bfli0shZiC9uxGEL8Uft7WK2PY57CP9rBQSft3Ce8DLeWdfSUL3fJ1aZ9wS4jormw-GO-kTLBsfJYYg-O1AniCFmMGQYPKy18Hs-DQ1dV6UOai8arIdeASqAwoUvkQp7r5D6GeM/w400-h300/IMG_8784.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking north-west from behind the gîte<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-IzUfEE5nkCA3UMprXuU-MP-LIJzhfdBKWuslJzlDjiApDLrjBhcC7Ed-GyU79YpUdLETqA-zxB4IIu6K_UjN8XTqpzPfmWDOS2cyI6f5ACV_F5PwdmulQvbgD2dw-hg5j3Kc2YEaPQ/s4032/IMG_8815.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-IzUfEE5nkCA3UMprXuU-MP-LIJzhfdBKWuslJzlDjiApDLrjBhcC7Ed-GyU79YpUdLETqA-zxB4IIu6K_UjN8XTqpzPfmWDOS2cyI6f5ACV_F5PwdmulQvbgD2dw-hg5j3Kc2YEaPQ/w400-h300/IMG_8815.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking north from behind the gîte</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We should have been spending two nights in the same gîte, but there had been a mix-up and so the next morning we moved to another gîte about 20 minutes/1 km away called <a href="https://www.allonslareunion.com/hebergement-reunion/gites--chambres-d-hotes/gite-chez-marcel-et-dominique/index.html" target="_blank">Chez Marcel et Dominique Bilin</a>.</div></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKF47S46-ke2efgXBdDCbWxrWb3phM9t3jMFV_F7BfDvixa_XRLpOCWs1njmS19mAJDSGK2ShVQ5yIKlcnYpFBYH7tLG6vYn7eQdtSLV5cC-SEQb-ip5GV1ZtFiLVxw7PlG5PVASBhpmg/s4032/IMG_8785.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKF47S46-ke2efgXBdDCbWxrWb3phM9t3jMFV_F7BfDvixa_XRLpOCWs1njmS19mAJDSGK2ShVQ5yIKlcnYpFBYH7tLG6vYn7eQdtSLV5cC-SEQb-ip5GV1ZtFiLVxw7PlG5PVASBhpmg/w301-h400/IMG_8785.jpeg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">leaving gîte Le Pavillon <br />(buildings just visible in the centre of the photo)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After dropping most of our stuff off, we then headed off to Roche Ancrée for a few hours. Located between Grand Place and Roche Plate, Roche Ancrée is a nice bathing spot, technically part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivière_des_Galets_(Réunion)" target="_blank">Rivière des Galets</a> river. We headed down a very steep path to get there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6naNl3KwsJBzS9JFmEqLtVSZPPUz_8f-Ka_em_GSKooCw1zRq-Wt_6t5Bts0fVhsijIhnoQ9VdXqTd_N30fqIkov4ua4oJUG3D2oP2fvMGTXAXHZicCwT8KqxWkBt8kRsfA6UHDwK2s/s4032/IMG_8787.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6naNl3KwsJBzS9JFmEqLtVSZPPUz_8f-Ka_em_GSKooCw1zRq-Wt_6t5Bts0fVhsijIhnoQ9VdXqTd_N30fqIkov4ua4oJUG3D2oP2fvMGTXAXHZicCwT8KqxWkBt8kRsfA6UHDwK2s/w400-h300/IMG_8787.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view on the way to Roche Ancrée</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BqmqbjjiBRbNLK6DbOfexNNgOxT6xuKImKbx7z3voq3hOTK8IsM9blapSHb57xHI8iqDbwewB4bp1Iq4yt9neHOa-jG3H-iHFzH_rr9vPP14YY3jLrZgPxbK9NEDk95t_z7ohgOmaN4/s4032/IMG_8788.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BqmqbjjiBRbNLK6DbOfexNNgOxT6xuKImKbx7z3voq3hOTK8IsM9blapSHb57xHI8iqDbwewB4bp1Iq4yt9neHOa-jG3H-iHFzH_rr9vPP14YY3jLrZgPxbK9NEDk95t_z7ohgOmaN4/w300-h400/IMG_8788.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view halfway down the path to Roche Ancrée<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk-a-hPfKv5oYqQ8brLRs9hcPxKl_eligiEK6JETRbi57g2_VKtv9mbhKxB8T6-YXfx3RJkUtrza5olDKqMKp4Pg7U5pdroyFoJb6htm56wxq3QAMrZFrsp2ksfCOiHK0YMmDLm4fPqQ/s4032/IMG_8790.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk-a-hPfKv5oYqQ8brLRs9hcPxKl_eligiEK6JETRbi57g2_VKtv9mbhKxB8T6-YXfx3RJkUtrza5olDKqMKp4Pg7U5pdroyFoJb6htm56wxq3QAMrZFrsp2ksfCOiHK0YMmDLm4fPqQ/w400-h301/IMG_8790.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the bathing spot from above<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some of us had a swim in the icy water before lunch and then dried off in the sun. To make a round trip of it we hiked through Cayenne to get back to Gîte Bilin.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10mGcCiEan3Gwp8GIVUezkQfHYqap-hORY5tT4J_OtI9UPv_nMcR_SOWoIiLRRHZOFHyYh7OBv3-vaA4_TV_6KNIY6ijSFJvy-BuE65Utvd21q54fQVNbm45BWJwcnnjvWd-LK3QKfKY/s4032/IMG_8799.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10mGcCiEan3Gwp8GIVUezkQfHYqap-hORY5tT4J_OtI9UPv_nMcR_SOWoIiLRRHZOFHyYh7OBv3-vaA4_TV_6KNIY6ijSFJvy-BuE65Utvd21q54fQVNbm45BWJwcnnjvWd-LK3QKfKY/w300-h400/IMG_8799.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">having a dip at Roche Ancrée<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJeVF52pbo54XEKFEg3rUKGmWmOQRYXF_uQPWikwQ65KiFMh1AM4BkHjqV6HlxKlichG9PLWJY0nKDzvdobizn7Q50TFbcFUEMuE9mzpl78eBVmXYJIo2W8t9aNqBgPkAJ44qqt8B9So/s4032/IMG_8801.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJeVF52pbo54XEKFEg3rUKGmWmOQRYXF_uQPWikwQ65KiFMh1AM4BkHjqV6HlxKlichG9PLWJY0nKDzvdobizn7Q50TFbcFUEMuE9mzpl78eBVmXYJIo2W8t9aNqBgPkAJ44qqt8B9So/w300-h400/IMG_8801.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking north on the way from Roche Ancrée to Cayenne, <br />the hamlet is just visible to the right<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjRhtaUlPmLOBRMXxDqOfzs2kepy7Tc04Et9Setl7d0rvU7x-ChSIedD7_s3nUV3OQG8C-8uywGt17ArVZakZzQQef6edIq3_csCOiLAneTDM0em4RXwm95d4npVMWdg2mw-Fltzdam4/s4032/IMG_8808.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjRhtaUlPmLOBRMXxDqOfzs2kepy7Tc04Et9Setl7d0rvU7x-ChSIedD7_s3nUV3OQG8C-8uywGt17ArVZakZzQQef6edIq3_csCOiLAneTDM0em4RXwm95d4npVMWdg2mw-Fltzdam4/w400-h300/IMG_8808.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">arriving at Cayenne<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokIBJJtfuk0Uq-qeOd_OIHfWKmuAd4AZ5WmvcjAY06kFvdH-wThjL94D4dUjJbGno9IEg3Zic1TYiIh2niXclu7vC60rxeSenI-5T-tWYtfnk__GouuyEhMnGVuwsh__DXyKTdTL4t_8/s4032/IMG_8802.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokIBJJtfuk0Uq-qeOd_OIHfWKmuAd4AZ5WmvcjAY06kFvdH-wThjL94D4dUjJbGno9IEg3Zic1TYiIh2niXclu7vC60rxeSenI-5T-tWYtfnk__GouuyEhMnGVuwsh__DXyKTdTL4t_8/w300-h400/IMG_8802.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(ficus?) tree roots by the pathside on the way to Cayenne<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NoTFWhTsd_-x9oJWAv_f1_3ZMRSrSoM7OyejBveqeXmYrirX4M37pkWkWpDfH3h3TOZy67yVHd3N53L9zgso6xiB8u0dmtAU7RzIREdPydeQrnDzwR9w07D7Z6OyWRvhV0c4xW2ai3Y/s4032/IMG_8806.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NoTFWhTsd_-x9oJWAv_f1_3ZMRSrSoM7OyejBveqeXmYrirX4M37pkWkWpDfH3h3TOZy67yVHd3N53L9zgso6xiB8u0dmtAU7RzIREdPydeQrnDzwR9w07D7Z6OyWRvhV0c4xW2ai3Y/w400-h300/IMG_8806.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking back (south) just before arriving at Cayenne</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGZ_gPPVrdv3QTNlAC8QHqdFlI4a_AOPPywR31_eWjHx-3oDNbV5UgEBCodCBK7LHOHvkNCFrCDyUPsde8jAYRFJrsVc9jTIIHoUpDPuMuGQAbeB6n4HnikyV6TCSR8LA9FxRDM6cWgM/s3468/IMG_8813.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGZ_gPPVrdv3QTNlAC8QHqdFlI4a_AOPPywR31_eWjHx-3oDNbV5UgEBCodCBK7LHOHvkNCFrCDyUPsde8jAYRFJrsVc9jTIIHoUpDPuMuGQAbeB6n4HnikyV6TCSR8LA9FxRDM6cWgM/w400-h300/IMG_8813.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cayenne church <br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifH5iUqiA5nmFVNeBfn8tXavt3-F8rT-Hwpt6xt84wqyaUbXsDAL4r7kU1H4mKoZhFHc0qxIPYkIlHirX-kHJG0uJIo8wksX-I7ArrRF-lQBXrwuIRyDYqc70195qHuTqIJDcwvhFuYBc/s4032/IMG_8810.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifH5iUqiA5nmFVNeBfn8tXavt3-F8rT-Hwpt6xt84wqyaUbXsDAL4r7kU1H4mKoZhFHc0qxIPYkIlHirX-kHJG0uJIo8wksX-I7ArrRF-lQBXrwuIRyDYqc70195qHuTqIJDcwvhFuYBc/w300-h400/IMG_8810.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a cross at Cayenne </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After our second and final night in Mafate we headed slowly down to Deux Bras, where we had to be by 4pm to get the taxi back to the town of Rivière des Galets. On the way back we stopped at <a href="https://en.reunion.fr/organize/accommodation/hiking-gites/gite-bougainvillier-le-558618" target="_blank">Gîte Bougainvilliers</a> where there's a grocery, a postbox, and a statue of the <a href="https://en.reunion.fr/organize/accommodation/hiking-gites/gite-bougainvillier-le-558618" target="_blank">famous postman of Mafate</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSCpCg_pzBPllSxiUBvAuylsuGV8u4ZBBDK5ijUuBw4B2t0-nTZZufZHw9XYMp0eODMkQk390LgdPQqt8GZRPi3hjiHN2qgH-rQDjdGDdLardPmqg5X0rmP4mKLi37sfWt7linYq5v3w/s4032/IMG_8818.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSCpCg_pzBPllSxiUBvAuylsuGV8u4ZBBDK5ijUuBw4B2t0-nTZZufZHw9XYMp0eODMkQk390LgdPQqt8GZRPi3hjiHN2qgH-rQDjdGDdLardPmqg5X0rmP4mKLi37sfWt7linYq5v3w/w301-h400/IMG_8818.jpeg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">postbox at Gîte Bougainvilliers<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: center;">Ivrin Pausé</span> was one of the postmen of Mafate from 1951 until 1991. He would leave the post office in La Possession every Monday morning and spend the next fours days hiking 120km on the trails to deliver letters. It's been calculated that during his 40 years of service he hiked a total of 253 000 kilomètres, i.e. 6 times the circumference of the earth. Another well-known postman in Mafate was Angelo Thiburce who was awarded the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordre_national_du_Mérite" target="_blank">Order of Merit</a> by Jacques Chirac, but famously said he would have preferred that the government pay him a pair of shoes!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDCiDfhrxJayFJh0UkUtzr9BzNlpL2yaptlHSvfRu4X_GYEqa6rhWuGnm2iN-sQNW5gCaYubJpUfAUcyfOyG_obsIbAyFH2fkDsiN-It6YhBz-4GdVHg7QGYI1GwnZNGQZR_o2f_S_u8/s4032/IMG_8816.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDCiDfhrxJayFJh0UkUtzr9BzNlpL2yaptlHSvfRu4X_GYEqa6rhWuGnm2iN-sQNW5gCaYubJpUfAUcyfOyG_obsIbAyFH2fkDsiN-It6YhBz-4GdVHg7QGYI1GwnZNGQZR_o2f_S_u8/w300-h400/IMG_8816.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">statute of Ivrin Pausé, former postman of Mafate<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We then bypassed Cayenne (as we'd been there the day before) and crossed the <i>Passerelle des Lataniers </i>footbridge, before heading down to the level of Rivière des Galets.</div></div><div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPuZCJWvS8IGuoJReuUR5yCsW8pPdbBheozEfHm4OwGwv_9RJgrBbVyfZ-MkIihYFEx0QiAzvJFw4YK-w99j6learW8M0fAXvtxmUW_CIuAxm1v6Ys6THq-EJp7W71uIyi_iP-Eq5HRQ4/s4032/IMG_8823.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPuZCJWvS8IGuoJReuUR5yCsW8pPdbBheozEfHm4OwGwv_9RJgrBbVyfZ-MkIihYFEx0QiAzvJFw4YK-w99j6learW8M0fAXvtxmUW_CIuAxm1v6Ys6THq-EJp7W71uIyi_iP-Eq5HRQ4/w300-h400/IMG_8823.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">crossing Passerelle des Lataniers footbridge<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Once there it was time for a picnic lunch and a swim at Bras d'Oussy before heading back to Deux Bras for the 4x4 ride back to "civilisation". From our swimming spot we could see the bridge we'd crossed over the first day.</div></div><div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w4bY42FIb98KUuHKeOohCeNOIKWfQxCN4nOOym9qMvvc0Ee24BwU2O0RIrUcvg4rRBVFLASou89hMRKDBRXJn_TqZhksv59B8p4KgTgpIEeLygPalyAtFyZas_L0DTiKOjtJyk41PVY/s4032/IMG_8839.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w4bY42FIb98KUuHKeOohCeNOIKWfQxCN4nOOym9qMvvc0Ee24BwU2O0RIrUcvg4rRBVFLASou89hMRKDBRXJn_TqZhksv59B8p4KgTgpIEeLygPalyAtFyZas_L0DTiKOjtJyk41PVY/w300-h400/IMG_8839.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">swimming at Bras d'Oussy<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAQSYY7o3Pu3tdFEka2D5SLqsIlmEE05YsBo4j8KjqN-XkMxE3rmHskOKjd2EFF5N0-ea0tw2TSLML9wq9Xhbe4-wnaoM1-IH2WK2Trg1HZ-w0A0GX9sLhxFUXCljCp3cwK9lS25R_Ew/s4032/IMG_8831.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAQSYY7o3Pu3tdFEka2D5SLqsIlmEE05YsBo4j8KjqN-XkMxE3rmHskOKjd2EFF5N0-ea0tw2TSLML9wq9Xhbe4-wnaoM1-IH2WK2Trg1HZ-w0A0GX9sLhxFUXCljCp3cwK9lS25R_Ew/w400-h300/IMG_8831.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking back into Mafate from Bras d'Oussy<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>You might also like:</u></div><ul><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/02/aurere-sentier-augustave.html" target="_blank">Aurère & the Sentier Augustave</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/12/cayenne-hike.html" target="_blank">Cayenne hike</a><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/02/hiking-from-maido-to-ilet-alcide.html" target="_blank">Hiking from Maïdo to Ilet Alcide</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2016/06/grand-etang.html" target="_blank">Grand Étang</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2018/05/hellbourg-to-belouve-hike.html" target="_blank">Hellbourg to Belouve hike</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/06/hike-from-le-belier-to-hellbourg.html" target="_blank">Hike from Le Belier to Hell-Bourg</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/06/hike-nez-de-boeuf-to-roche-plate.html" target="_blank">Hike Nez de Boeuf to Roche Plate (Rivière des Remparts)</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/06/hike-from-le-belier-to-hellbourg.html" target="_blank">Hike from Le Belier to Hell-Bourg</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/02/hiking-from-dos-dane-to-plaine.html" target="_blank">Hiking from Dos d'Ane to Plaine d'Affouches</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/04/hiking-grande-chaloupe-to-la-redoute.html" target="_blank">Hiking Grande Chaloupe to La Redoute</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/10/hiking-in-shadow-of-volcano.html" target="_blank">Hiking in the shadow of the volcano</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2020/05/morne-langevin.html" target="_blank">Hiking Morne Langevin</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2007/11/hiking-piton-des-neiges-from-cilaos.html" target="_blank">Hiking Piton des Neiges from Cilaos</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/03/hiking-3-cirques.html" target="_blank">Hiking the 3 cirques</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/04/hiking-canalisation-des-orangers.html" target="_blank">Hiking the Canalisation des Orangers</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/06/hiking-to-and-from-ilet-cordes.html" target="_blank">Hiking to and from Ilet à Cordes</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/02/maido-petite-france.html" target="_blank">Maïdo & Petite France</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/09/morne-de-st-francois-le-brule.html" target="_blank">Morne de St François & Le Brulé </a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/06/pic-adam.html?spref=tw" target="_blank">Pic Adam</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/05/plaine-des-palmistes-to-plaines-des.html" target="_blank">Plaine des Palmistes to Plaines des Cafres via Piton Textor</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/02/trekking-volcano.html" target="_blank">Trekking the volcano</a></li></ul><br /><br /></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Mafate, Réunion-21.0499146 55.4272377-49.360148436178847 20.2709877 7.2603192361788444 90.5834877tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-42429610259850692302020-08-02T15:16:00.155+04:002020-09-28T16:14:08.311+04:00Cascade Biberon<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZkhy586ochsSUJi96E0RPzG0e-e2o1O4mayyXHduhdltTq8V_5huYYX6uCmstI8hyphenhyphenpAu6uze3vtMFEnTW_OjQVWQpBnG6NttL7InRnGfxtkE3o6GXTC0I1dft8zg4H189xeNZGzcSSA/s1152/WhatsApp+Image+2020-08-02+at+12.38.46+PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="532" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZkhy586ochsSUJi96E0RPzG0e-e2o1O4mayyXHduhdltTq8V_5huYYX6uCmstI8hyphenhyphenpAu6uze3vtMFEnTW_OjQVWQpBnG6NttL7InRnGfxtkE3o6GXTC0I1dft8zg4H189xeNZGzcSSA/w296-h640/WhatsApp+Image+2020-08-02+at+12.38.46+PM.jpeg" width="296" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cascade Biberon waterfall<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Cascade Biberon is a short hike in the district of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Plaine-des-Palmistes" target="_blank">Plaine des Palmistes</a>. <i>Biberon</i> literally means "baby's bottle", and I initially thought this meant the water had been used to fill feeding bottles, but it turns out it's named after the former owner of the land! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-miCTtXtKvz3_L17ZZhjs6_Crz4VzLuN-tPzK-gG3QXjOVCjJeyp9NA7LzVh333N_O3DW6bscOiQN6FgRtuHhDnkRuWgLr_a86-7pEhNvpzYITjWeBRaHLMM3F3mmZIza_l2Igo7Baw/s4032/IMG_8752.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-miCTtXtKvz3_L17ZZhjs6_Crz4VzLuN-tPzK-gG3QXjOVCjJeyp9NA7LzVh333N_O3DW6bscOiQN6FgRtuHhDnkRuWgLr_a86-7pEhNvpzYITjWeBRaHLMM3F3mmZIza_l2Igo7Baw/w300-h400/IMG_8752.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sign at the start, showing altitude (984m) and <br />hiking time needed (one hour for the round trip)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">During <i>goyavier</i> season (June/July) the area is busy with people picking the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psidium_cattleyanum" target="_blank">strawberry guava</a> that grow abundantly in the area.</div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfjAW1rmB3mbqinxdhZcX8nAYzZ-wYkqXZsELv2X7Z7Eb5WzRmm20qo5rIIAhhEgYs54sv0k8uERGoY4Rwv_2ncIlq3SLaXqt7O63nNFvQc2Xjx-eIyHWYh7v-Wl2PEGF9nh7RVfEqZE/s4032/IMG_8751.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfjAW1rmB3mbqinxdhZcX8nAYzZ-wYkqXZsELv2X7Z7Eb5WzRmm20qo5rIIAhhEgYs54sv0k8uERGoY4Rwv_2ncIlq3SLaXqt7O63nNFvQc2Xjx-eIyHWYh7v-Wl2PEGF9nh7RVfEqZE/w300-h400/IMG_8751.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hiking path, Cascade Biberon<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">I had been once or twice before, but not since a new viewing platform was installed in October 2019. Prior to that it had been closed since a fatal accident in June 2014 when a rockfall killed two people and seriously injured one other. Access to the pool at the bottom is still closed off, and the platform lets people admire the waterfall without danger.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFWJPp-6wwfJeRSw_mFLWCwYMtjLlNPtaaEQYlQNTGUr61lMdS_HzjPmQ3VOWwnc_j19TSHrXHO3Yf8RA8QfosjEvrqN4Ts0uWX2QWbPprd-v2PXzsRDk-6KjHHIcgzaIe0270XE03sM/s4032/IMG_8746.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFWJPp-6wwfJeRSw_mFLWCwYMtjLlNPtaaEQYlQNTGUr61lMdS_HzjPmQ3VOWwnc_j19TSHrXHO3Yf8RA8QfosjEvrqN4Ts0uWX2QWbPprd-v2PXzsRDk-6KjHHIcgzaIe0270XE03sM/w300-h400/IMG_8746.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">sign indicating the last 5 mins are a steep & narrow climb</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCu2MMxFliIS6MxO3PVK0Sw60wVN9HaxWEaxwBwrlUPX5GjBSfmNJWaamGDBQkXQPpG94utuXJslQIn9kX8RpHKMQrTkfgza0s33ESzKHfSewVo4ABz4AXv76-0eid3JTjUJSwJILdMXE/s640/cascadebiberon26.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCu2MMxFliIS6MxO3PVK0Sw60wVN9HaxWEaxwBwrlUPX5GjBSfmNJWaamGDBQkXQPpG94utuXJslQIn9kX8RpHKMQrTkfgza0s33ESzKHfSewVo4ABz4AXv76-0eid3JTjUJSwJILdMXE/w400-h300/cascadebiberon26.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">look-out point stairs (photo credit: <a href="https://randopitons.re/randonnee/1346-cascade-biberon-depuis-plaine-palmistes" target="_blank">Randopitons</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57jDKd97f9W_iPgiWQ8zy0NQGhyphenhyphendaBt1AVRho9g-GUpWVN8gwrUL51j8aRAGmIgKKLFEGfzkOzmUX90KtztMlZ_O9uZUXe8EWJxoTm0YDbLMLbBf-B7jhFkfiIqNNdVDHqhBgykeUDow/s640/cascadebiberon23.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57jDKd97f9W_iPgiWQ8zy0NQGhyphenhyphendaBt1AVRho9g-GUpWVN8gwrUL51j8aRAGmIgKKLFEGfzkOzmUX90KtztMlZ_O9uZUXe8EWJxoTm0YDbLMLbBf-B7jhFkfiIqNNdVDHqhBgykeUDow/w400-h300/cascadebiberon23.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">look-out point (photo credit: <a href="https://randopitons.re/randonnee/1346-cascade-biberon-depuis-plaine-palmistes" target="_blank">Randopitons</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">I've mentioned "hike" but it's really more of a walk than a hike. The elevation difference is only 130 metres and part of that is the stairs to the viewing platform.</div><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnzuF_DeTX309tchNp7lQnbS5cfAY4AGhyocS8FqKKvdDGGTqo1eng1p-pr9DE35aIyhg5SiHSom82UQsld5p9C0CZTGaFwgCDwDdCmiBS4R82Kh5QwaOILd5neEqv7cPg4D40mOXJsY/s4032/IMG_8747.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnzuF_DeTX309tchNp7lQnbS5cfAY4AGhyocS8FqKKvdDGGTqo1eng1p-pr9DE35aIyhg5SiHSom82UQsld5p9C0CZTGaFwgCDwDdCmiBS4R82Kh5QwaOILd5neEqv7cPg4D40mOXJsY/w300-h400/IMG_8747.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">there's a small pool at the base of the waterfall</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The waterfall itself is about 250 metres high.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgv6PkRhpJzBGHd3p_UeRESVBrDWXwcQsjK30oQ9aU296TOUBUWpvR7i2Yl74FrNhxL4ehIi0J4powsns3fsrhCBWQ6F3G51UaO397Mxpd6R5WF9fQf4OlD_Xhi4QqdZlGtL9ILrZDeYM/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgv6PkRhpJzBGHd3p_UeRESVBrDWXwcQsjK30oQ9aU296TOUBUWpvR7i2Yl74FrNhxL4ehIi0J4powsns3fsrhCBWQ6F3G51UaO397Mxpd6R5WF9fQf4OlD_Xhi4QqdZlGtL9ILrZDeYM/w300-h400/image.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">close-up view of Cascade Biberon</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfBQVhYk8-gMWZTyJrG6ubXv5rt1IXROxYnM1W0iLxD-KZSAi6u7Qr7zsJREAT1QwMxo-En247DEBsxwG95_1xpmrDzghG9EYDuvgXhz7YwX3bUsJE1DCbQ3E_edAUb2krlEJvFaV-Ko/s4032/IMG_8750.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfBQVhYk8-gMWZTyJrG6ubXv5rt1IXROxYnM1W0iLxD-KZSAi6u7Qr7zsJREAT1QwMxo-En247DEBsxwG95_1xpmrDzghG9EYDuvgXhz7YwX3bUsJE1DCbQ3E_edAUb2krlEJvFaV-Ko/w300-h400/IMG_8750.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view across Plaine des Palmistes from Cascade Biberon<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Having worked up an appetite we then repaired to the nearby farmhouse <a href="https://en.reunion.fr/organize/eating-out/table-d-hote-guest-house/au-coeur-de-la-cascade-biberon-559137" target="_blank">Au Coeur de la Cascade Biberon</a> for a hearty lunch!</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqvvaihmVFDZhamOnIgBU4l1McMh1ICUe1EfotdhUbyWs3Q9TbR9pr3j7FXM_8L7CA-nFY68Tkz05g3HlNC0aGLeTjd3hxINHrJx3C6jY-NHqOW9C0Ni3b7SBCMEYa0_SA-318oO3ujU/s4032/IMG_8753.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqvvaihmVFDZhamOnIgBU4l1McMh1ICUe1EfotdhUbyWs3Q9TbR9pr3j7FXM_8L7CA-nFY68Tkz05g3HlNC0aGLeTjd3hxINHrJx3C6jY-NHqOW9C0Ni3b7SBCMEYa0_SA-318oO3ujU/w400-h300/IMG_8753.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">blossom at <span style="text-align: left;">Au Coeur de la Cascade Biberon</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><u>Useful links:</u><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Biberon" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> (in French)</li><li><a href="https://randopitons.re/randonnee/1346-cascade-biberon-depuis-plaine-palmistes" target="_blank">Randopitons</a> (in French)</li></ul><p></p><p> <u>See also:</u></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/05/plaine-des-palmistes-to-plaines-des.html" target="_blank">Plaine des Palmistes to Plaines des Cafres via Piton Textor</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2011/12/belouve-and-its-gite.html" target="_blank">Belouve and its gîte</a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/06/weekend-at-plaine-des-palmistes.html" target="_blank">Weekend at Plaine des Palmistes</a></li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Sentier de la Cascade Biberon, Réunion-21.1198644 55.6249642-49.43009823617885 20.4687142 7.1903694361788446 90.7812142tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-17124413026999017452020-07-18T15:19:00.004+04:002020-07-18T15:58:45.711+04:00Grand Bénare & La Glacière<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyoDyUT0fDRsnfE82RZ_tneSxQAgJBhfQmpUl2A4QuYOyIkB5vXQTqHvfRh4rAnPV_y2SOjn4iqiGtsZ8WcebPcEo0P011wy9Q93BRUTEoUrtfFmVHfoHZi6h2NQcQ84pCC2kZmGX9N0/s2040/108724369_2486367724917272_8731587407518699789_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2040" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyoDyUT0fDRsnfE82RZ_tneSxQAgJBhfQmpUl2A4QuYOyIkB5vXQTqHvfRh4rAnPV_y2SOjn4iqiGtsZ8WcebPcEo0P011wy9Q93BRUTEoUrtfFmVHfoHZi6h2NQcQ84pCC2kZmGX9N0/s320/108724369_2486367724917272_8731587407518699789_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At an elevation of 2898 mètres <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Bénare" target="_blank">Grand Bénare</a> is <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion</a>'s third highest peak*. I had <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/hiking" target="_blank">hiked</a> it once before, a very long time ago, and recently decided I wanted to hike it again. Last Tuesday (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day" target="_blank">Bastille Day</a>) we got up very early and drove up to <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Maido" target="_blank">Le Maido</a>, where we parked. After a quick look out from the viewpoint, we started the hike itself.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRucvAIowWDkknlZx9K75ARwYDP1kVvQAE1fTwpZ3EL7mEndscYteT_33f-b2YISTu9L8M6pqoOrvFmPNv8mxucS9bZgf0Tr2MJnhUrW40oTId5IKjH1OcvVcREyQKIgBBsylKmfKKcw/s4032/IMG_8681.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRucvAIowWDkknlZx9K75ARwYDP1kVvQAE1fTwpZ3EL7mEndscYteT_33f-b2YISTu9L8M6pqoOrvFmPNv8mxucS9bZgf0Tr2MJnhUrW40oTId5IKjH1OcvVcREyQKIgBBsylKmfKKcw/w400-h300/IMG_8681.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Le Maido showing <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Mafate" target="_blank">Mafate</a> in the foreground and <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Salazie" target="_blank">Salazie</a><br /> behind (if you look closely you can see the east coast)</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When we parked the car at around 8am it was only 7°C, and we made sure we were well wrapped up against the cold. Fortunately as it was a sunny day we soon warmed up while walking.</div></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvUr4WjhdhIgfS68th-Ibagk-3MCodoCK8T-DBgalm43LOijZrtEgBDG7c8uDJ8H5LDmyTpVdLQzQDE-zaedVSbO-NGJ-M5Dr-UE-xzXpaQax_9qaMDObMP4zVtZJW942Lv-egjrL-aQ/s4032/IMG_8682.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvUr4WjhdhIgfS68th-Ibagk-3MCodoCK8T-DBgalm43LOijZrtEgBDG7c8uDJ8H5LDmyTpVdLQzQDE-zaedVSbO-NGJ-M5Dr-UE-xzXpaQax_9qaMDObMP4zVtZJW942Lv-egjrL-aQ/w300-h400/IMG_8682.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">post at start of hike showing altitude & hiking time </span><br style="text-align: start;" /><span style="text-align: start;">(3½ hours)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><font size="2"> </font><div style="text-align: justify;">Grand Bénare is the highest point of the narrow municipality of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Trois-Bassins" target="_blank">Trois Bassins</a>. Trois Bassins (literally "three pools") is a textbook example of the "From the seashore to the mountaintops" principle (in French <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du_battant_des_lames_au_sommet_des_montagnes" target="_blank">Du battant des lames au sommet des montagnes</a></i>, literally "From the beating of the waves to the summit of the mountains") of land concession, whereby early settlers cut land into straight bands that stretched from the shore to the highest points without ever widening horizontally.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE87nk6_3O7xR2S845IT_fYDwukL3LDr1vSXIIuGvv_dBbfuwSlBX6PsVhv6rir2q5C8a4TXHwgitAZ_ZxHuoa673YETwJZd1aSfco4ukPFzph7YQ7eeug5gWijM-4vN_G6YYGzM2q9Js/s2266/IMG_8683.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2266" data-original-width="1700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE87nk6_3O7xR2S845IT_fYDwukL3LDr1vSXIIuGvv_dBbfuwSlBX6PsVhv6rir2q5C8a4TXHwgitAZ_ZxHuoa673YETwJZd1aSfco4ukPFzph7YQ7eeug5gWijM-4vN_G6YYGzM2q9Js/w300-h400/IMG_8683.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">post showing hike via La Glacière (see below)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The hiking path we took is known as <i>Grand Bord</i> because it follows the edge (border) of the mountain ridge: to your right it slopes gently down to the west coast, but to your left it drops away sharply giving you a spectacular view of the whole mountainous interior of the island. If you're also going to visit La Glacière (see below) it definitely makes more sense to hike <b>to</b> Grand Bénare along the Grand Bord path first because the view is more likely to be free of cloud in the morning. You can then hike back via La Glacière, which is slightly inland. As July is the cold season in Reunion (= less rain, so less clouds) we were fortunate because the sky remained cloud-free virtually all day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4C49DQv7BKrZTqWZETFeZsO1k37jYNak04afFBoRm9w_UY5VuXCQfFO7shMwX22i5UzLcxW2VNNIQb_Kc4hHiLT_MLL-D6QPchyLVBv6VEr3bHZNTfLybi8OnvN1FDtdxolzbapVZuOA/s4032/IMG_8687.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4C49DQv7BKrZTqWZETFeZsO1k37jYNak04afFBoRm9w_UY5VuXCQfFO7shMwX22i5UzLcxW2VNNIQb_Kc4hHiLT_MLL-D6QPchyLVBv6VEr3bHZNTfLybi8OnvN1FDtdxolzbapVZuOA/w400-h300/IMG_8687.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Bord hiking path follows this ridge<br />Grand Bénare is the highest point, to the left</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDZZK9OPAL2xziyOTOIsPg0JqEiXgrf6iSiUbv8223ZysoQ8tPiT_sI44YMX6NK4Iku6ffySAsp85O_CY_QoX-Pd8k9aUm6R1dQ3ISacROyM1p4drAOyzJ00x5aksaXYh1qSh5wZsdIg/s4032/IMG_8685.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDZZK9OPAL2xziyOTOIsPg0JqEiXgrf6iSiUbv8223ZysoQ8tPiT_sI44YMX6NK4Iku6ffySAsp85O_CY_QoX-Pd8k9aUm6R1dQ3ISacROyM1p4drAOyzJ00x5aksaXYh1qSh5wZsdIg/w400-h300/IMG_8685.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view over Mafate: La Nouvelle centre left, enormous Gros Morne behind<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXF0XtdcJ_cG5kzGlgvY6uHYFgLDYPfUm3pjPtqvW8ordA4ZG_UnbS1DK3Y6-_2I5kp9C2krUupS7E1zhQQqE-Em-vU9wZpsByVgkRk_WwYuACNkNsNbFc-2qEhD97eohB1p0VdcESw8/s4032/IMG_8689.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXF0XtdcJ_cG5kzGlgvY6uHYFgLDYPfUm3pjPtqvW8ordA4ZG_UnbS1DK3Y6-_2I5kp9C2krUupS7E1zhQQqE-Em-vU9wZpsByVgkRk_WwYuACNkNsNbFc-2qEhD97eohB1p0VdcESw8/w400-h300/IMG_8689.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking down over northern/lower Mafate: in the foreground is<br />the hamlet of Roche Plate and flat-topped Le Bronchard<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUZAEkkDsPK1oB1xtmUt9QEq372oD74Bm6ICZdC5XpGGLt_YJ0HgpaLCkxYwhH2J59V6zsplzt-vVNSRK3gtiPp-WqPPtezgtQM6eNFdyMGu9fDKs9rsOLqNGD-UmbK69A68zONs2lcg/s4032/IMG_8684.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUZAEkkDsPK1oB1xtmUt9QEq372oD74Bm6ICZdC5XpGGLt_YJ0HgpaLCkxYwhH2J59V6zsplzt-vVNSRK3gtiPp-WqPPtezgtQM6eNFdyMGu9fDKs9rsOLqNGD-UmbK69A68zONs2lcg/w400-h300/IMG_8684.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gros Morne to the centre left, Grand Bénare extreme right<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SEyWmMH04HEBCBBmb5GckwULgQ7-uhC3YLmc_g-YjRFTuApGkgCGZeoxF7kKkorxJjEffESXStOU6DnkpCHL14hjmdelwyHAeeqHGMZvu8uhAQWZaMV5V3P95E7KcKRNWwWDt2OI668/s4032/IMG_8692.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SEyWmMH04HEBCBBmb5GckwULgQ7-uhC3YLmc_g-YjRFTuApGkgCGZeoxF7kKkorxJjEffESXStOU6DnkpCHL14hjmdelwyHAeeqHGMZvu8uhAQWZaMV5V3P95E7KcKRNWwWDt2OI668/w400-h300/IMG_8692.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piton des Neiges behind Gros Morne to the left,<br />Grand Bénare to the right, <br />Piton de la Fournaise just visible in the far background centre</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HOr8I6soO18NuZfovErgzUvOwM9LvqhHv6wm_8E2Mr38CNUyBtmk5VQZHj97KziUPLx-wGLgzuGhsB_oituRdvWM2OOTDeIqHq-2sHW6vstLVAQAnV4dnBw7FifmvP-8qpNkAD_gdAY/s4032/IMG_8686.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5HOr8I6soO18NuZfovErgzUvOwM9LvqhHv6wm_8E2Mr38CNUyBtmk5VQZHj97KziUPLx-wGLgzuGhsB_oituRdvWM2OOTDeIqHq-2sHW6vstLVAQAnV4dnBw7FifmvP-8qpNkAD_gdAY/w300-h400/IMG_8686.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Bénare to the right, <br />Gros Morne to the left<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qWCM1k9KSpnC22Zao66hEUw1Uvf6xUvppUn7umN1z16IPMN_PSQICfo7q2NHoiTJNoZA9_7L8phuR96mXW2pyK43j_XJYG9rT7sU0_O8q9m6gPOoD1eDU0ikGM5zMp6FX-o1G0HaQlg/s4032/IMG_8688.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qWCM1k9KSpnC22Zao66hEUw1Uvf6xUvppUn7umN1z16IPMN_PSQICfo7q2NHoiTJNoZA9_7L8phuR96mXW2pyK43j_XJYG9rT7sU0_O8q9m6gPOoD1eDU0ikGM5zMp6FX-o1G0HaQlg/w300-h400/IMG_8688.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">vegetation is sparse at this altitude<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The hike isn't very difficult from a technical point of view but is quite a long slog, with about 800 meters of elevation gain, and the path is rocky. On arrival at the summit we were greeted by a large white cross and a view over Reunion's third cirque, <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Cilaos" target="_blank">Cilaos</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4de7CA_8vShINpeieosbFv9gqA4ooEwrgATtc3GO2EW1urA0RqxsFg_J_a6ndCE9FQUriKJbgsKZrqaJjiX9nF1YGXbqkD_rNO_hG4ObUeA7Ekd0CbK3HiRzrs1mvWAWkQaFlM-CfRQ/s4032/IMG_8693.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4de7CA_8vShINpeieosbFv9gqA4ooEwrgATtc3GO2EW1urA0RqxsFg_J_a6ndCE9FQUriKJbgsKZrqaJjiX9nF1YGXbqkD_rNO_hG4ObUeA7Ekd0CbK3HiRzrs1mvWAWkQaFlM-CfRQ/w300-h400/IMG_8693.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cross at the summit of Grand Bénare, Cilaos behind<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCXQmtma_CQzzBQyeJvgb-eNLmYark7uqkTDOZuD44o233hkGwq5AUQUSgIz3uwih1_mppE2YCxZcvsLZGp7rIhIR2nG6s1V2xv68r2bLhlfuby1svaKmaWU4Zdj0Gmj2Ag2KjbVbYI8/s4028/IMG_8705.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2678" data-original-width="4028" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCXQmtma_CQzzBQyeJvgb-eNLmYark7uqkTDOZuD44o233hkGwq5AUQUSgIz3uwih1_mppE2YCxZcvsLZGp7rIhIR2nG6s1V2xv68r2bLhlfuby1svaKmaWU4Zdj0Gmj2Ag2KjbVbYI8/w400-h265/IMG_8705.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from Grand Bénare to the south coast<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Our arrival at Grand Bénare coincided with lunchtime and after eating our packed meal, sitting well wrapped up against the cold, we set off back down via a different route: La Glacière (altitude 2490m). <i>Bénare</i> actually means "where it is very cold" in Malagasy, and at La Glacière two hundred years ago some brick shafts were built to store ice that was cut from surrounding pools of water.</div></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZP3Llo-waVUI1f0lmOjh2dqHvtHNSt6-JRjmrMIS2fcewuSSSwbHTQSu5Zi7hsTTMsIHuIqzt29F1JCaKMVTpFl_ceRvsHyILTzUEt0r-g3j4HAwpXoDEGwExC110wQjZErhMnK-p9LI/s4032/IMG_8709.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZP3Llo-waVUI1f0lmOjh2dqHvtHNSt6-JRjmrMIS2fcewuSSSwbHTQSu5Zi7hsTTMsIHuIqzt29F1JCaKMVTpFl_ceRvsHyILTzUEt0r-g3j4HAwpXoDEGwExC110wQjZErhMnK-p9LI/w400-h300/IMG_8709.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ice-storage shaft at La Glacière dating from 1820 <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">During the period of slavery, land owner <a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/09/chapelle-pointue.html" target="_blank">Mme Desbassyns</a> would send slaves to La Glacière so they could carry ice down to her mansion at <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2014/04/musee-de-villele.html" target="_blank">Villèle</a>, a 60-km round trip. 25 kg blocks were either transported whole in hessian bags or crushed then wrapped in woollen blankets to stop them from melting. She enjoyed impressing her visitors by serving them sorbets and iced drinks. She also sent some of the ice to her son who lived at Rivière des Pluies, <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Sainte%20Marie" target="_blank">Sainte-Marie</a>, using a system of relay riders. Mme Desbassyns died in 1846 and slavery was abolished two years later, but the practice continued for several decades more, apparently with impoverished labourers scraping out a living by collecting and delivering the ice.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjabSJVi7zppFdGIT7SuYtTqVMrTZluUVh_DkASGNa958ulD9Ub2lodrTfcx6Tck4pZfyXSqwp0ugyXSLb-mVHG2ZWtFwp2VpTXzkdkpjRfsxHzMgFgSPuh0EBk_At19NqFJmmGNcjjG8/s4032/IMG_8710.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjabSJVi7zppFdGIT7SuYtTqVMrTZluUVh_DkASGNa958ulD9Ub2lodrTfcx6Tck4pZfyXSqwp0ugyXSLb-mVHG2ZWtFwp2VpTXzkdkpjRfsxHzMgFgSPuh0EBk_At19NqFJmmGNcjjG8/w300-h400/IMG_8710.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ice-storage well at La Glacière</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The path from La Glacière back to Le Maido car park is relatively flat and straight, which was welcome relief for our legs after the stony terrain of Grand Bord! (As there were a number of forest fires in the area during the early 2010s, the fire brigade wanted to make sure they could access the area in all-terrain vehicles if needs be, so they flattened the track). And although we saw a lot of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulex_europaeus">gorse bushes</a> all day, they were particularly present by the side of the path for the last kilometre or so. Their yellow colour makes them attractive but they are in fact an invasive species, imported in the 1850s as a way of fencing animals in.</div></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EKznUCT7jRgyCsJYzVPE5tPq5zf1zTGbwHsw-xfDfiyV9XDTy9gQSclIVx0uk2TeNyylbcpi4mUvrt7hpAP7NSj4rDguZxrhkNytvWRLIb4nVs54FJbh5vMX4IL0RM4Obs8UirHYRwE/s4032/IMG_8711.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2EKznUCT7jRgyCsJYzVPE5tPq5zf1zTGbwHsw-xfDfiyV9XDTy9gQSclIVx0uk2TeNyylbcpi4mUvrt7hpAP7NSj4rDguZxrhkNytvWRLIb4nVs54FJbh5vMX4IL0RM4Obs8UirHYRwE/w300-h400/IMG_8711.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">gorse bushes by path side<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The total hike was about 16km long (≈9km along Grand Bord, and ≈7km on the way back via La Glacière), and took us most of the day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">* The two highest peaks are <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Piton%20des%20Neiges" target="_blank">Piton des Neiges</a> and Gros Morne respectively.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>You might also like:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/02/hiking-from-maido-to-ilet-alcide.html" target="_blank">Hiking from Maïdo to Ilet Alcide</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/02/maido-petite-france.html" target="_blank">Maïdo & Petite France</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2020/02/more-blog-articles-about-reunion-island.html" target="_blank">A round-up of some blog articles about Reunion</a> ("Le Maïdo, a unique vantage point over Reunion Island")</li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2014/12/some-reunion-island-stamps.html" target="_blank">Some Reunion Island & Indian Ocean stamps</a> (see 1960 stamp)</li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>External links:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://en.reunion.fr/organize/hiking-trails/maido-grand-benare-575462" target="_blank">Reunion Tourism Board</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Bénare" target="_blank">Wikipedia </a></li><li><a href="https://randopitons.re/randonnee/1273-grand-benare-grand-bord-glaciere-depuis-maido" target="_blank">Le Grand Bénare par le Grand Bord et la Glacière depuis le Maïdo</a> (in French)</li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Grand Bénare, Réunion-21.116111 55.422778-52.457121034675239 20.266528 10.224899034675243 90.579028tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-24893796149235061672020-06-07T17:22:00.102+04:002020-10-06T14:52:49.255+04:00Etang St Paul, Tour des Roches & Grotte des Premiers Français<p>Yesterday we went on a 15-km bike ride to Etang St Paul and Tour des Roches, starting and finishing near the Grotte des Premiers Français.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVgKo905Y2_MBWKfspbVOVx9vIDdEdmYL10913yhYvVHtnM61qPlx3W-pInHYa9mydFB8d61aKg_v1euJDGfKA9xMbPqajJN6GHbIPZpktoE7y6QJOYxx6Mj5J6WMzA2-VqG8Qva545A/s3358/IMG_8500.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3358" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVgKo905Y2_MBWKfspbVOVx9vIDdEdmYL10913yhYvVHtnM61qPlx3W-pInHYa9mydFB8d61aKg_v1euJDGfKA9xMbPqajJN6GHbIPZpktoE7y6QJOYxx6Mj5J6WMzA2-VqG8Qva545A/w360-h400/IMG_8500.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">waterwheel at Tour des Roches</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">Although Saint-Paul is on the dry, west side of Reunion, it's home to one of the island's largest water surfaces: Étang Saint Paul, covering 4.15 km2 (<i>étang</i> means "pond").</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidB-Nh4oQv3eWQmk_-dp2M5GzhHkW2iE1q5F1Yzsxu0qm5TMVFWFvhOq97A3TcGlgKM2m478MerCsUZpkRisIiJ9drnOq8JsN9119eCmJdprCWhFE-erUodp8BMTgLK1xcjS6rA9t868g/s4032/IMG_8481.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidB-Nh4oQv3eWQmk_-dp2M5GzhHkW2iE1q5F1Yzsxu0qm5TMVFWFvhOq97A3TcGlgKM2m478MerCsUZpkRisIiJ9drnOq8JsN9119eCmJdprCWhFE-erUodp8BMTgLK1xcjS6rA9t868g/w400-h300/IMG_8481.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of Etang St Paul<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5j-wLN4f57JWjTfndLfMTNtc62yMb10-bSd6QAajnfD7wxObWvmoiSxYQyjZbNzobJSD3g-ZWKnqfVd44km2BoJw3WCY92CMBs8XO2IgzUfJQQBvNrT_UWbOMzMhGvMP4EmtUBhfvilc/s4032/IMG_8482.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5j-wLN4f57JWjTfndLfMTNtc62yMb10-bSd6QAajnfD7wxObWvmoiSxYQyjZbNzobJSD3g-ZWKnqfVd44km2BoJw3WCY92CMBs8XO2IgzUfJQQBvNrT_UWbOMzMhGvMP4EmtUBhfvilc/w400-h300/IMG_8482.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of Etang St Paul, looking towards the mountains</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We then headed inland to Tour des Roches, well-known for its waterwheel (see top photo), which dates back to 1820 and used to be part of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava" target="_blank">cassava</a> mill. The vegetation there is quite unique to that part of the island, and includes lots of papyrus and coconut palms as well as water-loving plants such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro" target="_blank">taro</a>, which has water-repellent leaves.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQK_4bCPYwsMm-4cnFq0hvsz1mfsB-4NRLK1FuzX6goQFpzD3QWQoAKL91HTPDF-wwBBiZGya7V-i_MtN-MK11RjcXJHZICZsUukgCyaSp14gVrUZde4iZy4LOetozo9Sjg0OwhuZMkQ/s4032/IMG_8497.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQK_4bCPYwsMm-4cnFq0hvsz1mfsB-4NRLK1FuzX6goQFpzD3QWQoAKL91HTPDF-wwBBiZGya7V-i_MtN-MK11RjcXJHZICZsUukgCyaSp14gVrUZde4iZy4LOetozo9Sjg0OwhuZMkQ/w300-h400/IMG_8497.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">papyrus, Tour des Roches<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_D5R-e0HVI936ZV5zeAN2_hkQsIeR8uUTXa4ZhfH4bMmWEiTqwnPzxgBO2_k52gl2h_U8-scmfOBcQsHacRKZQZ-McsS6yFqQypir5TWefw_WKnXF_m9s3PlYXiBdU8rJiHJinlgd6g/s4032/IMG_8498.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_D5R-e0HVI936ZV5zeAN2_hkQsIeR8uUTXa4ZhfH4bMmWEiTqwnPzxgBO2_k52gl2h_U8-scmfOBcQsHacRKZQZ-McsS6yFqQypir5TWefw_WKnXF_m9s3PlYXiBdU8rJiHJinlgd6g/w300-h400/IMG_8498.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tour des Roches<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNczXvKtK35lJBwD42MKudwtnkYUwlK64Q5m7wKgyI_afUFRuHIuakQUbhW7I8XChaCfsCCQarTQfFiFmWrq3IyDRskMZN_jlYhRNfcLmqEaZX1TJXC9Riit4frFrMS6Y87XISVqUip2U/s3067/IMG_8495.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3067" data-original-width="3018" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNczXvKtK35lJBwD42MKudwtnkYUwlK64Q5m7wKgyI_afUFRuHIuakQUbhW7I8XChaCfsCCQarTQfFiFmWrq3IyDRskMZN_jlYhRNfcLmqEaZX1TJXC9Riit4frFrMS6Y87XISVqUip2U/w395-h400/IMG_8495.jpg" width="395" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tour des Roches</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Our final stop was at Grotte des Premiers Français, which is supposedly the cavern (<i>grotte</i>) where Reunion's first settlers (<i>premiers français</i>) stayed when they initially landed on Reunion in 1663 (for more about Reunion's history see <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/p/reunion-timeline.html" target="_blank">here</a>).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLT4mgarg8wRXZshUaVRC8SbFWkXhTkL8JD_7bBpQuZFfr_a0FMAb07EhVmrggE42GL6Be721FSZbmg32-5ZFDWisSO9-njH8Gu44T_18ai4BjYUmSaq7BjFe7ZyrEc-RXQDW213Nfjdo/s4032/IMG_8515.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLT4mgarg8wRXZshUaVRC8SbFWkXhTkL8JD_7bBpQuZFfr_a0FMAb07EhVmrggE42GL6Be721FSZbmg32-5ZFDWisSO9-njH8Gu44T_18ai4BjYUmSaq7BjFe7ZyrEc-RXQDW213Nfjdo/w400-h300/IMG_8515.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from inside <i>Grotte des Premiers Français</i> looking out<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We ended our outing with a stroll around the <i>Cimetière Marin</i> across the road. I've blogged about the cemetery <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/11/cimetiere-marin-st-paul.html" target="_blank">before</a>.</div><div><br /></div><u>See also:</u><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2020/09/chemin-pave-lougnon-bellemene.html" target="_blank">Chemin Pavé Lougnon, Bellemene</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/11/cimetiere-marin-st-paul.html" target="_blank">Cimetière Marin </a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2014/04/musee-de-villele.html" target="_blank">Musée de Villèle</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/09/chapelle-pointue.html" target="_blank">Chapelle Pointue</a></li></ul><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Saint-Paul, 97460, Réunion-21.0452623 55.336470299999988-90 -85.288529700000012 55.208944031053619 -164.03852970000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-10540679134474159182020-05-17T18:32:00.001+04:002020-08-09T18:29:54.380+04:00Hiking Morne Langevin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7g5CmW7ziCAHmdSavFZEINHDz0EfXqtxem_AIe1kpTW6nTbRikQo3fvBaLjTMJIbkgPFzsHWSKfGq5TXTrCYdVsnO-gOJr8qqe6dvtQ6RnH-f6Hxv6vCWPW9S_XhysnMMhWKkTneMI8w/s1600/IMG_8302.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>
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For the first Saturday after <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_R%C3%A9union">lockdown ended in Reunion</a> my husband and I decided to head up to the mountains, and we soon found ourselves at Pas de Sable near the <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/volcano">volcano</a>, starting a <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/hiking" target="_blank">hike</a> to Morne Langevin.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQBfcSzs4sfZo43VhlF2dMdm3Ow4Zk8P1rSrFrx_ITwRSuoser9IqvURVB4Cc-iO_V_O3w8t1uY2na1bjogiYTgbuUlImXHZRfsO883vTMpX0pCsyTFtW9XvgGzwCtyyXWHVayE1itmQ/s1600/IMG_8274.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQBfcSzs4sfZo43VhlF2dMdm3Ow4Zk8P1rSrFrx_ITwRSuoser9IqvURVB4Cc-iO_V_O3w8t1uY2na1bjogiYTgbuUlImXHZRfsO883vTMpX0pCsyTFtW9XvgGzwCtyyXWHVayE1itmQ/s400/IMG_8274.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sign at the start of the hike showing the altitude: 2350m</td></tr>
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Morne Langevin is a hike I hadn't done in about 25 years so it was interesting to do once again. However this time we only went to the viewpoint and back, without doing the longer loop walk. The weather was quite cold (12-13°C) as befits the altitude and time of year, but as it was sunny and not windy, and we soon warmed up when we hiked.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIV8HiBgSQRm5lSrq_Of7GykfiaawaPAwTPrua4LD7wITkktDartS9O2XWYeyeayZ8n9m587Doom2zePbJtUyjysIJJ6I_xuKgHkOOW7u1XgExmrXcnpZ0jFBTTtKnbngEWq17xKTyoc/s1600/carte_relief_sm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIV8HiBgSQRm5lSrq_Of7GykfiaawaPAwTPrua4LD7wITkktDartS9O2XWYeyeayZ8n9m587Doom2zePbJtUyjysIJJ6I_xuKgHkOOW7u1XgExmrXcnpZ0jFBTTtKnbngEWq17xKTyoc/s400/carte_relief_sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3D map of the terrain showing the hike in yellow (<a href="https://randopitons.re/randonnee/1440-pas-sables-morne-langevin" target="_blank">source</a>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTox7mJOkMFc2ESXjMt09N9XzXQoOO_MW-ysg45BJLjQSuXz95DD-qruMjfgofZE5lPfYtcJ9AJAZ8h9wTas7cfINkl5ipxz0P9z-WoAGFIhBDokvqQW2Y61ktg-VnCcKDWkh0Jz2g2U/s1600/IMG_8276.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTox7mJOkMFc2ESXjMt09N9XzXQoOO_MW-ysg45BJLjQSuXz95DD-qruMjfgofZE5lPfYtcJ9AJAZ8h9wTas7cfINkl5ipxz0P9z-WoAGFIhBDokvqQW2Y61ktg-VnCcKDWkh0Jz2g2U/s400/IMG_8276.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking across Plaine des Sables</td></tr>
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As we hiked along the path we started to see the lunar landscape of Plaine des Sables, and as we got further we could see the summit of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piton_de_la_Fournaise" target="_blank">Piton de La Fournaise</a> to our left.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wBhjaLSyWA8qgyxgKTQU42oZ8HVucauDAoRRhEp8NRyjkNf92rlegKIa9WaFxwiF1eN2iWtGNO2TgImHMF9-APeMvdYns_PlzWD153nVCnDR2kD0aHyAwSXT3Yn3xJrAZ4ct_qacue8/s1600/IMG_8281.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wBhjaLSyWA8qgyxgKTQU42oZ8HVucauDAoRRhEp8NRyjkNf92rlegKIa9WaFxwiF1eN2iWtGNO2TgImHMF9-APeMvdYns_PlzWD153nVCnDR2kD0aHyAwSXT3Yn3xJrAZ4ct_qacue8/s400/IMG_8281.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">summit of Piton de la Fournaise in the middle-right background </td></tr>
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Once we started hiking we realised the ground was covered by thousands of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pele%27s_hair" target="_blank">Pele's hairs</a> from the last eruption in March 2020. As these strands are very fine and difficult to photograph I filmed one blowing in the breeze.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjCamLgcbJxO_m3M7p65yA4vBJ1Os2FLpAvDVB0mjQx3VoKyejaAVD6QDRL3_iuLvOZkvX2YSqmrucAHfKmQJS167gltOM2lPfW4CPrT9BJW4Ex89K-Z5p7xLRf1B-GW5dwfJIZagSdE/s1600/IMG_8289.MOV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjCamLgcbJxO_m3M7p65yA4vBJ1Os2FLpAvDVB0mjQx3VoKyejaAVD6QDRL3_iuLvOZkvX2YSqmrucAHfKmQJS167gltOM2lPfW4CPrT9BJW4Ex89K-Z5p7xLRf1B-GW5dwfJIZagSdE/s320/IMG_8289.MOV" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHcZLkzsx3yF-pcPgC81IDsjL_4hK6Q8chF1wt3LxzgdLsUKZA0_A6RyXOKDm25HdruZ9zP9XOf2vAK_jDS7jI0NzD80RN7AsGy6mHV-rrrhcKFFfa1rWO_0gRRjiBVnanIx2CiVGhlI/s1600/IMG_8286.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHcZLkzsx3yF-pcPgC81IDsjL_4hK6Q8chF1wt3LxzgdLsUKZA0_A6RyXOKDm25HdruZ9zP9XOf2vAK_jDS7jI0NzD80RN7AsGy6mHV-rrrhcKFFfa1rWO_0gRRjiBVnanIx2CiVGhlI/s400/IMG_8286.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">much of the path looked like this</td></tr>
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The type of vegetation at this altitude is moorland with few plants growing, however those that do grow are generally endemic. They've adapted to the harsh climate, and there can be large temperature variations, strong wind, heavy rain, and periods of drought. Some plants have small leaves to avoid being withered by the sun while others, like the <i>Hubertia tomentosa</i>, have little hairs to capture any moisture in the air.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqo98lZI2GhFoDejuEwdMtv4yuCcZIfh7-Ue8GyUwbE8aJhE94lCc7vrkYUckWrXY-JX1twdpt-CbZ4U-JKhPjOu655ylvrCxUC8BklHqyUvpG8wQ_rI_gV5FC-ngM_K3OE05A8-ZpZ0/s1600/IMG_8295.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqo98lZI2GhFoDejuEwdMtv4yuCcZIfh7-Ue8GyUwbE8aJhE94lCc7vrkYUckWrXY-JX1twdpt-CbZ4U-JKhPjOu655ylvrCxUC8BklHqyUvpG8wQ_rI_gV5FC-ngM_K3OE05A8-ZpZ0/s400/IMG_8295.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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In the end it took us just over 2 hours to hike the round-trip distance of 7.3 km.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKNiKSZZ1Yl0vL6Ku643IydHxLNJrj6Tt-bur5XVFpjAXca6z5BprRMkqrWCkvBpOJMEes2llFaZPfmWiqR_UK09NEWfZuSRUamKYDcH9fAsLImx4B5HCrK9Kt0tIe8WlaA0BVzq-gFo/s1600/IMG_8285.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKNiKSZZ1Yl0vL6Ku643IydHxLNJrj6Tt-bur5XVFpjAXca6z5BprRMkqrWCkvBpOJMEes2llFaZPfmWiqR_UK09NEWfZuSRUamKYDcH9fAsLImx4B5HCrK9Kt0tIe8WlaA0BVzq-gFo/s400/IMG_8285.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">almost there!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OHnsnNRj97a7fCLJ5FLRqgJT0N1IxiUVuLnNSqXDWofm89hR3V0BLSIelet3Ka6ZOP9LuTTm8wHZxZKReT3X2SBjoHtHLe8aMO5Sggn4vwcf5vQ0Z9Ziq-XrF2LF9-tsNahQrTUiwGQ/s1600/IMG_8284.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OHnsnNRj97a7fCLJ5FLRqgJT0N1IxiUVuLnNSqXDWofm89hR3V0BLSIelet3Ka6ZOP9LuTTm8wHZxZKReT3X2SBjoHtHLe8aMO5Sggn4vwcf5vQ0Z9Ziq-XrF2LF9-tsNahQrTUiwGQ/s400/IMG_8284.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">end of the hike</td></tr>
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As we'd started hiking mid-afternoon and the sun sets at about 5:45pm at this time of year, we had a fantastic view of the sun setting over the centre of the island as we drove back down.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7g5CmW7ziCAHmdSavFZEINHDz0EfXqtxem_AIe1kpTW6nTbRikQo3fvBaLjTMJIbkgPFzsHWSKfGq5TXTrCYdVsnO-gOJr8qqe6dvtQ6RnH-f6Hxv6vCWPW9S_XhysnMMhWKkTneMI8w/s1600/IMG_8302.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7g5CmW7ziCAHmdSavFZEINHDz0EfXqtxem_AIe1kpTW6nTbRikQo3fvBaLjTMJIbkgPFzsHWSKfGq5TXTrCYdVsnO-gOJr8qqe6dvtQ6RnH-f6Hxv6vCWPW9S_XhysnMMhWKkTneMI8w/s400/IMG_8302.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mist over craters at dusk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4wu3A5kCx9v5Ik2FEnk-FK88cNyAILsNxFxBPenpZ9K2WVhwdudXkFP7CUgZVv2QzsLV-HQY94uQVJZ2JAvy7YneVtj-Jjii3bvzr5nIAPzVOcHLnf5SoZ1HtrcaQWU7hybC1PlRbUo/s1600/IMG_8298.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4wu3A5kCx9v5Ik2FEnk-FK88cNyAILsNxFxBPenpZ9K2WVhwdudXkFP7CUgZVv2QzsLV-HQY94uQVJZ2JAvy7YneVtj-Jjii3bvzr5nIAPzVOcHLnf5SoZ1HtrcaQWU7hybC1PlRbUo/s400/IMG_8298.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunset, Grand Benare to the left, Piton des Neiges to the right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oR5uobLxCfVmOcQnJNHHq729KmzcC0bdBlPzO47AYZZb5IQckwqnIiHoKbzZF8xxtt-oS1aVlcEhyphenhyphen7VQZJkbkbLzU-csX5zGmdwsXzko86r5isH2t4hGn2ugksF-BGOKZ7ltfYw4huI/s1600/IMG_8299.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oR5uobLxCfVmOcQnJNHHq729KmzcC0bdBlPzO47AYZZb5IQckwqnIiHoKbzZF8xxtt-oS1aVlcEhyphenhyphen7VQZJkbkbLzU-csX5zGmdwsXzko86r5isH2t4hGn2ugksF-BGOKZ7ltfYw4huI/s400/IMG_8299.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunset, Grand Benare to the left, Piton des Neiges to the right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For more information about the hike (in French) see <a href="https://randopitons.re/randonnee/1440-pas-sables-morne-langevin" target="_blank">Du Pas des Sables au Morne Langevin</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u>You might also like:</u></div>
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<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/12/cayenne-hike.html" target="_blank">Cayenne hike</a><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/02/hiking-from-maido-to-ilet-alcide.html" target="_blank">Hiking from Maïdo to Ilet Alcide</a></li>
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<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/06/hike-from-le-belier-to-hellbourg.html" target="_blank">Hike from Le Belier to Hell-Bourg</a></li>
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<li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/04/hiking-grande-chaloupe-to-la-redoute.html" target="_blank">Hiking Grande Chaloupe to La Redoute</a></li>
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<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2007/11/hiking-piton-des-neiges-from-cilaos.html" target="_blank">Hiking Piton des Neiges from Cilaos</a></li>
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<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/04/hiking-canalisation-des-orangers.html" target="_blank">Hiking the Canalisation des Orangers</a></li>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/06/hiking-to-and-from-ilet-cordes.html" target="_blank">Hiking to and from Ilet à Cordes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/02/maido-petite-france.html" target="_blank">Maïdo & Petite France</a></li>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/09/morne-de-st-francois-le-brule.html" target="_blank">Morne de St François & Le Brulé </a></li>
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<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/05/plaine-des-palmistes-to-plaines-des.html" target="_blank">Plaine des Palmistes to Plaines des Cafres via Piton Textor</a></li>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/02/trekking-volcano.html" target="_blank">Trekking the volcano</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Morne Langevin, Réunion-21.2570815 55.656459299999987-46.779116 14.347865299999988 4.2649529999999984 96.9650533tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-79053842287701619832020-02-27T09:47:00.001+04:002022-03-04T10:34:41.179+04:00Some Reunion Island & Indian Ocean stamps<div style="text-align: justify;"><i>[updated March 2022]</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first stamps of Reunion were issued on 1 January 1852. By 1860 there were 15 post offices on the island, and by the second half of the 1860s about 3000 letters were being posted every week.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/French_stamp_for_use_in_Reunion.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/French_stamp_for_use_in_Reunion.gif" width="352" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A French stamp overprinted for use in Reunion, <br />
circa 1900 (<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:French_stamp_for_use_in_Reunion.gif" target="_blank">source</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: start;">The two photos below show stamps that all date from 1942 and commemorate the 300th anniversary of Reunion being claimed for France by Jacques de Pronis. In effect in 1642 Reunion (then known as 'Bourbon' Island) was granted to the newly-created <i>Compagnie d'Orient</i> (one of the fore-runners of the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_East_India_Company" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="French East India Company">French East India Company</a>) by <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_Richelieu" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Cardinal Richelieu">Cardinal Richelieu</a>. As the governor of the French colony of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%B4lanaro#History" target="_blank">Fort-Dauphin</a> in <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.ie/search/label/Madagascar" target="_blank">Madagascar</a>, Sieur de Pronis had the task of developing the new island concession. In 1643 he exiled 12 mutineers to Bourbon and several years later they were found still alive and healthy.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarBpcX3QmbmWYemHowcZmcQGs84MSkBcY4VtV9F5htmgoySFzXESkYCXYYIQvSgyyxXzzVjqWS1uxm61-UePj5NtYM8WY4QHmsyFvaMtprgoEZDyGC49YmUhlHowCqGq8vHreblVVUSI/s1600/Louis+XIII+stamps.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarBpcX3QmbmWYemHowcZmcQGs84MSkBcY4VtV9F5htmgoySFzXESkYCXYYIQvSgyyxXzzVjqWS1uxm61-UePj5NtYM8WY4QHmsyFvaMtprgoEZDyGC49YmUhlHowCqGq8vHreblVVUSI/s400/Louis+XIII+stamps.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the inset of French King <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIII_of_France">Louis XIII</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAglRaxnZxPZETNcPQkFIGRWPTGS08UzXz3N3SHpJzgZDDMRECqhgkSTScNJwMaW5EB1MnZWSCONlWEvvilrCSf0IIWVniQvz0d1nbJ_DTl4Fbsu2CxsfwEeZdV_4QiWzRkOxiiJIIgD8/s1600/Louis+XIII+stamps+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAglRaxnZxPZETNcPQkFIGRWPTGS08UzXz3N3SHpJzgZDDMRECqhgkSTScNJwMaW5EB1MnZWSCONlWEvvilrCSf0IIWVniQvz0d1nbJ_DTl4Fbsu2CxsfwEeZdV_4QiWzRkOxiiJIIgD8/s400/Louis+XIII+stamps+1.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">as previous picture, with a higher face value</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
These six stamps below also date from 1942 and the commemoration of the 300th anniversary of Reunion's first settlement, but are anachronistic as they show the horticulturalist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Poivre" target="_blank">Pierre Poivre</a> bringing spices to the island. Pierre Poivre lived 1719-1786 and was Intendant of Bourbon and Ile de France (present day <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.ie/search/label/Mauritius" target="_blank">Mauritius</a>) 1767-72, so the stamp depicting him in 17th century dress is inappropriate! (By the way the writer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques-Henri_Bernardin_de_Saint-Pierre" target="_blank">Bernardin de St Pierre</a> fell in love with Poivre's young wife Françoise and had her in mind while writing his novel <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_et_Virginie" target="_blank"><i>Paul et Virginie</i></a>). Amongst other things Poivre introduced cloves, lychees, star aniseed and avocados to Bourbon.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8Q_hJsMd8QMqfx2K0pwFRD0ZbWT7b5h6FTFvh0tFPm28fVT4TdcD9b-eTjevaN1Kg5Mp1gjSbHALgkMYMyDyNRsXfyK5YY_X3C5jGQgt5EmL2iNZzkN-GNdxSuiZaCvuFe125aBae7w/s1600/1942+Pierre+Poivre+stamps.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="725" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8Q_hJsMd8QMqfx2K0pwFRD0ZbWT7b5h6FTFvh0tFPm28fVT4TdcD9b-eTjevaN1Kg5Mp1gjSbHALgkMYMyDyNRsXfyK5YY_X3C5jGQgt5EmL2iNZzkN-GNdxSuiZaCvuFe125aBae7w/s400/1942+Pierre+Poivre+stamps.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1942 stamps showing Pierre Poivre bringing spices to Reunion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJKF-LIitxmVer2x842hcPO215S0cTiu7u4qvb9uiH2BE_tHq8nrSCVz1R5u5N_N55LJfZ_hqUHxcMW50EIWcGPHLH7lxDnTB-y4I9LuA3l0kxtvbyiOa7RFSs3i0kDgRVw252KruH-0/s1600/1942+Pierre+Poivre+stamps+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="725" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJKF-LIitxmVer2x842hcPO215S0cTiu7u4qvb9uiH2BE_tHq8nrSCVz1R5u5N_N55LJfZ_hqUHxcMW50EIWcGPHLH7lxDnTB-y4I9LuA3l0kxtvbyiOa7RFSs3i0kDgRVw252KruH-0/s400/1942+Pierre+Poivre+stamps+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">as previous picture, with a higher face value</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
During the period 1949-74 locally produced 15 and 30 centime French stamps surcharged with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFA_franc">CFA Francs</a> were used. Since 1st January 1975 normal, unsurcharged French postage stamps have been used.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBok0W0ZZjYzv__-pSHHzyWYwXlFHF3yZPr6A6Th6aef7K0FtFXYVAGyEi-2A4_NiNAMEvwE6I36hD6n_LmA9v_VJFE_7Qo5CQFKyQQF3Zt-IBNXo_G0gS39kA3tkgjxP5a3faXyF8bA/s1600/25+centimes+stamp.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="240" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBok0W0ZZjYzv__-pSHHzyWYwXlFHF3yZPr6A6Th6aef7K0FtFXYVAGyEi-2A4_NiNAMEvwE6I36hD6n_LmA9v_VJFE_7Qo5CQFKyQQF3Zt-IBNXo_G0gS39kA3tkgjxP5a3faXyF8bA/s400/25+centimes+stamp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This 25 centime stamp shows the Barachois area of St Denis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The stamp below was sold on Reunion between January 16th 1960 and May 19th 1962 and was used for sending airmail to Indochina. It has a 1 CFA franc face value and shows the church of <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.ie/search/label/Cilaos" target="_blank">Cilaos</a> with the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_B%C3%A9nare" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Grand Bénare">Grand Bénare</a> behind, (although 'Grand Benard' is actually what is printed on the stamp). Bénare means 'very cold place' in <a href="http://asmarttranslatorsreunion.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/malagasy-the-language-of-madagascar/" target="_blank">Malagasy</a>.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBBmsQbnyAKMZJcriIIpAkiGV7Sg656jFId1oPIsiwLKGe8cKolgKRdjTCF1BBYMc52nz3mfTJTudbfB3CsFZpdYITeSYFvgjmHVJJ3QOQ9lqJ-HLYGPUtJTtx24nvTfJtIHsJpPDbAk/s1600/1960+Cilaos+and+Grand+Be%25CC%2581nare+stamp.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBBmsQbnyAKMZJcriIIpAkiGV7Sg656jFId1oPIsiwLKGe8cKolgKRdjTCF1BBYMc52nz3mfTJTudbfB3CsFZpdYITeSYFvgjmHVJJ3QOQ9lqJ-HLYGPUtJTtx24nvTfJtIHsJpPDbAk/s400/1960+Cilaos+and+Grand+Be%25CC%2581nare+stamp.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1960 Cilaos and Grand Bénare stamp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Below is a stamp showing Captain <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89tienne_Regnault" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Étienne Regnault">Etienne Regnault</a> and his ship <i>Le Taureau</i> arriving in the Bay of St Paul. It was printed to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Reunion's permanent settlement. It was sold between 3rd October 1965 and 18th June 1966 and was used for sending letters in Reunion.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLauKmitKSygwEHp_rJYZTn1lyaqxmeljHH61GxO0YHZZHTX1BscF9Ez6eGI2dTCOaJp_Ka0PeLnArx7XOazRJZKT1Ua47bCgvzpb0hY7vFS29xzlnBfYkxkl1B6SgQFjLc8oz51rtl54/s1600/1965+stamp.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLauKmitKSygwEHp_rJYZTn1lyaqxmeljHH61GxO0YHZZHTX1BscF9Ez6eGI2dTCOaJp_Ka0PeLnArx7XOazRJZKT1Ua47bCgvzpb0hY7vFS29xzlnBfYkxkl1B6SgQFjLc8oz51rtl54/s400/1965+stamp.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1965 stamp to commemorates the 300th<br />
anniversary of Reunion's permanent settlement</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is a more recent stamp - it was on sale between 8th November 1971 and 7th July 1972. It was used for sending postcards abroad and shows a chameleon.</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwus8Q2HUfuwkN_1p_LNOFzx4j9U0D8Fr931iKoK_OHyIubWKiZvClaU0TzFS6W8axiOVuASJuLJS0Mhyphenhyphen1Rly69JpRj7gzq6chbBvF8mSBsOIT-VaA5pFWrYfQ-JJqVg0Q_cfXHJCPPEI/s1600/endormi+stamp+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="349" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwus8Q2HUfuwkN_1p_LNOFzx4j9U0D8Fr931iKoK_OHyIubWKiZvClaU0TzFS6W8axiOVuASJuLJS0Mhyphenhyphen1Rly69JpRj7gzq6chbBvF8mSBsOIT-VaA5pFWrYfQ-JJqVg0Q_cfXHJCPPEI/s400/endormi+stamp+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1965 stamp to commemorates the 300th<br />
anniversary of Reunion's permanent settlement</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On 1st October 1975 Reunion stopped printing its own stamps, so any Reunion-related stamps since that date (like the two below) are part of French stamp series.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barau's_petrel" target="_blank">Barau's Petrel</a> stamp was on sale from 30th April 2007 until 12th December 2008, and was part of a series of French stamps commemorating protected species from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_departments_and_territories_of_France" target="_blank">overseas France</a>. It is one of the most recently discovered species of seabird as it was only described in 1964, although it was known to locals prior to that.With the exception of a single nest found on the island of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodrigues">Rodrigues</a> the bulk of the population is thought to nest on Réunion. Their colonies are unusual in being far inland and at high elevations; they dig burrows under the forest at around 2400-2700m above sea level. Barau's petrel is considered to be an endangered species. </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J59MsbLtuww/VNrTpSyAOiI/AAAAAAAAe1U/UqtfsrU9Pbg/s1600/P1050518.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J59MsbLtuww/VNrTpSyAOiI/AAAAAAAAe1U/UqtfsrU9Pbg/s1600/P1050518.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2007 Barau's Petrel stamp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The stamp below went on sale in October 2009 to commemorate the centenary of Juliette Dodu's death. Born in Reunion, she was a heroine of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War">Franco-Prussian War</a> of 1870, and was the first woman to be awarded the French <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_of_Honor">Legion of Honour</a>.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-Z3dnQ0NVEkQaDRFL7qaAPN9NCCPrMKh-dRA6hrtd7TfKOkqL4FAKxKRNKVT2tklZn8GHpYObSnG3CYX8BU4U-UPyV3EWNzpX3JfN3D81IOJLygYSYgr61uhJwmr03JSWHIgXxvtAXM/s1600/Juliette+Dodu+stamp.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="966" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-Z3dnQ0NVEkQaDRFL7qaAPN9NCCPrMKh-dRA6hrtd7TfKOkqL4FAKxKRNKVT2tklZn8GHpYObSnG3CYX8BU4U-UPyV3EWNzpX3JfN3D81IOJLygYSYgr61uhJwmr03JSWHIgXxvtAXM/s400/Juliette+Dodu+stamp.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2009 Juliette Dodu stamp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89variste_de_Parny">Evariste de Parny</a>, (1753 – 1814) a French poet born in Reunion Island, was commemorated by a stamp on sale between November 10th 2014 and April 30th 2015.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksU3Hhl5_BIU5MlAbtF_dhjUcTUSEQSR2bapJcLuyneM4MIEEoVsL2XzwcyC5UYNzEByQE7L8qEi6-egEIO-RoPWGWXBDja98TQBeXIhMDV-3gy7jhO5tBDhc-MYSaYFx83EU-LjB_xw/s1600/Evariste+de+Parny+stamp.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="988" data-original-width="758" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksU3Hhl5_BIU5MlAbtF_dhjUcTUSEQSR2bapJcLuyneM4MIEEoVsL2XzwcyC5UYNzEByQE7L8qEi6-egEIO-RoPWGWXBDja98TQBeXIhMDV-3gy7jhO5tBDhc-MYSaYFx83EU-LjB_xw/s400/Evariste+de+Parny+stamp.jpeg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014 Evariste de Parny stamp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Here's a recent stamp of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tromelin_Island" target="_blank">Tromelin</a>, one of the France's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scattered_Islands_in_the_Indian_Ocean" target="_blank">Scattered Islands</a> in the Indian Ocean, about 500km north of Reunion. It went on sale on </span>9th November 2019. As Tromelin is claimed by <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Mauritius" target="_blank">Mauritius</a> the fact if putting it on a French stamp could be seen as quite symbolic, a way of re-affirming France's claim to the island.</div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1HrGbzY-cVq2BaBjNwGb-zUUTZoih4H4CKltb4HhYHZsjfuSORIOvaDy1qnqpfOF0RKnR67Gjm9-qQFMmVKK4omTz2haCTlybsHxQfDxZIFmb5QbaHn0UxJgA0EvPjcZJEc86ND4h9Mo/s1600/Tromelin+stamp.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1280" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1HrGbzY-cVq2BaBjNwGb-zUUTZoih4H4CKltb4HhYHZsjfuSORIOvaDy1qnqpfOF0RKnR67Gjm9-qQFMmVKK4omTz2haCTlybsHxQfDxZIFmb5QbaHn0UxJgA0EvPjcZJEc86ND4h9Mo/s400/Tromelin+stamp.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2019 Tromelin stamp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">On 8th January 2021 France issued a souvenir sheet with 4 stamps featuring birds from France's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_departments_and_regions_of_France" target="_blank">overseas <i>départements</i> and territories</a>, and one of these was Reunion's tuit-tuit (<i>Lalage newtoni</i>), a critically endangered species known as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Réunion_cuckooshrike" target="_blank">Reunion cuckooshrike</a> in English.</div><div><u><br /></u></div><div>
<u><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOXp6-4ZTqM4TPqGm6Wd3mi15aJiQxkLWH7zNUNdpb5S1oKFF2eRhp89BO8T3glpHwVKwN9vduJoDEIIYNJoJr3NiIlGZvhaclS0csS_mx-nHMfW59NOvroVlrCfu41PDDOLIeAmdvPT3diN9d0J3gPN8tAlymCqc2wcCqRn3_D2KjUnJGb8VJk9P1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2472" data-original-width="5212" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOXp6-4ZTqM4TPqGm6Wd3mi15aJiQxkLWH7zNUNdpb5S1oKFF2eRhp89BO8T3glpHwVKwN9vduJoDEIIYNJoJr3NiIlGZvhaclS0csS_mx-nHMfW59NOvroVlrCfu41PDDOLIeAmdvPT3diN9d0J3gPN8tAlymCqc2wcCqRn3_D2KjUnJGb8VJk9P1=w400-h191" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2021 Reunion cuckooshrike stamp</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></u>
<u><br /></u>
<u>See also:</u><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.linns.com/news/world-stamps-postal-history/2017/february/la-reunion-brief-history-of-its-postage-stamps.html" target="_blank">La Reunion: A brief history of its first postage stamps</a> on Linn's Stamp News<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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While the articles on this blog are written directly by myself, I also work as <a href="http://smart-translate.info/" target="_blank">professional French to English translator</a> and I recently finished translating an interesting series of blog articles <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html">about Reunion</a> written by <a href="http://lapetitecreole.re/">Carole Hoareau</a>. Aimed at tourists to the island, there's lots of useful information in these articles so I thought I'd collect them here for easy access. Most of the titles are self-explanatory and they're listed by order of publication on the blog, first to last. All photos are from the blog.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/how-to-eat-like-a-local-in-reunion/?lang=en">How to eat like a local in Reunion</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJMkea2cLS3ho7XAnwEOifGXu37JhHlnQjSxYYX8_1fL4_-ApNSeMQ2_ojxRvtezQHka9L_LPkCOPahlOGlr8wbdD5G54vA_N_-V0QkH8fzRExfQLuW1JEsvzzXvE0y38GFQUgiXRgUo/s1600/ETR-cuisinne-reunionnaise-RElight-1280x640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJMkea2cLS3ho7XAnwEOifGXu37JhHlnQjSxYYX8_1fL4_-ApNSeMQ2_ojxRvtezQHka9L_LPkCOPahlOGlr8wbdD5G54vA_N_-V0QkH8fzRExfQLuW1JEsvzzXvE0y38GFQUgiXRgUo/s400/ETR-cuisinne-reunionnaise-RElight-1280x640.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">food in Reunion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/piton-des-neiges-and-piton-de-la-fournaise-the-origins-of-reunion-island/?lang=en">Piton des Neiges and Piton de la Fouraise: the origins of Reunion Island</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/cilaos-where-tradition-and-nature-meet/?lang=en">Cilaos, where tradition and nature meet</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/salazie-land-of-waterfalls-and-creole-houses/?lang=en">Salazie, land of waterfalls and creole houses</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgwNQZg0SZfvjjaFlD2AZdFNeYR5WThKUSasBxTM1HTd9CBSI11cBNIjBHyg5bTmwcmaM9QVbXN5NaRFGQ_sfVokrF6-vfopWAuh5dnvYNXEIZG-rUm0dO4pcQLgtGjzhaa8-OZ8st98/s1600/2199775961_36d4ee2c24_z-640x320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgwNQZg0SZfvjjaFlD2AZdFNeYR5WThKUSasBxTM1HTd9CBSI11cBNIjBHyg5bTmwcmaM9QVbXN5NaRFGQ_sfVokrF6-vfopWAuh5dnvYNXEIZG-rUm0dO4pcQLgtGjzhaa8-OZ8st98/s400/2199775961_36d4ee2c24_z-640x320.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salazie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/where-to-find-the-best-natural-pools-in-reunion/?lang=en">Where to find the best natural pools in Reunion</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOVYTjsPG1Oitpb_77JL0mOCY6sMxADQl1XOegeg1pa2SEAY_w-CZT7vK45EdKFMj-mlClUxZiKWMGJiefLYUQWWCaFAp2GYgOR6cVmnrpwZYULwtQUiuId5cDoo4Mm9XRyUB2zMDU1s/s1600/AdobeStock_39445714-1280x640.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOVYTjsPG1Oitpb_77JL0mOCY6sMxADQl1XOegeg1pa2SEAY_w-CZT7vK45EdKFMj-mlClUxZiKWMGJiefLYUQWWCaFAp2GYgOR6cVmnrpwZYULwtQUiuId5cDoo4Mm9XRyUB2zMDU1s/s400/AdobeStock_39445714-1280x640.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bassin des Cormorans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/le-maido-a-unique-vantage-point-over-reunion-island/?lang=en">Le Maïdo, a unique vantage point over Reunion Island</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Do6GoRbimra5jXKbA_DfC2X6Id-Pzq67DvQSyq5_vef6TbAzuDVWGHR_Wttf8RXOShE26UDBRZszvgSUPxtcZj49CsH9XSZCm-cUBP9JUMk2gq1UCDprfYMVrCrf-7fg6NCeZM7OojY/s1600/Circuit-Piton-Mai%25CC%2588do-1198x599.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1198" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Do6GoRbimra5jXKbA_DfC2X6Id-Pzq67DvQSyq5_vef6TbAzuDVWGHR_Wttf8RXOShE26UDBRZszvgSUPxtcZj49CsH9XSZCm-cUBP9JUMk2gq1UCDprfYMVrCrf-7fg6NCeZM7OojY/s400/Circuit-Piton-Mai%25CC%2588do-1198x599.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Le Maïdo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/whats-the-best-time-of-year-to-visit-reunion-island/?lang=en">What’s the best time of year to visit Reunion Island?</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAEWbOv2eJ9iOc2TL9W5qTrnWauCCciSP61S7SCRxaRfy5O6th5Gga6JXksxuEJLKroBmrTYK4hKmV2KP9tR2rPfif5FRaXxjOn88vSRFkBuQONBqMOmIubY49HSzyQjmAW1BbziX3zw/s1600/givre-a%25CC%2580-la-Re%25CC%2581union.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="1000" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAEWbOv2eJ9iOc2TL9W5qTrnWauCCciSP61S7SCRxaRfy5O6th5Gga6JXksxuEJLKroBmrTYK4hKmV2KP9tR2rPfif5FRaXxjOn88vSRFkBuQONBqMOmIubY49HSzyQjmAW1BbziX3zw/s400/givre-a%25CC%2580-la-Re%25CC%2581union.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">frost in Reunion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/5-unforgettable-hikes-in-reunion-island/?lang=en">5 unforgettable hikes in Reunion Island</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/no-time-to-lose-here-are-3-tours-to-make-the-most-of-a-one-day-trip-to-reunion/?lang=en">No time t</a><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/no-time-to-lose-here-are-3-tours-to-make-the-most-of-a-one-day-trip-to-reunion/?lang=en">o lose? Here are 3 tours to make the most of a one-day trip to Reunion</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aEd8uUTvqLKDzi6s21p9Y-L79Wkzt2cGSIlZF5HLvgY-6y4qvyI6bSygLyf1T0h7qEbnGVkSLdRZ14Ja0nKMrtbYCeABcwuEVTGD5Ikce-3DdYyDSpFtoEFbdtp1v95MzFiJBJ1v-sY/s1600/cover-Re%25CC%2581union-en-un-jour-1280x640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aEd8uUTvqLKDzi6s21p9Y-L79Wkzt2cGSIlZF5HLvgY-6y4qvyI6bSygLyf1T0h7qEbnGVkSLdRZ14Ja0nKMrtbYCeABcwuEVTGD5Ikce-3DdYyDSpFtoEFbdtp1v95MzFiJBJ1v-sY/s400/cover-Re%25CC%2581union-en-un-jour-1280x640.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">road in the south of Reunion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/useful-information-for-your-trip-to-reunion-island/?lang=en">Useful information for your trip to Reunion Island</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/10-great-reasons-to-go-to-reunion-island/?lang=en">10 great reasons to go to Reunion Island</a><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/getting-around-reunion-an-alternative-to-uber/?lang=en">Getting around Reunion: an alternative to Uber</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj232Rulip3lEMUMh0b-A8ep21HPDA9tQfxWKDlDa-izI3uEI7iX9asbc7F1Auj6jbuDzPKAqcdvriyt0fU0xJ0g6oFva8D7L3219HPuEILzdRE_onMXj2y3hmpFK_bTw5OfNkGiLMFO1I/s1600/1024px-Eruption_de_2015_-_Piton_de_La_Fournaise_-_i%25CC%2582le_de_La_Re%25CC%2581union.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj232Rulip3lEMUMh0b-A8ep21HPDA9tQfxWKDlDa-izI3uEI7iX9asbc7F1Auj6jbuDzPKAqcdvriyt0fU0xJ0g6oFva8D7L3219HPuEILzdRE_onMXj2y3hmpFK_bTw5OfNkGiLMFO1I/s400/1024px-Eruption_de_2015_-_Piton_de_La_Fournaise_-_i%25CC%2582le_de_La_Re%25CC%2581union.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an eruption of Piton de la Fournaise volcano </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/family-reunion-7-child-friendly-activities/?lang=en">Family Reunion: 7 child-friendly activities</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZrrPC1Q6k3K4etuO_pj3GepO8wW2NgRMxFaN1d7L21w9Mqf5MPNhvwJ2x5hNCFlmwPSuYmI4iiEu8fpNycnxSB9UcE-Dlu24Qh6C3mj8nikBnMi0q43rNksKMkGgkW00_aiSGMokO54/s1600/Photo-2-Ke%25CC%2581lonia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="1280" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZrrPC1Q6k3K4etuO_pj3GepO8wW2NgRMxFaN1d7L21w9Mqf5MPNhvwJ2x5hNCFlmwPSuYmI4iiEu8fpNycnxSB9UcE-Dlu24Qh6C3mj8nikBnMi0q43rNksKMkGgkW00_aiSGMokO54/s400/Photo-2-Ke%25CC%2581lonia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kelonia turtle sanctuary, Saint Leu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/6-reasons-to-visit-reunion-island-while-in-mauritius/?lang=en">6 reasons to visit Reunion Island while in Mauritius</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFJVrKs3E4Xsmhy5yj17CCUoh3yaCTgAT3k62z7jYGF2uoxSqxUdVAWpvOqkUAfw_MH4BrVIE0u5Oep20yTF0vbR07a6MbXRcdP229cSwVCF3j_EXHxWDIItkJmv5cWUig5p0aPMRH8A/s1600/Mafate-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFJVrKs3E4Xsmhy5yj17CCUoh3yaCTgAT3k62z7jYGF2uoxSqxUdVAWpvOqkUAfw_MH4BrVIE0u5Oep20yTF0vbR07a6MbXRcdP229cSwVCF3j_EXHxWDIItkJmv5cWUig5p0aPMRH8A/s400/Mafate-2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mafate</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://elitetourreunion.com/8-unusual-accommodation-options-in-reunion-island/?lang=en">8 unusual accommodation options in Reunion Island</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtHcDsVIdZI69eum0Y6bY-h2r3xb8JJwmRShgX1wfBe5xzIJO6hhKL_eFmZzuyDN8B7buouBog3VZuh3is5frwyhYVSI51WGsP0Dy5Tv6P4cptus7bezDRJowE1XXRQSIl8E9x4hXl8s/s1600/logement-insolite-1174x587.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="1174" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTtHcDsVIdZI69eum0Y6bY-h2r3xb8JJwmRShgX1wfBe5xzIJO6hhKL_eFmZzuyDN8B7buouBog3VZuh3is5frwyhYVSI51WGsP0Dy5Tv6P4cptus7bezDRJowE1XXRQSIl8E9x4hXl8s/s400/logement-insolite-1174x587.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaz Insolite, Reunion Island</td></tr>
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</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Réunion-21.115141 55.536384-21.5890735 54.890937 -20.6412085 56.181830999999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-32350419626329446882019-10-13T18:08:00.000+04:002020-05-18T16:29:30.645+04:00Tevelave, Les Avirons<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here are a few photos from a <a href="https://www.pitoudebourbon.com/" target="_blank">guided</a> visit to Tévelave we did yesterday. Tévelave is a village located at an elevation of 900 metres in the municipality of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Avirons">Les Avirons</a> on the south-west coast of <a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion</a>. It has a population of 1500, and is about a 10-kilometre drive up from the town of Les Avirons.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_T8Xn830KbICx_lp_79dfuuIDYIY1aSPz8DOs1pVfjGRo10OP4R19HTBJF0Rx18PmSZ2MwFab05k_mokd6jZ6A1P6tjknaKd9x7kLQWqx3HJfjKIJoMClvmcvDFKngAydpkFKXHB1NI/s1600/P1170552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_T8Xn830KbICx_lp_79dfuuIDYIY1aSPz8DOs1pVfjGRo10OP4R19HTBJF0Rx18PmSZ2MwFab05k_mokd6jZ6A1P6tjknaKd9x7kLQWqx3HJfjKIJoMClvmcvDFKngAydpkFKXHB1NI/s400/P1170552.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">meeting point with our guide</td></tr>
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The name Tévelave comes from two <a href="https://asmarttranslatorsreunion.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/malagasy-the-language-of-madagascar/" target="_blank">Malagasy words</a> <i>tévy</i> and <i>lava</i> meaning "big forest". It was originally a place where slaves (some of whom would have been of Malagasy origin) escaped to.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDfky0dGlPSyU5K6zOtNsoqA2EsJdivzxGZ31XH07ntpxR1Ey_kmXwOmAZer3hoI-ocDrj-Wk2araMvnaGzlA0O04o4oEGIlDG61gU4kEcYqO7g12DOsiVW8eTF9gxX5X-DOD7iXWMAk/s1600/P1170553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDfky0dGlPSyU5K6zOtNsoqA2EsJdivzxGZ31XH07ntpxR1Ey_kmXwOmAZer3hoI-ocDrj-Wk2araMvnaGzlA0O04o4oEGIlDG61gU4kEcYqO7g12DOsiVW8eTF9gxX5X-DOD7iXWMAk/s400/P1170553.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our guide had prepared a snack for us before we set off exploring </td></tr>
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Modern settlement of Tévelave began in the late 19th and early 20th century when smallholders settled there, cultivating subsistence crops and geranium essential oil. Our guide started the walk by showing us several endemic trees, including the critically endangered <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weinmannia_tinctoria" target="_blank">Tan rouge</a></i> (<i>Weinmania tinctoria</i>). This tree can grow up to 18 metres high, and the bees who visit it produce a green-tinged honey called <i>miel vert</i>.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGMCuj1vu5IBhyCmqUYw2DddW4ThqLCSUs5vPsaFKQP2lS5MTGerqgi-shEOezenZp3n35f1RklVqvGks2jmnGBRzG20ouThsOvqaTBK2bIVrJrnZpH55hyphenhyphenwX9V1b1jn3Ht4f3R26-sw/s1600/P1170556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGMCuj1vu5IBhyCmqUYw2DddW4ThqLCSUs5vPsaFKQP2lS5MTGerqgi-shEOezenZp3n35f1RklVqvGks2jmnGBRzG20ouThsOvqaTBK2bIVrJrnZpH55hyphenhyphenwX9V1b1jn3Ht4f3R26-sw/s400/P1170556.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><i>Weinmania tinctoria</i> aka <i>Tan rouge</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqJL8M_E4HfJXYqHrKeNzcvJ8U4rd-CxO5ON9C4hFtQnRppzKiSCs3O4L3usocBwrYP69gagiayxyLLVl5BfvT9_RLF1JZBaGkzMzjCX-sNccRnsUIxAJmLfpgCpN53y4LAHz2f_uXmM/s1600/P1170554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqJL8M_E4HfJXYqHrKeNzcvJ8U4rd-CxO5ON9C4hFtQnRppzKiSCs3O4L3usocBwrYP69gagiayxyLLVl5BfvT9_RLF1JZBaGkzMzjCX-sNccRnsUIxAJmLfpgCpN53y4LAHz2f_uXmM/s400/P1170554.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bois rouge tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhol8pg0_XZBiTs-X1zYAKisfzmu9l6Y3iPvGBoRUAb3yDCZDIc6gNSZyggvl4FP_-V0m0befakHa6rm8WjxoFOb2SE3ffKD56ch0sCm6AaC620GX8ks0l2BHy7rUAFjKDOYgxQwAufeXk/s1600/P1170555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhol8pg0_XZBiTs-X1zYAKisfzmu9l6Y3iPvGBoRUAb3yDCZDIc6gNSZyggvl4FP_-V0m0befakHa6rm8WjxoFOb2SE3ffKD56ch0sCm6AaC620GX8ks0l2BHy7rUAFjKDOYgxQwAufeXk/s400/P1170555.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">trunk of a <i>Calophyllum tacamahaca </i>tree</td></tr>
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The village has a small museum with traditional objects and utensils, including a "chabouc" which is a type of whip that was used on slaves and animals (as well as on children by some parents!). It was traditionally made of plaited agave leaves (see my reference to chabouc in my blog post about <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2018/01/madeleines-children.html" target="_blank">Madeleine's Children</a>).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a chabouc suspended on some dried bamboo stalks </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuYgmLJTA2qKN-GjKsCp-Zfm8Nvws3GGG03OcD1lEkkZZLvxN5MciDZh5xDZFiQoiCrQ_uRVwgJOAUf0xtqtje5urp1izMlk6Dn3B3DH7hScZtZtBNG2ATuJAAR6mKPdS9_yBfX4TUZs/s1600/P1170564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuYgmLJTA2qKN-GjKsCp-Zfm8Nvws3GGG03OcD1lEkkZZLvxN5MciDZh5xDZFiQoiCrQ_uRVwgJOAUf0xtqtje5urp1izMlk6Dn3B3DH7hScZtZtBNG2ATuJAAR6mKPdS9_yBfX4TUZs/s400/P1170564.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this hillock overlooking the village is known as <i>Piton Soutien Gorges</i>, <br />
which literally means "Bra Peak"!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an unusual house in the village called Maison Deveaux</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9JASOy8yxj6vvv2qYs3lPrEIjL0tqGvpP7yVVM1oy5H0ussTcdi_3LE9niUAIO6_LzhLkqtaY9BPYgeFZ3ijP-fnstWSlJn6KCYX62BeW09hkgxmc3QpsNwK-4s2f-FoCKOTJPMsezw/s1600/P1170566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9JASOy8yxj6vvv2qYs3lPrEIjL0tqGvpP7yVVM1oy5H0ussTcdi_3LE9niUAIO6_LzhLkqtaY9BPYgeFZ3ijP-fnstWSlJn6KCYX62BeW09hkgxmc3QpsNwK-4s2f-FoCKOTJPMsezw/s400/P1170566.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a Yesterday, today and tomorrow bush (<i>Brunfelsia uniflora</i>) aka Franciscea</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tévlave village church </td></tr>
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<i>Avirons</i> means "oars" in French, and the municipality's coat of arms shows a pair of crossed oars and two <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9union_ibis" target="_blank">Reunion ibis</a> birds. These oars might have been stuck into the ground as some sort of sign, although it's also been suggested that "Les Avirons" is a transformation of the <a href="https://asmarttranslatorsreunion.wordpress.com/2013/10/22/malagasy-the-language-of-madagascar/" target="_blank">Malagasy word </a><i>zavironne</i> meaning "a place that can be seen from afar". The town of Les Avirons was first settled in 1718 by coffee growers. Sugar later replaced coffee and by 1836 14,500 hectares were covered in sugar cane. By 1848 the figure was 23,000 hectares. Although it was initially part of the municipality of <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/St%20Louis" target="_blank">Saint-Louis</a>, Les Avirons became a municipality in its own right in 1894.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coat of arms of Les Avirons </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an azalea tree in a garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgnIwMdIGGTkvgcnHE7Jq6QRAuS9EgoH352BskQhFLxQcPZiV0yBAiCrFelHRbvmPG4AhdjuOZ6hon0a6iFVf1G9r2ENoZVOGwhK3oOeiXlGigao7kkGcbrr2Sq995oMUDHMVUcAcQ5I/s1600/P1170573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="1600" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgnIwMdIGGTkvgcnHE7Jq6QRAuS9EgoH352BskQhFLxQcPZiV0yBAiCrFelHRbvmPG4AhdjuOZ6hon0a6iFVf1G9r2ENoZVOGwhK3oOeiXlGigao7kkGcbrr2Sq995oMUDHMVUcAcQ5I/s640/P1170573.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking across the village to the sea</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">overgrown shack</td></tr>
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After the guided visit we had an excellent meal before heading back down to the coast.</div>
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If you'd like to do this visit, either on foot or by bike, (or need a professional guide for other visits to Reunion) you can contact our guide Mathieu Pitou via his <a href="https://www.pitoudebourbon.com/" target="_blank">website</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PITOUdeBourbon/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>. He speaks fluent English and Italian.</div>
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P.S. In my post <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/p/here-are-some-facts-about-reunion-you.html" target="_blank">Did you know? Some facts about Reunion</a> I mention that a raspy cricket on Reunion was found acting as a plant pollinator for the first time in the world (see <a href="http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2010/01/11/aob.mcp299.full" target="_blank">here</a> for more information about that). The plant pollinated is <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angraecum_cadetii" target="_blank">Angraecum cadetii</a></i>, a species of orchid endemic to Reunion, and the botanical name <i>cadetii</i> comes from one of Tévelave's most famous former inhabitants, the botanist Theresien Cadet.</div>
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<u>See also:</u></div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2018/01/madeleines-children.html" target="_blank">Madeleine's Children: Family, Freedom, Secrets and Lies in France's Indian Ocean Colonies</a></li>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/04/maison-rouge-indian-ocean-decorative.html" target="_blank">Maison Rouge</a> is a former coffee plantation at Saint-Louis</li>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/p/here-are-some-facts-about-reunion-you.html" target="_blank">Did you know? Some facts about Reunion</a></li>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Le Tévelave, Réunion-21.2019135 55.3641298-21.3203585 55.2027683 -21.0834685 55.5254913tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-25644885247405240452019-10-06T18:52:00.001+04:002019-10-06T22:05:33.052+04:00Villa Rivière <div style="text-align: justify;">
For <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Heritage_Days">European Heritage Days</a> 2019 one of several buildings I visited was <a href="https://www.villariviere.com/english-welcome/">Villa Riviere</a> in the town centre of Saint-Paul, on <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html">Reunion</a>'s west coast. Unlike other buildings that are only open for EHD and are free, Villa Riviere is actually open at other times of the year and there is a fee to visit it, whether or not it's EHD. The entrance charge is well worth it though, as this is one of the most beautiful Creole villas I've ever seen.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1370JZRFloZmFs6OVxoRTzDk98TPdyrIfMu6oTYRS6UuRiNAzsH6DXad6asof8YxLQovfTcAVcbU-6f_rrEGHpi_bNKkEmwp1obmwNtiR0vXYlqYdbxeCl9oCEl-3k-9W9CtlUSudO8/s1600/IMG_7433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1370JZRFloZmFs6OVxoRTzDk98TPdyrIfMu6oTYRS6UuRiNAzsH6DXad6asof8YxLQovfTcAVcbU-6f_rrEGHpi_bNKkEmwp1obmwNtiR0vXYlqYdbxeCl9oCEl-3k-9W9CtlUSudO8/s400/IMG_7433.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">front of Villa Rivière </td></tr>
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It was built in the late 18th century in a neoclassical style using stone (basalt) for the building itself and wood for the facade. The two-storey villa, outbuildings, and garden have been listed as a Historic Monument since 13th March 1990, but have always remained in private hands. The house opened to the public for the first time in 2008.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDE6ULGPT8DRHygmlEG6P4qdLN5DJzf8p55t5XAzaNu3QUQcLvxybqVtRDi0LxUWCyv9wJop3GCaviHsq_nZZPf0AMShuGQvUwsmeDaANElZ6Umppn14j5xM8RSEJz8oCrXz79ySykst4/s1600/image-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDE6ULGPT8DRHygmlEG6P4qdLN5DJzf8p55t5XAzaNu3QUQcLvxybqVtRDi0LxUWCyv9wJop3GCaviHsq_nZZPf0AMShuGQvUwsmeDaANElZ6Umppn14j5xM8RSEJz8oCrXz79ySykst4/s400/image-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">side view of the house front (photo from <a href="https://www.villariviere.com/" target="_blank">website</a>)</td></tr>
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You are free to visit and take photos of the garden and original kitchen (which is located behind in an outbuilding), but to visit the interior you have to take a tour with a guide and cannot take photos inside the house.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">swimming pool</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmEi1DJeScRoaG5qY2_XmqCvj5g9rIn5lWTfu4CsqW1MvEluzDFBoVfLVSJNNqkAd0wt74ArBU8Vw7WFco6BA1bDw2Ywrp5A4Gk4BYpM6q7YAWzaOtxDkDjXr5uo86Hzimvbs6LBH36g/s1600/IMG_7449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmEi1DJeScRoaG5qY2_XmqCvj5g9rIn5lWTfu4CsqW1MvEluzDFBoVfLVSJNNqkAd0wt74ArBU8Vw7WFco6BA1bDw2Ywrp5A4Gk4BYpM6q7YAWzaOtxDkDjXr5uo86Hzimvbs6LBH36g/s400/IMG_7449.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">kapok pods, from a kapok tree in the villa garden</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAJoRKAkBUELYPiZTKNyYHpxItp3rJ2VsNVatka7qI61gf9WR-5RyNgSGvKJyER4byEjFxdF6ZsUUu1KYdW5P6MWo-W-mBukOdggAC7_AdnzPlxnSDChpWQDFhKwri8qFENY6kVbf0Ys/s1600/IMG_7446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAJoRKAkBUELYPiZTKNyYHpxItp3rJ2VsNVatka7qI61gf9WR-5RyNgSGvKJyER4byEjFxdF6ZsUUu1KYdW5P6MWo-W-mBukOdggAC7_AdnzPlxnSDChpWQDFhKwri8qFENY6kVbf0Ys/s400/IMG_7446.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">kumquats in garden, Villa Riviere </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxf0R8FlnQo1g23RPUbrPnrkFrekrRyDVNYFIh5jVnt6Q5IggWV4L7lOYNMjxsVrQlVIkeKMh8HfWpVXc-BpAPlruRC0HuTEJTcctPy5oiEuv8ODc2GDyG7ZTsiBEjO_ZpzN7CfI5-U4/s1600/IMG_7438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxf0R8FlnQo1g23RPUbrPnrkFrekrRyDVNYFIh5jVnt6Q5IggWV4L7lOYNMjxsVrQlVIkeKMh8HfWpVXc-BpAPlruRC0HuTEJTcctPy5oiEuv8ODc2GDyG7ZTsiBEjO_ZpzN7CfI5-U4/s400/IMG_7438.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">detail, front verandah </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimaZPT_uiR-4MbrZ-INt5Vxoz2WZ2UHlVCqDCXnIqrnx75J0ipb4DaDbdcp2Hk0vtAXmGyk1UYgguC62m6fxPN40GG_7umWgfcwv_dj6t-5YniNsZGUti_FdTceLXPZnuSiIz-JGt6kXg/s1600/IMG_7442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimaZPT_uiR-4MbrZ-INt5Vxoz2WZ2UHlVCqDCXnIqrnx75J0ipb4DaDbdcp2Hk0vtAXmGyk1UYgguC62m6fxPN40GG_7umWgfcwv_dj6t-5YniNsZGUti_FdTceLXPZnuSiIz-JGt6kXg/s400/IMG_7442.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">top floor back verandah </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSS9VQnpZhRiJauDq17EQjpxU_BzQ7pI3rwxuLyGs-KehVtGgYCR6CWjRSW93MCsG8Z4JQ-IQZsy6xTPcm72CUo5nZMPonEl8MsuMoUfbkVHIsvPjlbdSHiL_jq1oVTd6NxE2sh4ynOw/s1600/IMG_7439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSS9VQnpZhRiJauDq17EQjpxU_BzQ7pI3rwxuLyGs-KehVtGgYCR6CWjRSW93MCsG8Z4JQ-IQZsy6xTPcm72CUo5nZMPonEl8MsuMoUfbkVHIsvPjlbdSHiL_jq1oVTd6NxE2sh4ynOw/s400/IMG_7439.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">planter's chair, top floor back verandah </td></tr>
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The house owners are also interested in the arts, and every year since 2014 have organised the "Villa Riviere Prize" which rewards an artist whose work is directly related to the tangible or intangible heritage of Reunion Island. The artwork below is not by one of the prize winners, but simply reflects the owners' interest in contemporary art.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfF1H4atNznDAqvFZKroXrNJVsT7Q9cqFp1mmLwqHNMlKqDjNe2pLaf2dqAjBnrdKYZQ12-H2KzL3BTE0MLVCP_ZJ8YqgN6HgpmDf_2H940WfMtKsGm5FLDXmho_jEkPNoB-4kDvCukY/s1600/IMG_7444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfF1H4atNznDAqvFZKroXrNJVsT7Q9cqFp1mmLwqHNMlKqDjNe2pLaf2dqAjBnrdKYZQ12-H2KzL3BTE0MLVCP_ZJ8YqgN6HgpmDf_2H940WfMtKsGm5FLDXmho_jEkPNoB-4kDvCukY/s400/IMG_7444.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wall artwork, Villa Riviere </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3pXfNRKdnObloUD7mKV1vrfBgFeOGAg2Tq9ODa5gO5QXo79El4wjCUMX85v5PcmAry8LcG0FkWzQ6TZzG7hfN6hzEZoRUhsc2m85Q7Ycy5CEKxIz1At0m2BcPSYaaQ87ETmLI2zPX1s/s1600/IMG_7445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1201" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3pXfNRKdnObloUD7mKV1vrfBgFeOGAg2Tq9ODa5gO5QXo79El4wjCUMX85v5PcmAry8LcG0FkWzQ6TZzG7hfN6hzEZoRUhsc2m85Q7Ycy5CEKxIz1At0m2BcPSYaaQ87ETmLI2zPX1s/s400/IMG_7445.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ground floor back veranda, Villa Riviere </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHnnldQQfsqfpmPOlA-RldVh5KbxLFreaZI18HcFazkZgM1ldYvRO2CTVNIdcKK8QsBQjVY62QEcpmdWQV1agzdAzzJqvSIfCzwmTpgokxZQ32KRZMRbcA9Jpi8UZSSL-pahqYY11xCc/s1600/1542863205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="626" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHnnldQQfsqfpmPOlA-RldVh5KbxLFreaZI18HcFazkZgM1ldYvRO2CTVNIdcKK8QsBQjVY62QEcpmdWQV1agzdAzzJqvSIfCzwmTpgokxZQ32KRZMRbcA9Jpi8UZSSL-pahqYY11xCc/s400/1542863205.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wood flooring, interior (photo from <a href="https://www.villariviere.com/" target="_blank">website</a>)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijrWuueDPZDhGFw5miLEOiJv9okbPrVBEJuQXKreHEYpNBesxBm-JZmNGL-Ya9kCIWzJeV131BfTVBnUD69WmyKqA6yWJ8QUhMyV-W_99sXNoTgkI9tydd4Bn1nZuT9SDsMkkQR240lg/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="254" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijrWuueDPZDhGFw5miLEOiJv9okbPrVBEJuQXKreHEYpNBesxBm-JZmNGL-Ya9kCIWzJeV131BfTVBnUD69WmyKqA6yWJ8QUhMyV-W_99sXNoTgkI9tydd4Bn1nZuT9SDsMkkQR240lg/s400/image.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wall covering, interior (photo from <a href="https://www.villariviere.com/" target="_blank">website</a>)</td></tr>
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At the time of writing this blog post the Villa <a href="https://www.villariviere.com/english-welcome/">website</a> is not very well translated into English, but you can nevertheless glean the essential information from it about prices, as well as opening days and times.</div>
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<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2014/04/musee-de-villele.html" target="_blank">Musée de Villèle</a></li>
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</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Réunion, 34 Rue du Commerce, Réunion-21.0103884 55.271903500000008-46.5324229 13.963309500000008 4.5116461 96.5804975tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-37411620081139177032019-08-25T22:47:00.000+04:002019-08-25T22:56:12.346+04:00Forêt de Sainte Marguerite<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Forêt de Sainte Marguerite is a forest on the east coast of <a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion</a>, in a highland area of Saint-Benoit known as Saint-François. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscpg7dZa1P-Z_P-0Ip-H-tCf-ipEOemkLM2JyxL0N5lTnDfTAAvO06TsHtmGxMZKX4iwQqFExl17Il2_PRDMcG456Td_ZV3mr2uN2CNNidqlhJcuOQaYtU7GBMwbhkM1NKHeNa0E7Bg0/s1600/P1170539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscpg7dZa1P-Z_P-0Ip-H-tCf-ipEOemkLM2JyxL0N5lTnDfTAAvO06TsHtmGxMZKX4iwQqFExl17Il2_PRDMcG456Td_ZV3mr2uN2CNNidqlhJcuOQaYtU7GBMwbhkM1NKHeNa0E7Bg0/s400/P1170539.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of the coast from Forêt de Sainte Marguerite</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">It's located at an elevation of 650 metres and part of it falls within the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9union_National_Park" target="_blank">National Park of Reunion</a>. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggR7i8lJmZZme02rUjpT3OjCUKv7-lsFkd5l2DIGdpaCOgD5lSvt2QPS6xUNld8UrgeR7kdpXly7YO4fJlXRrt_JwbzUXnQPHhvWUI_q1uny4g3LTMKeQaOy_Y8zq1uRwRXG8iZzp-DGw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-08-25+at+22.37.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="417" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggR7i8lJmZZme02rUjpT3OjCUKv7-lsFkd5l2DIGdpaCOgD5lSvt2QPS6xUNld8UrgeR7kdpXly7YO4fJlXRrt_JwbzUXnQPHhvWUI_q1uny4g3LTMKeQaOy_Y8zq1uRwRXG8iZzp-DGw/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-08-25+at+22.37.22.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the green spot show the location of Foret de Sainte-Marguerite </td></tr>
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It's roughly 700 metres wide and 2 kilometres long and to the north is limited by Ravine Saint-François, while to the south it's bordered by Ravine Sainte-Marguerite.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEd8sm4BoKq0TTTNPnH-qCNszdnb84vpLKaLiwnO9ZMXVQ8xXZ4tlNOezhFUxA-c4rVUa1iv_gKmdjwQDxsqhKJT3hThfY9caqBOvjo721LrNrNoTJwbpGscKX85yBfKsAms9keLLf4A/s1600/P1170513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEd8sm4BoKq0TTTNPnH-qCNszdnb84vpLKaLiwnO9ZMXVQ8xXZ4tlNOezhFUxA-c4rVUa1iv_gKmdjwQDxsqhKJT3hThfY9caqBOvjo721LrNrNoTJwbpGscKX85yBfKsAms9keLLf4A/s400/P1170513.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's considered a 'fragile natural area' in terms of its diversity of plant species, and was created in the late 1970s and mid-80s when Reunion's Departmental Council bought three pieces of land to protect and restore the unique fauna and flora. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kKslNwmDiSgQD0PHMr4VHPifQVyKo5PyqXueSxjVCv9cgH8phVBpebDBEpI9ocTT0qWiYQ0XPd9Z9H5h6p-V8U8QBm7gc79DpNyEOJiEQnqhf_LABw90YSAVq0BHSZ7F2Q7l2DJPyhM/s1600/P1170516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kKslNwmDiSgQD0PHMr4VHPifQVyKo5PyqXueSxjVCv9cgH8phVBpebDBEpI9ocTT0qWiYQ0XPd9Z9H5h6p-V8U8QBm7gc79DpNyEOJiEQnqhf_LABw90YSAVq0BHSZ7F2Q7l2DJPyhM/s400/P1170516.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Today it's managed by the Departmental Council and the APMNEST (an association that protects natural environments in the east of Reunion).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFu4K-sTSfiN1M_1lkShvCUSJWqUyStj7A9V_kTResI1d2UNcTxTZ3Ue50726cxfPZFmdYF6IGJBITmlbsEtxr0IPB4qJ327IM9O6QBrVOonmrjTnIwwNPaUp4seRuc0HjexOA5uauQGI/s1600/P1170527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFu4K-sTSfiN1M_1lkShvCUSJWqUyStj7A9V_kTResI1d2UNcTxTZ3Ue50726cxfPZFmdYF6IGJBITmlbsEtxr0IPB4qJ327IM9O6QBrVOonmrjTnIwwNPaUp4seRuc0HjexOA5uauQGI/s400/P1170527.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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There are over 150 indigenous species of plants as well as lots of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandanus_montanus" target="_blank">Pandanus montanus</a></i> screwpines and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_fern" target="_blank">tree ferns</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnzdrKFo_JujB51dMA3JoHRJ2RhNDdIKDORCUQkEVt_qpYzLOrzk9C0ii1tsRBe1sZgm9pUOGgOVEqWpOV4bOYepD9gE7p5jQUNMBH9z8FDKZmkj2t51qhV9v3sTeeNmUy6Njj4g6qPE/s1600/P1170517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnzdrKFo_JujB51dMA3JoHRJ2RhNDdIKDORCUQkEVt_qpYzLOrzk9C0ii1tsRBe1sZgm9pUOGgOVEqWpOV4bOYepD9gE7p5jQUNMBH9z8FDKZmkj2t51qhV9v3sTeeNmUy6Njj4g6qPE/s400/P1170517.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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A nature trail exists, but is no longer very well maintained. There are however several picnic tables, including one with a roof.<br />
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The forest is surrounded by agricultural land, including sugar cane, and fields of bananas and pineapple.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9hut4DGwgVP0TR_K522PVIRKuJZk8NXazz_V1b2AZWFJFAvS_VbejeIWVfEcn1aDLGcQpMJgUzrefPFUVrIJpqubMyelMO5TX0bDLeEO_37xLLDVf8cEHWpV_SQUyPARkd3qW03yjbY/s1600/P1170544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9hut4DGwgVP0TR_K522PVIRKuJZk8NXazz_V1b2AZWFJFAvS_VbejeIWVfEcn1aDLGcQpMJgUzrefPFUVrIJpqubMyelMO5TX0bDLeEO_37xLLDVf8cEHWpV_SQUyPARkd3qW03yjbY/s400/P1170544.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">field of pineapples </td></tr>
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<u>See also:</u><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2018/04/ilet-bethleem.html" target="_blank"> Ilet Bethleem</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Chemin Sainte-Marguerite, Sainte-Anne, Réunion-21.099808363723707 55.702847164266927-21.149947363723708 55.607313664266925 -21.049669363723705 55.798380664266929tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-48866652794139454232019-08-11T16:42:00.002+04:002021-09-16T15:12:44.000+04:00Toronto & Niagara Falls <div style="text-align: justify;">
For our month-long trip to Michigan we flew in and out of Toronto as the airfare was significantly cheaper. So at the start and end of our journey we spent two and three nights respectively in Toronto. (This was our second trip to Canada, although on the previous occasion in 2003 we'd only been to Quebec). At the start of this trip we were with my brother and his car, and as my husband and I knew we'd be coming back to Toronto by ourselves later we wanted to make the most of having transport. So on our first day we headed north out of Toronto to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_Bay">Georgian Bay</a>, 'bay' being somewhat of a misnomer as this body of water located in north-east <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Huron">Lake Huron</a> is almost as large as another Great Lake, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Ontario">Lake Ontario</a>!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOMf7m9GIu5PHkvG2nr8jClYnHwnTG3pYbO5DV8JutsjnTCXFnspNz1iOyQgHfTScrU5XH09sqV7ZpJhMVPag8Gm52ztA0_slcNcrPvDmqsOLRazEx5qrqx3bxS1gPyewnlruDDxc1Ac/s1600/P1160837.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOMf7m9GIu5PHkvG2nr8jClYnHwnTG3pYbO5DV8JutsjnTCXFnspNz1iOyQgHfTScrU5XH09sqV7ZpJhMVPag8Gm52ztA0_slcNcrPvDmqsOLRazEx5qrqx3bxS1gPyewnlruDDxc1Ac/s400/P1160837.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view over part of Georgian Bay and Parry Sound<br />
from a former forest fire outlook tower</td></tr>
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Georgian Bay has more than 1,240 miles of granite shoreline and is part of a <a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/europe-north-america/canada/georgian-bay/" target="_blank">UNESCO biosphere reserve</a>. Its <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Thousand_Islands" target="_blank">30,000 islands make it the world's largest freshwater archipelago</a> and seaplanes are a useful means of transport in the area.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UPE-U3m81cuUobTcjg_cKEdwsrsqLjVr8WsoBKhDd8jz5PMyTUdoOBMA2CiKmZ1p79kwKCE0ZWNP2TfodFPSnoWDyjfPsFf2OtjXNzgO5KJG7v4Or01dE3BBRP3eoJyvGqxz6j0ck1E/s1600/P1160840.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UPE-U3m81cuUobTcjg_cKEdwsrsqLjVr8WsoBKhDd8jz5PMyTUdoOBMA2CiKmZ1p79kwKCE0ZWNP2TfodFPSnoWDyjfPsFf2OtjXNzgO5KJG7v4Or01dE3BBRP3eoJyvGqxz6j0ck1E/s400/P1160840.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">former forest fire outlook tower at Parry Sound </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jYbcjKyc8m3bMBgbMQrcLicfQFgbYiVSZy2uYyJ_DLw1cjVA_C-FXBeIW3sCN2zPzG0AkVvtckc5koAvJK8KrLBsNy3xBtrGj7RjnPR3Wul_TatYhFh1FRbKdzYmcIxI6VchUKp3H2c/s1600/P1160825.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jYbcjKyc8m3bMBgbMQrcLicfQFgbYiVSZy2uYyJ_DLw1cjVA_C-FXBeIW3sCN2zPzG0AkVvtckc5koAvJK8KrLBsNy3xBtrGj7RjnPR3Wul_TatYhFh1FRbKdzYmcIxI6VchUKp3H2c/s400/P1160825.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">seaplane at Parry Sound</td></tr>
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The following day it was time to head to one of the highlights of our trip, Niagara Falls. Rather than doing a boat trip to the foot of the falls we preferred to fly over them on a short helicopter ride.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC59u6qm9QFjEETgIiFNCCZPcIdwo4CRV81V9pWrQ6Vkz05ZZ_rGrvYScjXO6_xIOSYE7zkZFrCBnH5P-unq-cIY8MEmOac-OywyEc0OIyuVwrQRenWkUAT0IVYKhmKODJTKlph4wzaCw/s1600/P1160846.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC59u6qm9QFjEETgIiFNCCZPcIdwo4CRV81V9pWrQ6Vkz05ZZ_rGrvYScjXO6_xIOSYE7zkZFrCBnH5P-unq-cIY8MEmOac-OywyEc0OIyuVwrQRenWkUAT0IVYKhmKODJTKlph4wzaCw/s400/P1160846.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our Niagara Falls helicopter </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwMW_rwPhM_tulwj_-05K0c6ru9j90GB4QAhyphenhyphenXt1aP7FdWVI5Qy1Iva4GDwrDPi-58WJ63L7cfyYusC8rrFeMfSxJkNLEuBLTNiD3mjLvqD_YTIAo68V_fID7LMGbcE9eymqpIDwoAqt4/s1600/P1160864.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwMW_rwPhM_tulwj_-05K0c6ru9j90GB4QAhyphenhyphenXt1aP7FdWVI5Qy1Iva4GDwrDPi-58WJ63L7cfyYusC8rrFeMfSxJkNLEuBLTNiD3mjLvqD_YTIAo68V_fID7LMGbcE9eymqpIDwoAqt4/s400/P1160864.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niagara Falls from the helicopter, Canadian side to the right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiRjkcVJBhla37SO2hkls3ookFgMjhM1hE05p6NmdnWC3U0s8jNGYPp2amNjIyRJhfj9fvppWt27kbuMS3OTVw5BxPEC_Wz20r4GKFLUVF-40GYWVYFcLqnIsqldqSMWXBPxfx0hTo7I/s1600/P1160869.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiRjkcVJBhla37SO2hkls3ookFgMjhM1hE05p6NmdnWC3U0s8jNGYPp2amNjIyRJhfj9fvppWt27kbuMS3OTVw5BxPEC_Wz20r4GKFLUVF-40GYWVYFcLqnIsqldqSMWXBPxfx0hTo7I/s400/P1160869.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niagara Falls from the helicopter, Canadian side to the right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizwv7fmRZacyN0julJSZABmT9L9gdbmb2E-Z-OBtPwkUnfrFv75Ua5Q_FpC9Pt8q5q_NssmeYuj7RzUmAY7BhuYp5hlqMVOxq8kl_usIFxExecKAIFtPYJ6oEn_NRfxYT4DoPQ-NTmrU/s1600/P1160881.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizwv7fmRZacyN0julJSZABmT9L9gdbmb2E-Z-OBtPwkUnfrFv75Ua5Q_FpC9Pt8q5q_NssmeYuj7RzUmAY7BhuYp5hlqMVOxq8kl_usIFxExecKAIFtPYJ6oEn_NRfxYT4DoPQ-NTmrU/s400/P1160881.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niagara Falls from the helicopter, Canadian side to the left</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPQ0gytQ-a-mnG-kg4no2VDt9nyx4vKK6tDXa2EoS6y0vRVxKUbFA8Vt-GTPJAm2csK555Ikxj4wkMq30PGy_Ey2jEimuVL8RS6lEucb84DvplkDz5BFG4K8vdejBvjP0795XUpaSEqc/s1600/P1160884.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPQ0gytQ-a-mnG-kg4no2VDt9nyx4vKK6tDXa2EoS6y0vRVxKUbFA8Vt-GTPJAm2csK555Ikxj4wkMq30PGy_Ey2jEimuVL8RS6lEucb84DvplkDz5BFG4K8vdejBvjP0795XUpaSEqc/s400/P1160884.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niagara Falls from the helicopter, Canadian side to the left</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWYD_wFxF4aJNrXYjEOEIAgb_i5U8rfqrlglWkbgS07Ejjd-_mzlEoizxJth2VI0fNa5-hq50hM_Qq5LTz7WUGp7OZ7WB46fupLNx7p2Yukyk9OWWf__qzh410I7wJq5I_eXz8uY7pGQ/s1600/P1160889.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWYD_wFxF4aJNrXYjEOEIAgb_i5U8rfqrlglWkbgS07Ejjd-_mzlEoizxJth2VI0fNa5-hq50hM_Qq5LTz7WUGp7OZ7WB46fupLNx7p2Yukyk9OWWf__qzh410I7wJq5I_eXz8uY7pGQ/s400/P1160889.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niagara Falls from the helicopter, Canadian side to the bottom and right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
After that we headed to see the falls up close. My brother, who's been to Niagara about 7 or 8 times, said that the plume of spray rising up was one of the highest he'd ever seen.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibid_wbekTRzk_ERGXt4pLD1U_A2yjQkor1zSsGMDjoigrSbzRCqwIVrkKbtL0zXkaw9vJNl6kAehWf2_01s20TwJGDrwm0CZTIUXkOmwxYczjaoahpBfV4nSUgBrwgjBpnpsz9Yb-Y30/s1600/P1170011.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibid_wbekTRzk_ERGXt4pLD1U_A2yjQkor1zSsGMDjoigrSbzRCqwIVrkKbtL0zXkaw9vJNl6kAehWf2_01s20TwJGDrwm0CZTIUXkOmwxYczjaoahpBfV4nSUgBrwgjBpnpsz9Yb-Y30/s400/P1170011.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">plume of spray, Niagara Falls </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSC5N7xCEmONPqd1VYdJvlamN-Csz0zK-5F0tkwmPhKugvsUu04R9XYH4fIBf0WJkJOtxUeoPWfuDB-qTgInd6xz9leMCMY0rwhmRZ818yly5aq5oi2OcndrT_k3dPoSwrhhJLonlap24/s1600/P1160980.jpeg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSC5N7xCEmONPqd1VYdJvlamN-Csz0zK-5F0tkwmPhKugvsUu04R9XYH4fIBf0WJkJOtxUeoPWfuDB-qTgInd6xz9leMCMY0rwhmRZ818yly5aq5oi2OcndrT_k3dPoSwrhhJLonlap24/s400/P1160980.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhk0MRRGnIUT3Vr83jgE-UJTbXGKqKxJr0CtojZQZek0gPbAuEdzlciE6XeYeXMWWl-__7F3HL0BDm8GpdOQ__cLkmkJ7zmpT-9Aih8_7WewHApssr3wpCGknIWb0dg4IPAhiZ4wRwDw/s1600/P1170020.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhk0MRRGnIUT3Vr83jgE-UJTbXGKqKxJr0CtojZQZek0gPbAuEdzlciE6XeYeXMWWl-__7F3HL0BDm8GpdOQ__cLkmkJ7zmpT-9Aih8_7WewHApssr3wpCGknIWb0dg4IPAhiZ4wRwDw/s400/P1170020.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Maid of the Mist' boat at the foot of the falls </td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhR1m4FDW61JcfHy0hIGx-NT4ALJTFWOkbvE7mcAcldGX89eBdSqvCWyLnqH0OD_TvEYnTvaaQgAJOo2851sE3uGH7Ls0zDVCOW-T1hxuyRXzCm4MYbJK36q57Hf_W_Kh7ju8INuRZ3E/s1600/P1160978.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhR1m4FDW61JcfHy0hIGx-NT4ALJTFWOkbvE7mcAcldGX89eBdSqvCWyLnqH0OD_TvEYnTvaaQgAJOo2851sE3uGH7Ls0zDVCOW-T1hxuyRXzCm4MYbJK36q57Hf_W_Kh7ju8INuRZ3E/s400/P1160978.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">looking across to the American side</td></tr>
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After admiring the Falls we had lunch at the town of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara-on-the-Lake" target="_blank">Niagara-on-the-Lake</a>, before heading to Detroit, a 4- to 5-hour drive away. We were back just over three weeks later, having been dropped off at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor,_Ontario" target="_blank">Windsor</a> (a Canadian town on the south bank of the Detroit river directly opposite Detroit) and then taken the train from there. During the 4-hour ride the train stopped at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London,_Ontario" target="_blank">London</a> (of course when you're in Windsor you're never very far from London)!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWlDCfbxi-VxsmEmf3jN3XCSSqmeHprTbwz44TuoebL7obwE8GUjKH8guHtWPhKqWphMMEt-EyLQR3Zq6jj0Kak7htNCwrs76N7Emmz-rfPSBIKXp4jV2aYw8_eaUxzkG71dymWaVxbk/s1600/IMG_3861.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWlDCfbxi-VxsmEmf3jN3XCSSqmeHprTbwz44TuoebL7obwE8GUjKH8guHtWPhKqWphMMEt-EyLQR3Zq6jj0Kak7htNCwrs76N7Emmz-rfPSBIKXp4jV2aYw8_eaUxzkG71dymWaVxbk/s400/IMG_3861.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London, Ontario train station sign</td></tr>
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Once back in Toronto we stayed in East Chinatown, which reminded us of our time spent living in <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Asia" target="_blank">Asia</a>.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzUe5i2zTi2j66DMBWVATliaU0cBkpRDvdJ0gA9ZwlszwTEVHsBEwPsVW-tjVOTN9VrnM6mKKkmR1cQbwAASkU2DA1-MOfLhK-zbkl6M-jIf6VCb_5hgFLL5gys1MQgvVL7C-lL7VzGg/s1600/P1170459.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="1600" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzUe5i2zTi2j66DMBWVATliaU0cBkpRDvdJ0gA9ZwlszwTEVHsBEwPsVW-tjVOTN9VrnM6mKKkmR1cQbwAASkU2DA1-MOfLhK-zbkl6M-jIf6VCb_5hgFLL5gys1MQgvVL7C-lL7VzGg/s400/P1170459.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in Toronto we stayed in East Chinatown, very reminiscent of Asia</td></tr>
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We had some time on our first day to get to grips with the (very efficient) <a href="http://www.ttc.ca/" target="_blank">Toronto public transport system</a> and visited the Distillery District, a 5-hectare pedestrian only area that was once the world's largest distillery. Its 150-year-old cobblestone streets are now full of restaurants, cafés, bars, galleries, art studios, performance venues and speciality shops.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lBdadwZuqPO2cbpsB4sJ0i6TqrhP3o_Okb1Hft4XenEEqHZBYcKtR3LLvu9wsepXmwZEwguSqkLNOQr1FP5JEvbQhPiRcw3HM_d9oN1yQuULWXimf2JzD3fOBIdh1EcOZWfJcTiJ-ZM/s1600/P1170427.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lBdadwZuqPO2cbpsB4sJ0i6TqrhP3o_Okb1Hft4XenEEqHZBYcKtR3LLvu9wsepXmwZEwguSqkLNOQr1FP5JEvbQhPiRcw3HM_d9oN1yQuULWXimf2JzD3fOBIdh1EcOZWfJcTiJ-ZM/s400/P1170427.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Distillery District, Detroit </td></tr>
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The next day we headed to the city centre.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6-5OJEEEAUAjcMTb_Z1lRpncw9Z1ZkZdaiq9jxpokx_9520eJBAY0EzAz_EmEuep7GdLiIfGlUNC97WDQz5NIhOAfMbNtupGtsCwGKFehxrV8T3spc4x_2bda3OsH8-gLQBjgAXzij0/s1600/P1170432+2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6-5OJEEEAUAjcMTb_Z1lRpncw9Z1ZkZdaiq9jxpokx_9520eJBAY0EzAz_EmEuep7GdLiIfGlUNC97WDQz5NIhOAfMbNtupGtsCwGKFehxrV8T3spc4x_2bda3OsH8-gLQBjgAXzij0/s400/P1170432+2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Toronto sign at Nathan Philips Square</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1aZkQapoNY_ZOAwfdYQShExo8Q4_3M-qli4n-rfRUAz9L2lleUkdDLsWlBIy33Om_oE0ay7cdhL9I7myftQFWJWzkSGNuiCAw0cpTpLwYWVBQohskhFxaROGpKH5t0yc0qGLBz9ioM10/s1600/P1170430.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="1600" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1aZkQapoNY_ZOAwfdYQShExo8Q4_3M-qli4n-rfRUAz9L2lleUkdDLsWlBIy33Om_oE0ay7cdhL9I7myftQFWJWzkSGNuiCAw0cpTpLwYWVBQohskhFxaROGpKH5t0yc0qGLBz9ioM10/s400/P1170430.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">old City Hall seen from Nathan Philips Square</td></tr>
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The old City Hall building was completed in 1899 and now serves as a courthouse since the new City Hall was built in 1960s.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgch2xF9m03T3tHMpNr8-q6aJvX3F4q-A6MZpTqbHOOfFouSaogNT4joeAT3P_yDdtpsi7_RCKIEJeNidgzYSSw09Oos3ZcDbb6zOYv-RlSkrOr-qNxChAd-19HxMDvL39GcS6EC-PfjAw/s1600/P1170428+2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgch2xF9m03T3tHMpNr8-q6aJvX3F4q-A6MZpTqbHOOfFouSaogNT4joeAT3P_yDdtpsi7_RCKIEJeNidgzYSSw09Oos3ZcDbb6zOYv-RlSkrOr-qNxChAd-19HxMDvL39GcS6EC-PfjAw/s400/P1170428+2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">old city hall seen from the front</td></tr>
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Campbell House dates from 1822 and is the oldest remaining building in the city.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxBphDPpEOaD1X2x9eWvQVIvaNATNXYDRZRe0AeUO-VSQH2MEIi0ACk9WESIqS-7GfxYIX9RId1pksvaysXRrPu9ZN6wBQEO1NHbppjjQu-Z9XX3giQgZnJdcxvZYv1w0VkC5VRESxi0/s1600/P1170436.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxBphDPpEOaD1X2x9eWvQVIvaNATNXYDRZRe0AeUO-VSQH2MEIi0ACk9WESIqS-7GfxYIX9RId1pksvaysXRrPu9ZN6wBQEO1NHbppjjQu-Z9XX3giQgZnJdcxvZYv1w0VkC5VRESxi0/s400/P1170436.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campbell House is a Georgian building</td></tr>
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In the afternoon we went to <a href="https://casaloma.ca/" target="_blank">Casa Loma</a>, an Edwardian-style mansion completed in 1914 for a prominent financier and industrialist of the time, Sir Henry Pellatt.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOeT1yxoxZEuKuyMjQ-oewYOG2yqvxBT84LqJXyrDjVIiV7M-N0p2jyCrWkFwBAuCrJeYe4ljDW_zhB167iyW3s_AqqD83VSC5u2-4AeefI0Mhl6-3YlZSrgV7r6KxV6CUrZ7gFPjsRc/s1600/P1170458.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOeT1yxoxZEuKuyMjQ-oewYOG2yqvxBT84LqJXyrDjVIiV7M-N0p2jyCrWkFwBAuCrJeYe4ljDW_zhB167iyW3s_AqqD83VSC5u2-4AeefI0Mhl6-3YlZSrgV7r6KxV6CUrZ7gFPjsRc/s400/P1170458.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casa Loma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Unfortunately financial ruin meant that he was forced to leave his 98-room home less than years after is was built.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHGy8UVZDMu5SPes6G4u67qNE8dOvZFRQF-1wXnz6fXcHXlmm8bauCbkucW6OEEL4yI2QFnqRQTc9aOOraRAYYf0APP12ChEuK0eYSx_8yxEe_yeCmhJVXLab9SaNG6FeMZJKsGd5U84/s1600/P1170439.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHGy8UVZDMu5SPes6G4u67qNE8dOvZFRQF-1wXnz6fXcHXlmm8bauCbkucW6OEEL4yI2QFnqRQTc9aOOraRAYYf0APP12ChEuK0eYSx_8yxEe_yeCmhJVXLab9SaNG6FeMZJKsGd5U84/s400/P1170439.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the 'Scottish Tower', Casa Loma</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSvqmLkXhetVGrXFWhKUDJXHPUbvLkOYa3ZEiyl-sCzUJk8OxVJ-_iDyHGFNelAXsolkzmo_wagM2IDu9cRjJchK7ZPKOGB4TGWuh9kmMu-41uaRQ3fOx5h_yjuaVi5F0Q7PxBuOY9AM/s1600/P1170445.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSvqmLkXhetVGrXFWhKUDJXHPUbvLkOYa3ZEiyl-sCzUJk8OxVJ-_iDyHGFNelAXsolkzmo_wagM2IDu9cRjJchK7ZPKOGB4TGWuh9kmMu-41uaRQ3fOx5h_yjuaVi5F0Q7PxBuOY9AM/s400/P1170445.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of downtown Toronto from the 'Scottish Tower', Casa Loma </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHYZiARlvyFQ7wm6l8fYQpBJZaC5La7gZ_FUo2bVggll711fR_7dMKNRfwecqT7slpXriz7kRcTWxVQixRFSytNV756TlzOhlMApvBaHza9JJcWZMqncf67rwoaHViF8yE7rLt0abYcM/s1600/P1170449.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHYZiARlvyFQ7wm6l8fYQpBJZaC5La7gZ_FUo2bVggll711fR_7dMKNRfwecqT7slpXriz7kRcTWxVQixRFSytNV756TlzOhlMApvBaHza9JJcWZMqncf67rwoaHViF8yE7rLt0abYcM/s400/P1170449.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this fully-functioning basement wine cellar holds over 1500 bottles </td></tr>
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After walking through an 800-ft underground tunnel that connects the house to the former stables you reach the small Automotive Museum, which has a collection of early twentieth-century cars. Interestingly the tunnel features an exhibit called 'Toronto’s Dark Side', which tells the story – using archival photographs – of darker days such as Prohibition, The Depression, The Plague, The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_Toronto_(1904)" target="_blank">Great Toronto Fire</a>, and Toronto’s first plane crash.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLR-fPBt_OEmv-iuU-WzJxkx_X1gsyI5IkW_icPxxwx8tXZEVUy-Vq-64XRaCbiaBAbbe5fZNVJeHlyIOimiQtGFc8ngWkkZ2dF5AtMc7Dr7qHBDgmv4pZ-HGzA8gdjkLy2un3GyvyVbM/s1600/P1170457.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLR-fPBt_OEmv-iuU-WzJxkx_X1gsyI5IkW_icPxxwx8tXZEVUy-Vq-64XRaCbiaBAbbe5fZNVJeHlyIOimiQtGFc8ngWkkZ2dF5AtMc7Dr7qHBDgmv4pZ-HGzA8gdjkLy2un3GyvyVbM/s400/P1170457.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">vintage car in Casa Loma's Automotive Museum </td></tr>
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The next day we didn't do much sight-seeing as we had lunch with a colleague, but nevertheless visited the University District and Kensington Market. The latter is more of a district than an enclosed market, with food shops and secondhand clothes shops. It used to be a Jewish enclave, but now many vendors are West Indian, Portuguese or from elsewhere. Incidentally Toronto is a very cosmopolitan city with 51% of its population having been born outside of Canada (compared with 22% for the country as a whole).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQJfqjPESpponxSdcTB5eHPUKjW18NFh6JR0yUUZ278P2BtXW6V0DjvxNt7w_Guv4itSuuTQfP_66wOwtZMN6jbRut1GIE_sUF9cWcM9GstYghE6DKLxVNeMruu7rG0_Ydqpvgy7Lm3I/s1600/IMG_3892.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQJfqjPESpponxSdcTB5eHPUKjW18NFh6JR0yUUZ278P2BtXW6V0DjvxNt7w_Guv4itSuuTQfP_66wOwtZMN6jbRut1GIE_sUF9cWcM9GstYghE6DKLxVNeMruu7rG0_Ydqpvgy7Lm3I/s400/IMG_3892.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kensington Market </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrV-gQCHG7MeGevpBSLpwj6F_BrkH28o6hDDCFIlsw6EjO81ZOYhGZSQ_BhFnSlVwxE4JjGAa7TTp0l1j1_UU3T2HqJsEfWe04PFbw-LS_N30e_hH7A_blO9-r9wIS4-fFGyK_YwpJePY/s1600/IMG_3891.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="1600" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrV-gQCHG7MeGevpBSLpwj6F_BrkH28o6hDDCFIlsw6EjO81ZOYhGZSQ_BhFnSlVwxE4JjGAa7TTp0l1j1_UU3T2HqJsEfWe04PFbw-LS_N30e_hH7A_blO9-r9wIS4-fFGyK_YwpJePY/s400/IMG_3891.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">spiderman visiting Kensington Market </td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
We didn't go up Toronto's iconic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CN_Tower" target="_blank">CN Tower</a>, but admired it from the ground. The tower has 181 storeys and is 553 metres high. It was built in 1976 by the Canadian National Railway and until 2009 was the world's tallest tower and remains the tallest free-standing structure on land in the Western Hemisphere.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdwQBUhg-8hYj_AqYbdNUn4zd1UWhl5mbvlyM44WP8KnSLQK7lUxA0v8U6f9NXML3sAcFPpSiHIa3Yrj3hXxwM0bXnuZUpWdIrUua_89QbGjGr8K5Xb4dEtiCfCSce2V0h_zpUG4DxEY/s1600/P1170463.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBdwQBUhg-8hYj_AqYbdNUn4zd1UWhl5mbvlyM44WP8KnSLQK7lUxA0v8U6f9NXML3sAcFPpSiHIa3Yrj3hXxwM0bXnuZUpWdIrUua_89QbGjGr8K5Xb4dEtiCfCSce2V0h_zpUG4DxEY/s400/P1170463.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CN Tower, Toronto</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
As our departing flight was only in the evening we had all of our final day to make the most of, and we chose to visit Toronto Islands. These are a chain of 15 small islands and islets that separate the city's Inner Harbour from the rest of Lake Ontario. To reach them you can take a quick ferry ride (10 minutes) to Ward's Island or Centre Island.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ygcxuMWWWnCa-VQrkgGuPOVWlQMY2Hzt1IrRuYpzQkWPWbqDZHqt9GQOtFNWUS4DB3x2f3R51538vSi1XxrhVyq4fNfiGULMs2ivDnEB7Cu_obzjzqNm69MWwMiW58pYQ0gMPHSUd1I/s1600/P1170472.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ygcxuMWWWnCa-VQrkgGuPOVWlQMY2Hzt1IrRuYpzQkWPWbqDZHqt9GQOtFNWUS4DB3x2f3R51538vSi1XxrhVyq4fNfiGULMs2ivDnEB7Cu_obzjzqNm69MWwMiW58pYQ0gMPHSUd1I/s400/P1170472.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of Toronto from the ferry to Toronto Islands</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXoAH8_xlu78Q4RfWqbeUyTVbzkU4iiNGoOWmMq7xqNl0Af4SpzX1g1dCKwzXdDNBcDtFK1IKKHEXEjsvG-vQgPJMnTcNghgWbnekIPFRvMLUkr9fLSfAfuqOddh5_dUGKq9F-IFpO4c/s1600/P1170475.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXoAH8_xlu78Q4RfWqbeUyTVbzkU4iiNGoOWmMq7xqNl0Af4SpzX1g1dCKwzXdDNBcDtFK1IKKHEXEjsvG-vQgPJMnTcNghgWbnekIPFRvMLUkr9fLSfAfuqOddh5_dUGKq9F-IFpO4c/s400/P1170475.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of Toronto from the ferry to Toronto Islands</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrul9wr1M-Ihrwn7B-F8sfwHluiMCkvODJ6N8mCxxKpb0V7KXsRmFoFqVXuhcae5PpKd8IPRVyjfX6Khp9vc7h6X-TR3SuSHnEMoag0XSkKAi2MeMXeArp_5nCnZw5GWekT5avnQPZsWI/s1600/P1170480.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrul9wr1M-Ihrwn7B-F8sfwHluiMCkvODJ6N8mCxxKpb0V7KXsRmFoFqVXuhcae5PpKd8IPRVyjfX6Khp9vc7h6X-TR3SuSHnEMoag0XSkKAi2MeMXeArp_5nCnZw5GWekT5avnQPZsWI/s400/P1170480.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of Toronto from the ferry to Toronto Islands</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Service vehicles are the only cars allowed on the island and biking is a popular way of getting around, although we chose to walk. We particularly enjoyed strolling along the 2.5 km boardwalk from Ward's Island to Centre Island. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLf20elxMI6iuc1HWV9s7xmge3jghOtlpE4SEXnoUxKl2rD6JvCWUD4HHxJXiFHdHpFDq6yZhHiF9J0lw0jTI_hwLBah3x9KEYjFrGq3viWD0h0-TN7pVfBbfNM2kszxrrqWiUr0t8sBw/s1600/P1170487.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLf20elxMI6iuc1HWV9s7xmge3jghOtlpE4SEXnoUxKl2rD6JvCWUD4HHxJXiFHdHpFDq6yZhHiF9J0lw0jTI_hwLBah3x9KEYjFrGq3viWD0h0-TN7pVfBbfNM2kszxrrqWiUr0t8sBw/s400/P1170487.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of Toronto from Centre Island</td></tr>
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On a final note, there were a lot of murals where we were staying in East Chinatown. One of them was of the Mexican archaeological site Chichen Itza, <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/01/mexico.html" target="_blank">reminding us of our trip there in January</a> just a few months previously!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbUeTLoPnijeFRyOK-K11X4dcB1vL8NBPARvYaNu2CgP5TJFE47wh-a4083UQDD9FLh-Bd5Fdz1ERfpBQfkSP-fC_sfO4M0U-ayCRDiS6TyhxvaoA39jIbAN8pAsf92uHzWa8NNtpVt0/s1600/P1170462.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbUeTLoPnijeFRyOK-K11X4dcB1vL8NBPARvYaNu2CgP5TJFE47wh-a4083UQDD9FLh-Bd5Fdz1ERfpBQfkSP-fC_sfO4M0U-ayCRDiS6TyhxvaoA39jIbAN8pAsf92uHzWa8NNtpVt0/s320/P1170462.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chichen Itza mural in East Chinatown, Toronto</td></tr>
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<u>See also:</u><br /><ul><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/michigan-lower-p" target="_blank">Michigan: Lower Peninsula </a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/upper-michigan-wisconsin-chicago.html" target="_blank">Upper Michigan, Wisconsin, Chicago</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/01/mexico.html" target="_blank">Mexico</a></li></ul><br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Ontario, Canada51.253775 -85.32321400000000729.934278999999997 -126.631808 72.573271 -44.014620000000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-17848542369110853302019-08-05T18:21:00.370+04:002021-09-16T15:10:27.358+04:00Michigan: Lower Peninsula<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlercuo2-sXv048nKj2QbjyR-fh-T1_OO6ZUa6HQ2HXZ6MJNIYxg4hYx72W_vAIoI5JtCgTNTHGkLSK5qllpZZkACiuE_VmY7hdsb-twybzbQao9o-iSDjaj7qTyfshb1CLIb51cQ0NM/s2016/66632707_10220909238180240_3373793619570851840_o.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlercuo2-sXv048nKj2QbjyR-fh-T1_OO6ZUa6HQ2HXZ6MJNIYxg4hYx72W_vAIoI5JtCgTNTHGkLSK5qllpZZkACiuE_VmY7hdsb-twybzbQao9o-iSDjaj7qTyfshb1CLIb51cQ0NM/s2016/66632707_10220909238180240_3373793619570851840_o.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEileg5TdhAjBBumwGIIH0WzeTup4CuksZ2HhR29xmXlJPRhRVN181VtbhYd1Bh6Yj2SyBE0NiF8QNvjQDmrAYdBpsGok1-8jjq_2OrQWF3gkB79rrOcxumZ8qkr_2G9zxXY2tjboELNfRg/s2016/67948205_10221073259960682_3071324597904211968_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEileg5TdhAjBBumwGIIH0WzeTup4CuksZ2HhR29xmXlJPRhRVN181VtbhYd1Bh6Yj2SyBE0NiF8QNvjQDmrAYdBpsGok1-8jjq_2OrQWF3gkB79rrOcxumZ8qkr_2G9zxXY2tjboELNfRg/w400-h300/67948205_10221073259960682_3071324597904211968_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detroit in the early morning<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
After arriving from <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/toronto-niagara-falls.html" target="_blank">Toronto</a> and before heading to Michigan's <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/upper-michigan-wisconsin-chicago.html" target="_blank">Upper Peninsula</a> we explored some of what Michigan's Lower Peninsula had to offer, based out of my brother's place in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth,_Michigan" target="_blank">Plymouth</a>. Our first trip was to the university (or college as they say in the States) town of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Arbor,_Michigan" target="_blank">Ann Arbor</a>.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhiBcrmcgExx3xots3c4cgLfNcAwLXGQ1TlnGuiTEzuJsPaKy2nzY7rdehOsqKKhyv99PC65_iiqcyS12vmgegW6SRVxLbrZUX3iKYqbcbud2y1EUiZ6zzSfaa6CbNRgdTAcv8GHYvuc/s1600/IMG_6953.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhiBcrmcgExx3xots3c4cgLfNcAwLXGQ1TlnGuiTEzuJsPaKy2nzY7rdehOsqKKhyv99PC65_iiqcyS12vmgegW6SRVxLbrZUX3iKYqbcbud2y1EUiZ6zzSfaa6CbNRgdTAcv8GHYvuc/s400/IMG_6953.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Arbor</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqCNx9UBuQVpZWM58VC9XnCovGAiYS1elduUZwvX5yW_wMBLJACA7QqPHjDSTilvH5J4O8txmv95wCE-y41mWhumM7jD84KoMJ9-82R0cfMqJ_1ZigMy8U-hoS3C8YBcWIq3kfvo65N0/s1600/IMG_6954.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqCNx9UBuQVpZWM58VC9XnCovGAiYS1elduUZwvX5yW_wMBLJACA7QqPHjDSTilvH5J4O8txmv95wCE-y41mWhumM7jD84KoMJ9-82R0cfMqJ_1ZigMy8U-hoS3C8YBcWIq3kfvo65N0/s400/IMG_6954.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Arbor</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YGWW27P0MwXqbW-e2LA6dCKXyFvl-Sxc9UB7QK6JtGMadMBawAG5v1ebJz-vUa-5p_pYi5daaPmZhv2WN2QHautzCh7OyfLvVeO6eFQBxbiotTg5trWchq8G7yq2lVCe584iqGkGvCQ/s1600/IMG_6955.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YGWW27P0MwXqbW-e2LA6dCKXyFvl-Sxc9UB7QK6JtGMadMBawAG5v1ebJz-vUa-5p_pYi5daaPmZhv2WN2QHautzCh7OyfLvVeO6eFQBxbiotTg5trWchq8G7yq2lVCe584iqGkGvCQ/s400/IMG_6955.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Arbor</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlercuo2-sXv048nKj2QbjyR-fh-T1_OO6ZUa6HQ2HXZ6MJNIYxg4hYx72W_vAIoI5JtCgTNTHGkLSK5qllpZZkACiuE_VmY7hdsb-twybzbQao9o-iSDjaj7qTyfshb1CLIb51cQ0NM/s2016/66632707_10220909238180240_3373793619570851840_o.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlercuo2-sXv048nKj2QbjyR-fh-T1_OO6ZUa6HQ2HXZ6MJNIYxg4hYx72W_vAIoI5JtCgTNTHGkLSK5qllpZZkACiuE_VmY7hdsb-twybzbQao9o-iSDjaj7qTyfshb1CLIb51cQ0NM/w300-h400/66632707_10220909238180240_3373793619570851840_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The Detroit area is famous for its car industry, and the next day we headed to the massive <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Henry_Ford" target="_blank">Henry Ford Museum</a>. The museum has several sections: an outdoor living history museum called Greenfield Village, a proper museum <i>per se</i> called the <span style="text-align: left;">Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation</span>, and a third part that we didn't visit: the car factory. Together it is the largest indoor-outdoor museum complex in the United States and is visited by over 1.7 million people each year.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFA2a5rdmOuYHeJhYT5Lis8_x9-u1fc65t6w_BjvTm9DjsVfHTC9a0U06fJ3U3htAM0ENiAZf9cVWpqQflmmu_4ZuOTlwIiQM-8Qem_udtwFelfzbz3WTgu8yEPHTtcNvtYsQBHQL1WQ/s1600/IMG_6980.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFA2a5rdmOuYHeJhYT5Lis8_x9-u1fc65t6w_BjvTm9DjsVfHTC9a0U06fJ3U3htAM0ENiAZf9cVWpqQflmmu_4ZuOTlwIiQM-8Qem_udtwFelfzbz3WTgu8yEPHTtcNvtYsQBHQL1WQ/s400/IMG_6980.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American dictionary writer Noah Webster's Connecticut house <br />was transported, restored and rebuilt in <span style="text-align: justify;">Greenfield Village</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgzVK4UVMiwumxI82Z-e9Lfo4GAYVLexd5Ukcuya-GQ0jR4tiCSS4kvE2tE6m60oS9LW78uf7CgK1vjFA-D1Fu3bjCDwmPCWtKaKVScV1va5JLbgs05dfmUzUu1OQFUvcXq6La7qdn_o/s960/66879371_10220920357698221_4968895824210690048_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgzVK4UVMiwumxI82Z-e9Lfo4GAYVLexd5Ukcuya-GQ0jR4tiCSS4kvE2tE6m60oS9LW78uf7CgK1vjFA-D1Fu3bjCDwmPCWtKaKVScV1va5JLbgs05dfmUzUu1OQFUvcXq6La7qdn_o/w400-h300/66879371_10220920357698221_4968895824210690048_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1927 Ford Model T</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-QjbYmeA7xkHzCgQKp3zZ1lcF6W89KwX-OayDrI_E1701N55ssM0b_S6x878i-gGhcDLmiV2tz_M_0pOj6qpXunUyxxOWPPYuprRHTu4BTx2lJ10jHPzwSutFamQ9hd9zfGlUchOVK8/s960/67108207_10220920358058230_3410605616761143296_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-QjbYmeA7xkHzCgQKp3zZ1lcF6W89KwX-OayDrI_E1701N55ssM0b_S6x878i-gGhcDLmiV2tz_M_0pOj6qpXunUyxxOWPPYuprRHTu4BTx2lJ10jHPzwSutFamQ9hd9zfGlUchOVK8/w400-h300/67108207_10220920358058230_3410605616761143296_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1961 Lincoln in which Kennedy was shot in 1963 <br />(continued to be used by other presidents until 1977)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFTPRM5IQnXyUX8NXy8T74A98QmqxvT9qHS6-opjixOyFznV5gpiBAI7JbenpOpRqCPi_HrQYX24iGkKCyph9P3TsSrgwkfpxqXi2FVj40SIzo_NVKo-GjaQG27C81SoCmVp5ShdIB4w/s960/67296182_10220920358738247_5791054943800524800_n.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFTPRM5IQnXyUX8NXy8T74A98QmqxvT9qHS6-opjixOyFznV5gpiBAI7JbenpOpRqCPi_HrQYX24iGkKCyph9P3TsSrgwkfpxqXi2FVj40SIzo_NVKo-GjaQG27C81SoCmVp5ShdIB4w/w400-h300/67296182_10220920358738247_5791054943800524800_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqVKGu0SN0uKgHJ6jZ6ISg4E1xpCWy3Gr2Ki_CA2eUhhyphenhyphen7sGZmaVMhm0EcSThTI4CWhxp9lZeMVrUUsah6hWoEd1d6segjTFQD-318lfnu54xqK4Egr4VNUPy6AbabIaIzAd9rcBEClM/s960/67346470_10220920359058255_3008295145381560320_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqVKGu0SN0uKgHJ6jZ6ISg4E1xpCWy3Gr2Ki_CA2eUhhyphenhyphen7sGZmaVMhm0EcSThTI4CWhxp9lZeMVrUUsah6hWoEd1d6segjTFQD-318lfnu54xqK4Egr4VNUPy6AbabIaIzAd9rcBEClM/w400-h300/67346470_10220920359058255_3008295145381560320_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On 1/12/55 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in<br />this bus to a white man, sparking the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeM2Cil4yrqMly2pyjpvzbx-dIR5e8kBKFiZwQhL7JVirq-Q7jh5jRKw4OMXzeVYweBCVUClxjftL6-9thqkQERE3PZZRfsNsap537wn-lSmazTPZiWSsKzkeeauk9CEtopIKTFW_UiU/s960/67368722_10220920358458240_5308364107936694272_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="719" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeM2Cil4yrqMly2pyjpvzbx-dIR5e8kBKFiZwQhL7JVirq-Q7jh5jRKw4OMXzeVYweBCVUClxjftL6-9thqkQERE3PZZRfsNsap537wn-lSmazTPZiWSsKzkeeauk9CEtopIKTFW_UiU/w300-h400/67368722_10220920358458240_5308364107936694272_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chair in which Abraham Lincoln was assassinated<br /> in Washington on 14 April 1865</td></tr></tbody></table>
<br />On the following day we headed into downtown Detroit proper. <div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimet9-l6iIjzZX1Ks07eZM3H5RfXykHVT7C9IIjS0CHaBUu2pBkdWz6vF6sFZ1d2697mvn4AYePMuTYV_xuBZRLqZZ49PIbXobnLGJardPnv_wn0XOl0OFzET_5ntkh8uNqIJ4E9dORQU/s1600/P1170028+2.jpeg"></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGNpNp5Y6m3RVkKvqXdinamvHh8Y-y_p9PUGeWQG2pgQFGEZKubZmX8WbebNjxYl5A-SfdKk698sZZxiIUjPTFSnbmjyXWskXRe7qLx-fTfu5AcAaSOgkpKkNFX5y0nfZQdTUfFyzzuw/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGNpNp5Y6m3RVkKvqXdinamvHh8Y-y_p9PUGeWQG2pgQFGEZKubZmX8WbebNjxYl5A-SfdKk698sZZxiIUjPTFSnbmjyXWskXRe7qLx-fTfu5AcAaSOgkpKkNFX5y0nfZQdTUfFyzzuw/w400-h300/image.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windsor Ontario seen from Detroit's Riverfront Park. <br />Ambassador bridge connecting the two countries is to the right. <br />This is one of the few places where Canada is the south of the USA<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimet9-l6iIjzZX1Ks07eZM3H5RfXykHVT7C9IIjS0CHaBUu2pBkdWz6vF6sFZ1d2697mvn4AYePMuTYV_xuBZRLqZZ49PIbXobnLGJardPnv_wn0XOl0OFzET_5ntkh8uNqIJ4E9dORQU/s1600/P1170028+2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></a></div></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmiYVFY4gMTpARdd-HCt90viNo0mV5XD3TNS8veHqRs74IvllP6adViFcymI9s7zp5_-IAjzxeYMJXL02jTnpq1s6vxiEsKZwejYHxmnBoghsrJ7GE2nw4-_xcc89UCMD8E6NSlT-Alo/s1930/67174113_10220930483151351_8954552799757074432_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1930" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmiYVFY4gMTpARdd-HCt90viNo0mV5XD3TNS8veHqRs74IvllP6adViFcymI9s7zp5_-IAjzxeYMJXL02jTnpq1s6vxiEsKZwejYHxmnBoghsrJ7GE2nw4-_xcc89UCMD8E6NSlT-Alo/w400-h300/67174113_10220930483151351_8954552799757074432_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Detroit seen from Belle Isle. GM's world headquarters are<br />in the Renaissance Center (tallest buildings to the left of the photo)</td></tr></tbody></table><div><div><br /></div><span style="text-align: justify;">When we visited the riverside Renaissance Center, we saw a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss made entirely from 334,544 lego bricks.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMUWoQbcmCagQCCIsQX9U9S8Vo2iDo8GGfgJbQofE-OWTikveEASr-36OA1qwXy13UhuVKFjIILtpx9KcOR9UnqKbJAWHHNGarVkvJAK-d8Btg_vArEV9WfMuvdORrfr_Kdlr0NbUEqg/s1600/P1170031.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMUWoQbcmCagQCCIsQX9U9S8Vo2iDo8GGfgJbQofE-OWTikveEASr-36OA1qwXy13UhuVKFjIILtpx9KcOR9UnqKbJAWHHNGarVkvJAK-d8Btg_vArEV9WfMuvdORrfr_Kdlr0NbUEqg/s400/P1170031.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">It took 18 "lego masters" 2000 hours to build this Chevrolet</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoElzWECb4qHp7Xz7nkzZEyTsfJ4GvJamAl5acsugeGuQu8-sXE8xoGiW9-jU3bZ4NBuqOkohs5kTBcrvY5JA5Cw-4FNqtyRDAAn5V_8zw9wiZdOGANjgS7B3rG46DyvT5vpHyvh5Jxs/s1600/P1170037.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoElzWECb4qHp7Xz7nkzZEyTsfJ4GvJamAl5acsugeGuQu8-sXE8xoGiW9-jU3bZ4NBuqOkohs5kTBcrvY5JA5Cw-4FNqtyRDAAn5V_8zw9wiZdOGANjgS7B3rG46DyvT5vpHyvh5Jxs/s400/P1170037.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hart Plaza in Detroit, with Windsor (Canada) in the background</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BI6_HeSOc64G7pCEt4K0aEqNzcEATOr3KhWxUkw02W3fBD0TTn5cn9l7rgMOgNzRVXvJzpLEf2TeQ57drI2beLHLkDDMWxjxedE7jfUkBljKs9-U3BE8fa_PGqNLE2EqLDccDUMGckE/s1600/IMG_7019.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4BI6_HeSOc64G7pCEt4K0aEqNzcEATOr3KhWxUkw02W3fBD0TTn5cn9l7rgMOgNzRVXvJzpLEf2TeQ57drI2beLHLkDDMWxjxedE7jfUkBljKs9-U3BE8fa_PGqNLE2EqLDccDUMGckE/s400/IMG_7019.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fisher building (1927)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The next day we started heading up to the <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/upper-michigan-wisconsin-chicago.html" target="_blank">Upper Peninsula</a> (UP) and stopped in Frankenmuth which is famous for Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, a retail store that promotes itself as the "World's Largest Christmas Store". It's open year-round so we were able to visit, even though it was July!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21twnAYkqTOzhz75_gw9oiawHZrm6jbX31ZBYu64MBYQ_rCccpCMsR6NjpQKdIOqGrFE5po_CKJpR_Lb-8dpo8pHLX3pJ3ZzhnFN-2guhrIMajbMeMBKkn69FNIv4eJZb_ZB8PEn3knc/s1600/IMG_7026.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21twnAYkqTOzhz75_gw9oiawHZrm6jbX31ZBYu64MBYQ_rCccpCMsR6NjpQKdIOqGrFE5po_CKJpR_Lb-8dpo8pHLX3pJ3ZzhnFN-2guhrIMajbMeMBKkn69FNIv4eJZb_ZB8PEn3knc/s400/IMG_7026.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside <span style="text-align: justify;">Bronner's Christmas Wonderland</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The day after our return to Plymouth following our trip to the <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/upper-michigan-wisconsin-chicago.html" target="_blank">UP, Wisconsin, and Chicago</a> we went on a 30-mile bike ride to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Lane" target="_blank">Fair Lane</a>, the home of Henry and Clara Ford from 1915 until their respective deaths in 1947 and 1950. The 56-room mansion was undergoing renovations at the time of our visit, but we still able to visit the grounds.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvowwwxGjBdj2rM-3dXYvlnRk4oxf0zruwf7j1jJ0qvBjkV1atLhtDS5jks7npELdKXObXQj4Xga29EU97Fdmaam7-vpczwLiErQ_krcaPhIQne2ABY2reSbvR-49_i9CgHA8BBuH58Pk/s1600/P1170225.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="1600" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvowwwxGjBdj2rM-3dXYvlnRk4oxf0zruwf7j1jJ0qvBjkV1atLhtDS5jks7npELdKXObXQj4Xga29EU97Fdmaam7-vpczwLiErQ_krcaPhIQne2ABY2reSbvR-49_i9CgHA8BBuH58Pk/s400/P1170225.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fair Lane main residence</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-YFGSlL-Q9RHCaYLdY8wcBKsrfFkqq4VSOCuTrLooZ6C4kcr273-1uXSY74EpsXGzvuZbulMHUiuN5AEM2sNF_4g9CGK8rv8DXJXtF6Vtxn2SqglmjLD88B6t3oCUfzQLCT07kYDh5o/s1600/P1170229.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-YFGSlL-Q9RHCaYLdY8wcBKsrfFkqq4VSOCuTrLooZ6C4kcr273-1uXSY74EpsXGzvuZbulMHUiuN5AEM2sNF_4g9CGK8rv8DXJXtF6Vtxn2SqglmjLD88B6t3oCUfzQLCT07kYDh5o/s400/P1170229.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">statue of Clara and Henry Ford</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjSKZuhi_m81-XgCAEnPllGbGpC7J51M0vLRxEdgFrL-w4o-bJC8a_q02zS1VItirniyTQztpGIF80gtH1fU25P3su2_Ee0kztvTm3nzpFg4edE9JyxaHjoXbTnR8Vt_kTRYHPVGnZ9k/s1600/P1170230.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFjSKZuhi_m81-XgCAEnPllGbGpC7J51M0vLRxEdgFrL-w4o-bJC8a_q02zS1VItirniyTQztpGIF80gtH1fU25P3su2_Ee0kztvTm3nzpFg4edE9JyxaHjoXbTnR8Vt_kTRYHPVGnZ9k/s400/P1170230.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">back of the main residence<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The following day was also Ford-family related as we were taken to visit Edsel & Eleanor Ford's house. (Edsel was Henry Ford's only child and actually predeceased his father by four years). The Cotswold-style house was built in 1920s and faces Lake St Clair, one of the less well-known Great Lakes.</div></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTrnIaBppnTTg4z67qWsZliFtuv7Nv9PKgdcZfvx8t4mPUhmtqvUms5D6ikgPW8-x_RVJcZHWUlSBSEyCrcYcSurgtrnhwi3RKLgQxugQyW5UZwzvknndzKnmKgoWwQNGZPm8Urb-uY8/s1600/P1170256.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTrnIaBppnTTg4z67qWsZliFtuv7Nv9PKgdcZfvx8t4mPUhmtqvUms5D6ikgPW8-x_RVJcZHWUlSBSEyCrcYcSurgtrnhwi3RKLgQxugQyW5UZwzvknndzKnmKgoWwQNGZPm8Urb-uY8/s400/P1170256.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Edsel & Eleanor Ford house</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa6gVS_FhV9XakcgoZ2GFmNxFKloaTYzaHLZZbCdPukAIGLZEWfwIEYKBIe1fRgoDb8T2ZZD3FvIKYrt4SzrBzQpHzfztJCF5NUG407YrEsHfonlr_67pF96asg-4Zsw_2sNcq8pvJAk/s1600/P1170246.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa6gVS_FhV9XakcgoZ2GFmNxFKloaTYzaHLZZbCdPukAIGLZEWfwIEYKBIe1fRgoDb8T2ZZD3FvIKYrt4SzrBzQpHzfztJCF5NUG407YrEsHfonlr_67pF96asg-4Zsw_2sNcq8pvJAk/s400/P1170246.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a playhouse, built to scale for Josephine (the only daughter of the couple's 4<br />children) when she was 7. As she was a tomboy she didn't use it very much!</td></tr></tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRahEbWnvFony29OfNeE3vHYmhbGq_TYcgB_3hzS97ZeAAatQtFbkrYzYY3HcvTDH2plvP2kmugnpPb_4gM0OVzXKXEm0jCqL9-CyMOkZES_Sn09vJV7m6kE84nnRSHNLRvpIk-NiN5R8/s1600/P1170262.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRahEbWnvFony29OfNeE3vHYmhbGq_TYcgB_3hzS97ZeAAatQtFbkrYzYY3HcvTDH2plvP2kmugnpPb_4gM0OVzXKXEm0jCqL9-CyMOkZES_Sn09vJV7m6kE84nnRSHNLRvpIk-NiN5R8/s400/P1170262.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monarch butterfly</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">In the afternoon we visited <a href="https://www.cranbrook.edu" target="_blank">Cranbrook</a>, a 315-acre art and educational complex in Bloomfield Hills, built in the 1920s by Detroit newspaper magnate Georges Booth. It comprises an Academy of Art, a contemporary Art Museum, house & gardens, Natural History Museum and preparatory schools.</div></div><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVr8Fw53S4bNul1o_yEBzSlNIQ0Qh5vQZ1g08fIL5wdJc-gpnbN77mvw4ll_ceVE-bPTbAqE_ArVVm4LoGLGjMgnrDw2iXYWyb_8vFhLZ92HQxwX7r_S1nnQH6cVrEbK4NI3tjjbO16s/s1600/P1170265.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="1600" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVr8Fw53S4bNul1o_yEBzSlNIQ0Qh5vQZ1g08fIL5wdJc-gpnbN77mvw4ll_ceVE-bPTbAqE_ArVVm4LoGLGjMgnrDw2iXYWyb_8vFhLZ92HQxwX7r_S1nnQH6cVrEbK4NI3tjjbO16s/s400/P1170265.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main house, built in the 1920s, is Tudor style</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3alTTNFyfjUxvPUsP_b2zAACMJAvIScirKWbHa62EB5qVAv6w4ygWG9-uyaDUUfWgeT8QtmyjuqU6FZJQkHZQaxBdS1rTOqOTNgmRmbzT4StFgVdCQscrFr103OZBGFK_k8GsI3CyZY0/s1600/P1170273.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3alTTNFyfjUxvPUsP_b2zAACMJAvIScirKWbHa62EB5qVAv6w4ygWG9-uyaDUUfWgeT8QtmyjuqU6FZJQkHZQaxBdS1rTOqOTNgmRmbzT4StFgVdCQscrFr103OZBGFK_k8GsI3CyZY0/s400/P1170273.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of Cranbrook gardens<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmicBNart_9m7WqZ9Ualz6llZAqLJq4LvlOpj-KsHZqgC0WodiWpMayhh_5SsJIULLSYVb6BxZexBu_ve014cbL7XOnRbcgtEGU1iOq-cOgBj_LQR8gv-QQPRod_iPUnoBcpHdww81rw/s1600/P1170275+2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1249" data-original-width="1600" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmicBNart_9m7WqZ9Ualz6llZAqLJq4LvlOpj-KsHZqgC0WodiWpMayhh_5SsJIULLSYVb6BxZexBu_ve014cbL7XOnRbcgtEGU1iOq-cOgBj_LQR8gv-QQPRod_iPUnoBcpHdww81rw/s400/P1170275+2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese Garden</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lQcKSniVtyULtWlzuy3Ehm-wKsqNG7y61F10vu1nQ3lsw8dt0ywA8nH3ZVOglaAEUy6RNCYayfbrzMc4rtnuUoil7JuyZoNBqkpwzEtGDphYs5osjj9cfBNUtPJ8G8vOWV_KTt1d7yc/s1600/P1170285.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lQcKSniVtyULtWlzuy3Ehm-wKsqNG7y61F10vu1nQ3lsw8dt0ywA8nH3ZVOglaAEUy6RNCYayfbrzMc4rtnuUoil7JuyZoNBqkpwzEtGDphYs5osjj9cfBNUtPJ8G8vOWV_KTt1d7yc/s400/P1170285.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in the grounds of Cranbrook Art Museum </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We then set off for a second, shorter road trip just to the north-west and west of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Our first stop was at Lake Superior where we had a quick dip in the chilly water (probably 10-15°C).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bcOvB7MkT7yULOyyk0ya3LQfHvKeetPal6p_fQdTQR5H8gjjOGYmABjuIEvTbZp7L4imT-1pQIsNkt8lOw2SqjiRKK-y-o6Yf3LeiabMdTX_IX74u7NeR4kDF2kw1K4O7lB9HpGcL1k/s4000/P1170343.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bcOvB7MkT7yULOyyk0ya3LQfHvKeetPal6p_fQdTQR5H8gjjOGYmABjuIEvTbZp7L4imT-1pQIsNkt8lOw2SqjiRKK-y-o6Yf3LeiabMdTX_IX74u7NeR4kDF2kw1K4O7lB9HpGcL1k/w400-h300/P1170343.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">turkey vultures eating a dead fish on the shore of Lake Superior<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZJK0hOgp4_BIAX7Fhokz2ZNxjQYM5q72HxhmXmJFJFtxhFGLLnzhU-4CorPGdfv0o8MB0uj2_KG341_zkTSLhfFkZvlMa2VxOviNsVOfH7HwUzgRFLDuR9PT0jQKPitQ9TdTOT16gyw/s4000/P1170311.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZJK0hOgp4_BIAX7Fhokz2ZNxjQYM5q72HxhmXmJFJFtxhFGLLnzhU-4CorPGdfv0o8MB0uj2_KG341_zkTSLhfFkZvlMa2VxOviNsVOfH7HwUzgRFLDuR9PT0jQKPitQ9TdTOT16gyw/w400-h300/P1170311.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">path to the shore of Lake Superior; note the "no snowmobiles" sign</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvH3q3I-kG0qgoxgitHQV1q-E7NACpDFSxO76vGr4MoiHuuJjUD1Xuw5leNvdnYWWHeigcTNlPni4BW61YLtCD77T7yO9ZeDDH-sDL0wVIYOcLThU6CEAr0jc0REI_SIFPAk0NpsPPVI/s4000/P1170327.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvH3q3I-kG0qgoxgitHQV1q-E7NACpDFSxO76vGr4MoiHuuJjUD1Xuw5leNvdnYWWHeigcTNlPni4BW61YLtCD77T7yO9ZeDDH-sDL0wVIYOcLThU6CEAr0jc0REI_SIFPAk0NpsPPVI/w400-h300/P1170327.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dragonfly near Lake Superior<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our next stop was at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_Bear_Dunes_National_Lakeshore" target="_blank">Sleeping Bear Dunes</a>, the largest freshwater dunes in the world. The Native American legend says that they are a sleeping mother bear who swam across Lake Michigan with her two cubs. The cubs drowned but resurfaced as two nearby islands so the heartbroken mother still lies there, looking after her children.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3_-tjAbxK9zUEclf1EvLQpzLnHARyxOXBeXwsc9RlxTkPQgG5iVfxza60FAlbZEvRpNh6mkvx6uL73Y7T_hTSeaz0luaLKVQhvlDJSrFZA9_bomG0-gjL7MwmFfUJsppmtE5dB70auo/w400-h266/67903335_10221038118042156_2520908540168634368_o.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">running down one of the dunes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmVTTwSxHxRSno-567azHSKwLiZOkqEOEey4hC9Js3lyEYUKJ3IgCdt2es7Lyyegxwd7Hm2ss1H9DYUqfKq991QuMMc5odiPngkdIPSJ882FIsoSAHB2CdJCNwg34bkELNdbLvFE3b8o/s1600/P1170397.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="1600" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmVTTwSxHxRSno-567azHSKwLiZOkqEOEey4hC9Js3lyEYUKJ3IgCdt2es7Lyyegxwd7Hm2ss1H9DYUqfKq991QuMMc5odiPngkdIPSJ882FIsoSAHB2CdJCNwg34bkELNdbLvFE3b8o/s400/P1170397.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping Bear Dunes seen from further south<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We stayed in nearby Traverse City, and our trip coincided with the town's annual Film Festival. It was co-founded by Michigan native Michael Moore in 2005.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gbUkImKCC4_b9zZSzgGqVN7VG-xJaHKhjT1vnTrzZNnF5bnb2DleNssdQ8u7yZkZNIH-MOEUwOpFnfpTo2O2I6ET9Eic0beuTQx2t1vP7KUfhomdiTCUKHgVtjnV4iu24n_w8NwXLfM/s1600/IMG_7208.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="1600" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gbUkImKCC4_b9zZSzgGqVN7VG-xJaHKhjT1vnTrzZNnF5bnb2DleNssdQ8u7yZkZNIH-MOEUwOpFnfpTo2O2I6ET9Eic0beuTQx2t1vP7KUfhomdiTCUKHgVtjnV4iu24n_w8NwXLfM/s400/IMG_7208.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">State Theatre, Traverse City<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">North of Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes is Mission Point Peninsula, at the top of which you can stand on the 45th Parallel, i.e. halfway between the North Pole and the Equator.
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVybDP3ZW7KaYdCv6FE6WKAr7nrbeMd72vimNGMinYusNIohp15EzhX_DDPOBqCb8gtB9xgteBYlzBoOmStg5fk_rdlUj-bfbOhToe0z9uIJAPT99eK8ww0JcQxQ-ouY7Ku6uHL9y7GQQ/s1600/P1170358.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="1600" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVybDP3ZW7KaYdCv6FE6WKAr7nrbeMd72vimNGMinYusNIohp15EzhX_DDPOBqCb8gtB9xgteBYlzBoOmStg5fk_rdlUj-bfbOhToe0z9uIJAPT99eK8ww0JcQxQ-ouY7Ku6uHL9y7GQQ/s400/P1170358.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission Point lighthouse and 45th parallel sign<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">The area is also (locally) famous for lavender, cherry-growing and wine, so of course we had to do some wine-tasting!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyVKeIvbRuu5qXnU6PFQWyKXgYXb8z3wStlhUOiD5hR6b8j8kVAhusMRb7ixwzcpdQ-x7-ZeSBDL8PGh0i5fYF7LMfNVCFlkbE-E6lbq4wYD9_PahrAQhhPmB7dh3j3glRtUXIvU-GO4/s1600/vineyards.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyVKeIvbRuu5qXnU6PFQWyKXgYXb8z3wStlhUOiD5hR6b8j8kVAhusMRb7ixwzcpdQ-x7-ZeSBDL8PGh0i5fYF7LMfNVCFlkbE-E6lbq4wYD9_PahrAQhhPmB7dh3j3glRtUXIvU-GO4/s400/vineyards.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRz7vvKySxBYLGA-fkPuuY4C9dSZdY3HkDasBh3TwUrECTqUoQGD3-3pwQxamqqoOStljQKHCpkEB6D-nyDiSpz3oYbF52ezt7WC0MEXVFIL7Qvs9Ih7ugPiXlJQ96KVwlFsedY1E2rs/s1600/P1170370.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRz7vvKySxBYLGA-fkPuuY4C9dSZdY3HkDasBh3TwUrECTqUoQGD3-3pwQxamqqoOStljQKHCpkEB6D-nyDiSpz3oYbF52ezt7WC0MEXVFIL7Qvs9Ih7ugPiXlJQ96KVwlFsedY1E2rs/s400/P1170370.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wine-tasting at Shady Lane Cellars<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSQi7yA-srcz8352xPSWmRrjeat25511sowAGJJWQ7RkAs0lqrTpM9QEWbHGqpGZgylFQQezjicGf5ctXkNisJLnNYH8wzkgsIMy5yReMbkFMPQtDOYbthLs9PEI6Stj_kxXZihk3Fdg/s1600/lavender.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSQi7yA-srcz8352xPSWmRrjeat25511sowAGJJWQ7RkAs0lqrTpM9QEWbHGqpGZgylFQQezjicGf5ctXkNisJLnNYH8wzkgsIMy5yReMbkFMPQtDOYbthLs9PEI6Stj_kxXZihk3Fdg/s400/lavender.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lavender fields at Brys Estates <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96khmxlOYhjHm9NkjZcGgxhhFe5ZT5Y6b9GoFXLYf2XL2serI06F8bOehbyh1Fw1_KDBGAOEr2z7BCPD4S0AKUPHnUOwsd4UF0zpy4nOR9SEI9-XcJq-YrH5M4095ioaFrO38-5JoJz8/s1600/P1170400.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="1600" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96khmxlOYhjHm9NkjZcGgxhhFe5ZT5Y6b9GoFXLYf2XL2serI06F8bOehbyh1Fw1_KDBGAOEr2z7BCPD4S0AKUPHnUOwsd4UF0zpy4nOR9SEI9-XcJq-YrH5M4095ioaFrO38-5JoJz8/s640/P1170400.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">panoramic view of Lake Michigan from Arcadia Scenic Turnout </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Our next overnight stop was inland at Grand Rapids, Michigan's second-largest city, which owes its name to the rapids of the Grand River.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_ET-BiaL7LjS3bTa6MIpHLxGgN-xWWREVcvRiccyThxraV2d4zHInW8Gqtt8smiQn982DFtzoU2Pb6_TSHCmlviqNu2vhjXu9CZZjpmbqSBqOe-t3AFvt03_Yr-8WJxnR6yd9ANhVC0/s1600/IMG_7256.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_ET-BiaL7LjS3bTa6MIpHLxGgN-xWWREVcvRiccyThxraV2d4zHInW8Gqtt8smiQn982DFtzoU2Pb6_TSHCmlviqNu2vhjXu9CZZjpmbqSBqOe-t3AFvt03_Yr-8WJxnR6yd9ANhVC0/s400/IMG_7256.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of Grand Rapids seen from the river<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-L32keLIysoahy6XEMOxTN5O7hA_yI36VC2rDfhyOeoOzUuxemdgqSqWhVU3J3rczfGl0SpXw2Ryxjnd-jE8UFY7x_Ap6EwH_IMp75YQBt6U1IK8cc1_4ts4O32OhYohUtyniJqGvLM/s1600/IMG_7253.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-L32keLIysoahy6XEMOxTN5O7hA_yI36VC2rDfhyOeoOzUuxemdgqSqWhVU3J3rczfGl0SpXw2Ryxjnd-jE8UFY7x_Ap6EwH_IMp75YQBt6U1IK8cc1_4ts4O32OhYohUtyniJqGvLM/s400/IMG_7253.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in Grand Rapids</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIp1MQk3-1Y4KBauA31CSEz1a-YXuKc3v3tSBT1jInWKVUayYX8kCSjRnYdWhFZO82wO4oEH3Cg4Sx7CTaKGK43x8CRCsuern0OC3hDqfyYjlmK9AslM7Dlw0hzhfPAIpYF11o6DQk_mc/s1600/IMG_7254.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIp1MQk3-1Y4KBauA31CSEz1a-YXuKc3v3tSBT1jInWKVUayYX8kCSjRnYdWhFZO82wO4oEH3Cg4Sx7CTaKGK43x8CRCsuern0OC3hDqfyYjlmK9AslM7Dlw0hzhfPAIpYF11o6DQk_mc/s400/IMG_7254.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexander Calder sculpture in Grand Rapids called "La Grande Vitesse"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Our hotel was opposite the Grand Rapids Public Museum, and an Apollo capsule used for training astronauts sits outside. It was sealed as a time capsule on the last day of America's bicentennial year (1976) and is due to be opened on July 4th, 2076, as part of tricentennial celebrations.</div></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgEBt3HcfYBjrG-vTAp745XSArMF76ClwbQP14RcUis-urSC09ELlGAHz4ORs0cuMHkqM1MFHjJ1EBKYOIgDAPNiMv8LgByFCIPtY3BRk4f_63oC4_KkdVF4RhHq2DmsnlznNzdWofWk/s1600/P1170401.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1405" data-original-width="1600" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgEBt3HcfYBjrG-vTAp745XSArMF76ClwbQP14RcUis-urSC09ELlGAHz4ORs0cuMHkqM1MFHjJ1EBKYOIgDAPNiMv8LgByFCIPtY3BRk4f_63oC4_KkdVF4RhHq2DmsnlznNzdWofWk/s400/P1170401.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Apollo (time) capsule outside </span><span style="text-align: left;">Grand Rapids Public Museum</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
We then headed back towards the lakeside, occasionally stopping in small towns that used to be thriving a century ago but became virtual ghost towns once the supply of timber that made their fortune had disappeared.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLU97Nk2v_-chyh_BKwZXBdEw3zEOhuun00jtvUZyqZy-SZD6n8rbMYWS6m1gQ9ppbPTol9504ivCbdiE8qNhPX09TyL61HduqEWlERKgTtINMWFT253a_JGIj3xyX1L6-I_RQyH75Tg/s1600/manistee.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLU97Nk2v_-chyh_BKwZXBdEw3zEOhuun00jtvUZyqZy-SZD6n8rbMYWS6m1gQ9ppbPTol9504ivCbdiE8qNhPX09TyL61HduqEWlERKgTtINMWFT253a_JGIj3xyX1L6-I_RQyH75Tg/s400/manistee.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bustling downtown Manistee, so busy that you can <br />stand in the middle of the main street to take a photo </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">We also stopped in colourful Saugatuck and the adjacent town of Douglas. Saugatuck developed into a noted art colony and has now become a tourist destination, especially popular with gay and lesbian tourists from Midwestern urban areas.</div></div><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39qoY-6j8EyvEnaaS027xTQqcuEwL4kjADA0-tBuSDkMde6108pdZGook2eyB9qZNq-0RJvw_UD9LrRv0EPW0ji8V93XcXoMNPfDjVXpmRUMrZZX_fyyazydnbZZm_uUAhyd225UzsGU/s400/P1170402.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">in Saugatuck</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MJsK3Awuafe0bFN6Qz1AplX44T9Xmxp67v0o4pM3qc8KN7TGXxu9dvxWpUChWL6F9TLm_oygjmntNnKLGcT-oywAmQl5yLRB69p5ZWBPfegf-lERKvjTpL5UZELbrbNAeOjgxGwz3WI/s1600/P1170403.jpeg" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MJsK3Awuafe0bFN6Qz1AplX44T9Xmxp67v0o4pM3qc8KN7TGXxu9dvxWpUChWL6F9TLm_oygjmntNnKLGcT-oywAmQl5yLRB69p5ZWBPfegf-lERKvjTpL5UZELbrbNAeOjgxGwz3WI/s400/P1170403.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saugatuck Village Hall<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Outside the village hall is the following sign about the 'ghost town' of Singapore: </div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7URIl3jJTIGgRszWQwmSh8b3Bi0ipcmkd6mpltSZ2yLlYQEpbcmhdsWOYs6Y8aa0KjDvB-qCEqEd-pleLpUuA0Z74lA1hlcCLLMDMm0-8cGfIFEtCUDu8_U0M5x2B4q-fJkKiiHybHn0/s1600/Singapore_Michigan.jpg" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0FniFdppfceMsW5KIIw3krXNh1dtLGhU8e6vqmHN_U7NyoeyNhPN3E8mPIkiQCQnOAaQC0MLPMrwhPW7gP1to8gLj00Zw3Ad1cCjkxtCdeT_2Mmie9KJ192SePlhhCQzDWofP4_b0K0/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="220" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0FniFdppfceMsW5KIIw3krXNh1dtLGhU8e6vqmHN_U7NyoeyNhPN3E8mPIkiQCQnOAaQC0MLPMrwhPW7gP1to8gLj00Zw3Ad1cCjkxtCdeT_2Mmie9KJ192SePlhhCQzDWofP4_b0K0/w353-h400/image.jpeg" width="353" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sign about Singapore, Michigan</td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;">"Beneath the sands near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River lies the site of Singapore, one of Michigan's most famous ghost towns. Founded in 1830s by New York land speculators, who hoped it would rival Chicago or Milwaukee as a lake port, Singapore was in fact, until 1870s, a busy lumbering town. With three mills, two hotels, several general stores, and a renowned "Wild-cat" bank, it outshone its neighbor to the south, "The Flats," as Saugatauk was then called. When the supply of timber was exhausted the mills closed, the once bustling waterfront grew quiet. The people left, most of them settling here in Saugatauk. Gradually, Lake Michigan's shifting sand buried Singapore."</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQBT9xfNT6t1Fm864gFnPuVhXo2bZnR6iDjKZvMJBT1SK_S8g71NkRHpzySzb2gYGQG34hVsUSkbP658Bjs1fv9Cexvp_1RzqDxz8qAoCMCH7T4U_H8ukJn7UDIM47ONoiJdt2w0pqZs/s1600/P1170405.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQBT9xfNT6t1Fm864gFnPuVhXo2bZnR6iDjKZvMJBT1SK_S8g71NkRHpzySzb2gYGQG34hVsUSkbP658Bjs1fv9Cexvp_1RzqDxz8qAoCMCH7T4U_H8ukJn7UDIM47ONoiJdt2w0pqZs/s400/P1170405.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">chain ferry, Saugatuck<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On our final day in Michigan before heading back to <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion</a> via <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/toronto-niagara-falls.html" target="_blank">Toronto</a>, we explored some of the area south of Detroit, venturing as far south as Toledo in Ohio. We also stopped by the shore of Lake Erie, the only Great Lake we hadn't visited.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm664EFyBfrm1sl0jjRAsmL2hcRAQRVvunV8mvV3-O6Muh8MYQ0w8o0SS49ZfOZAr9IHkgZPvIGcarnIZJyCLMZu110J5pBHiE62p6ymNJgKtX4C0nG40zo_jzzUvjWIIgXC_KaKqgOaw/s1600/P1170419.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm664EFyBfrm1sl0jjRAsmL2hcRAQRVvunV8mvV3-O6Muh8MYQ0w8o0SS49ZfOZAr9IHkgZPvIGcarnIZJyCLMZu110J5pBHiE62p6ymNJgKtX4C0nG40zo_jzzUvjWIIgXC_KaKqgOaw/s400/P1170419.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">downtown Toldeo skyline</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4ycCxYv3bgfuO7EQW6OFe7PBRQtu8o7YE2GcaSiBEC7zrGTNwFs4oR7crTkGSZPU9FSQ8YUr6i-Q3rzrPRzq4QF9Zgg4PZjgo9kwJ5GjMaR0-ojgscDVW74fN5DUA0sFp1h8MJsn34c/s1600/P1170426.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4ycCxYv3bgfuO7EQW6OFe7PBRQtu8o7YE2GcaSiBEC7zrGTNwFs4oR7crTkGSZPU9FSQ8YUr6i-Q3rzrPRzq4QF9Zgg4PZjgo9kwJ5GjMaR0-ojgscDVW74fN5DUA0sFp1h8MJsn34c/s400/P1170426.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking across Lake Erie to Canada</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">One of our final stops was at Cabela's, a chain of massive hunting, fishing, camping, shooting and outdoor gear shops. This one in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundee,_Michigan" target="_blank">Dundee</a> is 21,000m3 and has its own walk-through aquarium, gun library, restaurant and fudge shop. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdbFeIa2g8LWGk0hG6fKVWrBrfcEOjmmcBwHr_uwpkFxfK9nWLNhyphenhyphenNP94EM7vAbGvnEOz2CF8uVXNjzzm-2cd3Yjlg7FollvSX8P69Zq-zG_eMI4vBZtUkWtTcwPTogRI0yUuTFPc_MI/s1600/IMG_7275.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdbFeIa2g8LWGk0hG6fKVWrBrfcEOjmmcBwHr_uwpkFxfK9nWLNhyphenhyphenNP94EM7vAbGvnEOz2CF8uVXNjzzm-2cd3Yjlg7FollvSX8P69Zq-zG_eMI4vBZtUkWtTcwPTogRI0yUuTFPc_MI/s400/IMG_7275.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabela's in Dundee, Michigan<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Some miscellaneous Michigan pictures to finish with.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bqnw7blrVJBZ_wrU-22oDLE1Oq1UdslvKr83K_YloOxp3cUrG_cDj0AbDmAHppU4OpTuNuCjA-gpYfRRzCFnwnp9aNQwbxtufpcUw7LzTYOn8wsPpT5whPlSU7zkFhQfi8zGzi3JG7k/s1600/mitten+state.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bqnw7blrVJBZ_wrU-22oDLE1Oq1UdslvKr83K_YloOxp3cUrG_cDj0AbDmAHppU4OpTuNuCjA-gpYfRRzCFnwnp9aNQwbxtufpcUw7LzTYOn8wsPpT5whPlSU7zkFhQfi8zGzi3JG7k/s400/mitten+state.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michigan is nicknamed the "Mitten State" due to its shape<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlzofCfLZwcrL7HNc-pYVMPxEncHPRsx85hegKlKxqBagqcQ10eLC4T4pl9jchBWKm5PLsIvjToPes3TW3F5b_My41N1pYLR22jkWx1D2EtPeZeJRkuJZ4IbfAFKNT89xfp70_RJ8-LA/s1600/4+seasons+Michigan.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1411" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlzofCfLZwcrL7HNc-pYVMPxEncHPRsx85hegKlKxqBagqcQ10eLC4T4pl9jchBWKm5PLsIvjToPes3TW3F5b_My41N1pYLR22jkWx1D2EtPeZeJRkuJZ4IbfAFKNT89xfp70_RJ8-LA/s320/4+seasons+Michigan.jpeg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michigan: four seasons in one day</td></tr></tbody></table>
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<u>See also:</u></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/toronto-niagara-falls.html" target="_blank">Toronto & Niagara Falls</a></li>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/upper-michigan-wisconsin-chicago.html" target="_blank">Upper Michigan, Wisconsin, Chicago</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/01/mexico.html" target="_blank">Mexico</a></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51JUCZW7GvcKUB5QTP_t-eqPZoy4l3H_I5-Ynl2X0RSnFVquZdgmW6YP8a1Qdsv49dmmsU8mE1xToW-OXVKX1YMq5yvuooi5MPjO8aPuT7QURI6fOA9pNwJI-typONsuYbftlU25srZU/s1600/adirondack+chairs.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51JUCZW7GvcKUB5QTP_t-eqPZoy4l3H_I5-Ynl2X0RSnFVquZdgmW6YP8a1Qdsv49dmmsU8mE1xToW-OXVKX1YMq5yvuooi5MPjO8aPuT7QURI6fOA9pNwJI-typONsuYbftlU25srZU/s320/adirondack+chairs.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div></div></div></div></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Michigan, USA44.3148443 -85.60236429999997732.8194953 -106.25666129999998 55.810193299999995 -64.948067299999977tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-81144061070273473232019-08-04T18:38:00.002+04:002022-09-04T19:03:40.508+04:00Upper Michigan, Wisconsin, Chicago<div style="text-align: justify;">
Most travellers reach Michigan's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Peninsula_of_Michigan" target="_blank">Upper Peninsula</a> (familiarly known as "UP") by crossing the 8-km-long <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mackinac_Bridge" target="_blank">Mackinac Bridge</a>, and we were no exception. The bridge opened in 1957 and is nicknamed "Mighty Mac"; it is the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLd9H2PMHXGZ6zv0hGfJulEPJv-p5cn5vlQGdcfp_f8q4VtUfvkDXRDePnb3FFK9aJnfVau32_FWgw5KvcT8hZpxbxjqzM8ZTQOWyQKHq-0nIG3sTnRIF9qldjU0ENkV0k5aN3ed1YMY/s1600/IMG_7068.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLd9H2PMHXGZ6zv0hGfJulEPJv-p5cn5vlQGdcfp_f8q4VtUfvkDXRDePnb3FFK9aJnfVau32_FWgw5KvcT8hZpxbxjqzM8ZTQOWyQKHq-0nIG3sTnRIF9qldjU0ENkV0k5aN3ed1YMY/s400/IMG_7068.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mackinac Bridge at sunset, looking south from the UP</td></tr>
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Once across, we stayed two nights in Saint-Ignace, the small town on the UP side of the bridge. Dusk was quite atmospheric with mist rolling in off the Straits of Mackinac.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPilREECQZj7mhxEhSW7CL374GqirHrmNurRwP9MOcsdwpmzmwksKOJM3fhuVs4ncrD6o5Ijl6ahN-BmtZGRaqDtTD7xIGhvrtEIAENv2Z0XBT8b5o8hL4Q6_8U3HhWXJbeRvoHGhFJI/s1600/IMG_7031.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPilREECQZj7mhxEhSW7CL374GqirHrmNurRwP9MOcsdwpmzmwksKOJM3fhuVs4ncrD6o5Ijl6ahN-BmtZGRaqDtTD7xIGhvrtEIAENv2Z0XBT8b5o8hL4Q6_8U3HhWXJbeRvoHGhFJI/s400/IMG_7031.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dusk at Saint Ignace</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCchazNm7TFXhJpCsBKwJod_XN0c6nuFJJ_pbiP8SvcGJsS-Q1Ydd2x-5m7sCBMpRVwlopX7SIu_UC4XWqTfWlO9eIJwA66YmosGJkRT-7YgK4y_P4lNzmTTKAzgR8JHvKikkKtp_cmo/s1600/IMG_7034.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCchazNm7TFXhJpCsBKwJod_XN0c6nuFJJ_pbiP8SvcGJsS-Q1Ydd2x-5m7sCBMpRVwlopX7SIu_UC4XWqTfWlO9eIJwA66YmosGJkRT-7YgK4y_P4lNzmTTKAzgR8JHvKikkKtp_cmo/s400/IMG_7034.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dusk at Saint Ignace</td></tr>
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On our second night there was even a firework display!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUwO0K_wEGb4WpgC1Yxi5VSLPJky10OWqaLTuMGCxpNmhQwP8GS8ZAEfUDs75gdsp-ERHmag-oWK_uUqIgsPjysYOJuBw3NMUa5Cfyf0QoGTNChARLcctbe1TGQ_kzieKbvp4NvZB_ag/s1600/IMG_7075.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUwO0K_wEGb4WpgC1Yxi5VSLPJky10OWqaLTuMGCxpNmhQwP8GS8ZAEfUDs75gdsp-ERHmag-oWK_uUqIgsPjysYOJuBw3NMUa5Cfyf0QoGTNChARLcctbe1TGQ_kzieKbvp4NvZB_ag/s400/IMG_7075.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Firework display.</td></tr>
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But I'm getting ahead of myself. The reason for spending two nights in Saint-Ignace was to visit car-free Mackinac Island, a short ferry ride away. We didn't want to stay on the island itself as accommodation is overpriced (prices were bad enough at Saint-Ignace!). Viewed by Americans as a "nostalgic haven", Mackinac Island is a big tourist attraction in the area. While it was undoubtedly pleasant, we found it extremely busy (we were visiting in the summer and our day trip fell on a Saturday), and the main town especially stank of horse poo (as cars are banned, horse-drawn carriages are a popular way of getting around for people who can't/don't want to walk).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEL52-LBMlsp0GHbxIkM4LLIME1snpImfwe29ur6Kunpftyqm9ncBjpD86gxJRC-X5BuYU31dZqszo856R_XliVp6PP1TlUTYGoH50nOABU2jFz2uQ2Ct5nWgYpWn_Hwtw6DJq0_2MwE/s1600/IMG_7044.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDEL52-LBMlsp0GHbxIkM4LLIME1snpImfwe29ur6Kunpftyqm9ncBjpD86gxJRC-X5BuYU31dZqszo856R_XliVp6PP1TlUTYGoH50nOABU2jFz2uQ2Ct5nWgYpWn_Hwtw6DJq0_2MwE/s400/IMG_7044.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Street, downtown Mackinac </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuN-0uJ4_6AgTgX6aKsNhn7KCbVkSnFdNO14_pHLl3lRQl-7bZlIYZRZe9en0HAoM1dXKrt5cp-r3dieWHG6oZ44sWYv-LitR-gaqywMWcewHNhwr_vv5wquRZArV7eXKlFst8KcSadg/s1600/IMG_E7041.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuN-0uJ4_6AgTgX6aKsNhn7KCbVkSnFdNO14_pHLl3lRQl-7bZlIYZRZe9en0HAoM1dXKrt5cp-r3dieWHG6oZ44sWYv-LitR-gaqywMWcewHNhwr_vv5wquRZArV7eXKlFst8KcSadg/s400/IMG_E7041.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggO3zTQLY8MENuftyXA96WMNVvEpBhwfxKQLbFF3yXRElIvAFye8KUJDW1mcHQSXNFNxi5mI0X4wMkPKz5VZLMwyOR0x7okjypy-uvgXTA90gkcFvC90jdYuUfUtNYT0SoVYQ70tlGFvE/s1600/IMG_E7046.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggO3zTQLY8MENuftyXA96WMNVvEpBhwfxKQLbFF3yXRElIvAFye8KUJDW1mcHQSXNFNxi5mI0X4wMkPKz5VZLMwyOR0x7okjypy-uvgXTA90gkcFvC90jdYuUfUtNYT0SoVYQ70tlGFvE/s400/IMG_E7046.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arch Rock, about 15 metres wide</td></tr>
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We managed to escape the crowds and walked along the side of the island and back through the centre.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovvt0GY1UfmysKLhxjfuaV4oJU85LPedNDIGh-ww0ad4Jn_a75q3iaZLz4qfTI94f6VaYcFM-YtHaK6HvCknWjO2ObpxKmRF_wekyR5QQ9-0Hs_iDP5EAhGAWN6PNI-WhFHFj2zCIQBs/s1600/IMG_E7064.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovvt0GY1UfmysKLhxjfuaV4oJU85LPedNDIGh-ww0ad4Jn_a75q3iaZLz4qfTI94f6VaYcFM-YtHaK6HvCknWjO2ObpxKmRF_wekyR5QQ9-0Hs_iDP5EAhGAWN6PNI-WhFHFj2zCIQBs/s400/IMG_E7064.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">80% of Mackinac Island is a state park</td></tr>
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After leaving Saint-Ignace we headed further north to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan's oldest, and second-largest city. One of the main attractions there is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soo_Locks" target="_blank">Soo Locks</a>, which allow the passage of massive freighter ships between Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes. Managed by the US Army Corp of Engineers, it's the world's largest waterway traffic system. A few stats: visiting ships travel up to 3,769 kilometres; the locks allow boats to traverse a 7-metre drop; more than 64 million tonnes of cargo passed through the locks in 2018; 7,000 passages are completed each year; and the navigation season is 297 days (the rest of the year it's ice-bound).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibc_NdpVmOj6O3dgH_g4_J2fiIUI77hPqy6fYOr9UZ8ps6i-TgiThQO81fJPxkm6KKVfeBK37aJMJQEXeatcC1wrcfaRTt8d4TYQniqLVCXOyh1itrJg2_UUJuxtMxsxOBlxjlN4GeVZY/s1600/IMG_E7090.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibc_NdpVmOj6O3dgH_g4_J2fiIUI77hPqy6fYOr9UZ8ps6i-TgiThQO81fJPxkm6KKVfeBK37aJMJQEXeatcC1wrcfaRTt8d4TYQniqLVCXOyh1itrJg2_UUJuxtMxsxOBlxjlN4GeVZY/s400/IMG_E7090.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">when we visited Soo Locks no freighters were passing through,<br />
only this tourist boat</td></tr>
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We then headed west, stopping at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahquamenon_Falls" target="_blank">Tahquamenon Falls</a>, one of the largest waterfall systems east of the Mississippi, before spending the night at Buckhorn Resort just outside of the town of Munising.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWv1A3kQSCK6fzBQSKdLVFKoSm4C2WUzwTodkteE7s20G55H_XDUx5JCbQ7D8DNTcf7fNe7rKtXUOB19a6Uo8Ol__HHnEkZcjYFN0-cFmzNA9t9dT9erw8AoSJukoTxjJ9b15pYaLgUUQ/s1600/67322760_10220954923522345_3211350057991274496_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWv1A3kQSCK6fzBQSKdLVFKoSm4C2WUzwTodkteE7s20G55H_XDUx5JCbQ7D8DNTcf7fNe7rKtXUOB19a6Uo8Ol__HHnEkZcjYFN0-cFmzNA9t9dT9erw8AoSJukoTxjJ9b15pYaLgUUQ/s400/67322760_10220954923522345_3211350057991274496_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tahquamenon Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjze-SJtlmEcrjVf17Ch6PAhP1aGFB5dYJ7K4_5rxkek-MB3eDX_vuyxCCmtRkmX_BQUfUQrSjORxi74vrY-pO6Zg4tYnha4kzcDwHUlq6TVR5HHZXFBLed5oe60GsMPJ0QpustRyrzojo/s1600/IMG_E7101.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjze-SJtlmEcrjVf17Ch6PAhP1aGFB5dYJ7K4_5rxkek-MB3eDX_vuyxCCmtRkmX_BQUfUQrSjORxi74vrY-pO6Zg4tYnha4kzcDwHUlq6TVR5HHZXFBLed5oe60GsMPJ0QpustRyrzojo/s400/IMG_E7101.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">small lake that the restaurant of Buckhorn Resort overlooks</td></tr>
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Our destination the next day was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictured_Rocks_National_Lakeshore" target="_blank">Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore</a>, a narrow 60-km stretch of sand dunes, desolate beaches, sandstone cliffs, and shady forests beside Lake Superior. The area was heavily logged in the 19th century and one of our first stops in the park was "Log slide", a high sandy groove where loggers would slide timber down the dunes to waiting ships.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EVvui_vK0ClpCB5A5bes6EuDPG6jd0K0tW93NWR0iffc48Mg2YlilqI_nHbRJM6csHFv9hntrZanNdVi9ceRxp452LDwLBZeFq7tdDKrGwWwQvDo7BND9WGWv6dB1MKfCpcPuOz3RSo/s1600/IMG_7121.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EVvui_vK0ClpCB5A5bes6EuDPG6jd0K0tW93NWR0iffc48Mg2YlilqI_nHbRJM6csHFv9hntrZanNdVi9ceRxp452LDwLBZeFq7tdDKrGwWwQvDo7BND9WGWv6dB1MKfCpcPuOz3RSo/s400/IMG_7121.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Log slide</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Superior" target="_blank">Lake Superior</a> is the largest of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes" target="_blank">Great Lakes</a>, and contains an estimated 10% of the world's surface freshwater: enough to cover all of North and South America with almost 30 cm of water. Its surface area is 81,103 sq. kilometres, making it the largest lake in the world based on surface area (<a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/10/vladivostok-to-moscow-travelling-across.html" target="_blank">in 2009 we visited Lake Baikal</a>, the largest lake in the world by volume). The shoreline of the lake itself is about 2940 kilometres, 4,380 km if the lake's islands are included. It is 560 km from east to west, and 260km wide at its widest point. Its average depth is 150 metres, and its deepest points 400 metres. Its average temperature is only 4.4°C!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2x7lP71gzt4X7jM8BYF4lijtzrfc0-YKLdpuo3XA5tyGApVY53vVzUeNYgUAnqM-KaAo44Mszf4JJoZj3kz7_NlIk21DfplEEn3TEucPtV_w2kkGT0JnNYF5_2q-XJFd4mTDxkXMBFs/s1600/IMG_E7122.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc2x7lP71gzt4X7jM8BYF4lijtzrfc0-YKLdpuo3XA5tyGApVY53vVzUeNYgUAnqM-KaAo44Mszf4JJoZj3kz7_NlIk21DfplEEn3TEucPtV_w2kkGT0JnNYF5_2q-XJFd4mTDxkXMBFs/s400/IMG_E7122.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view over Lake Superior from the log slide</td></tr>
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The name Pictured Rocks is somewhat misleading in that the latter are only a small part of the park near the southern boundary. You would really need to take a boat trip to see them properly.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQclh3Fkz1aq89xAA8ee_Tz2zEctir3dlY3EfoORjrEbCYCb9OoM3hW1OTNk13b_FNCbdrecKOTPCpFlrNGIuIuKJxp3FnhPr8p-kA2yO6VVGML0yyp8B9Z4TclESdlpseoPRb192qGOA/s1600/IMG_E7126.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQclh3Fkz1aq89xAA8ee_Tz2zEctir3dlY3EfoORjrEbCYCb9OoM3hW1OTNk13b_FNCbdrecKOTPCpFlrNGIuIuKJxp3FnhPr8p-kA2yO6VVGML0yyp8B9Z4TclESdlpseoPRb192qGOA/s400/IMG_E7126.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictured Rocks, seen from Miner's Castle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaoFfYGQ5n3m7-dMBZEpUoa-eZcZcPJbV3IRGUnKuYvoYlZ4VThbbJx3eq6DH9uEPgAhFqeUmpK12ctG2tIzKVKsiDtrQxawX8yqgC4kAGuSa8BGj5IpeSWi6t9kWvwRE61SGliYUtzQ/s1600/IMG_7123.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaoFfYGQ5n3m7-dMBZEpUoa-eZcZcPJbV3IRGUnKuYvoYlZ4VThbbJx3eq6DH9uEPgAhFqeUmpK12ctG2tIzKVKsiDtrQxawX8yqgC4kAGuSa8BGj5IpeSWi6t9kWvwRE61SGliYUtzQ/s400/IMG_7123.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sign in the park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We spent our next night in the university town of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquette,_Michigan" target="_blank">Marquette</a>, on the shores of Lake Superior. Its population is only just over 21,000 but it's still the largest town in the whole Upper Peninsula. One of its most striking features are the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ore_dock" target="_blank">ore docks</a> (most of which seem abandoned) that carry and load iron ore onto ships. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5umzA6vbmDwNWj6AtkEF366sWmkynVXWchzEQHxRY67Od9pcfXQWJDNLGElYlQQv2RFnygi4Sg-8S_rRXNP2krarWakxKI1rLWB-NXA5zDPBuVfRncV4MByIdMsVsCW9QRujs_jFelc/s1600/IMG_7136.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5umzA6vbmDwNWj6AtkEF366sWmkynVXWchzEQHxRY67Od9pcfXQWJDNLGElYlQQv2RFnygi4Sg-8S_rRXNP2krarWakxKI1rLWB-NXA5zDPBuVfRncV4MByIdMsVsCW9QRujs_jFelc/s400/IMG_7136.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an abandoned ore dock at Marquette, Michigan</td></tr>
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I would have liked to visit the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keweenaw_Peninsula" target="_blank">Keweenaw Peninsula,</a> site of the first copper boom in the US, but time was short so the next day we headed south. Just before we left Michigan we stopped at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escanaba,_Michigan" target="_blank">Escanaba</a> and had a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty" target="_blank">pasty</a>. They are now part of local eating traditions as they were originally brought over from Cornwall by copper miners but have now been adopted by all the ethnic groups in the area. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikVxa47-WrXwLwear3vSB_4s65Dxk8eQLbo4Gl_Og5fLWNhLUMAdDapnioXBwvBuZGJeCRIHSsKXGv4BXweJ-XDEjgVTCFYPWNw2vpXLnL43RIWVw2SyA8zUGeBIOODE88AfX7Jybs0Q/s1600/IMG_E7138.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="967" data-original-width="1600" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikVxa47-WrXwLwear3vSB_4s65Dxk8eQLbo4Gl_Og5fLWNhLUMAdDapnioXBwvBuZGJeCRIHSsKXGv4BXweJ-XDEjgVTCFYPWNw2vpXLnL43RIWVw2SyA8zUGeBIOODE88AfX7Jybs0Q/s400/IMG_E7138.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> a pasty at Escanaba</td></tr>
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We then headed into <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin">Wisconsin</a>, the state which borders <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Michigan">Lake Michigan</a> to the west. We stopped to visit a museum of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menominee" target="_blank">Menominee</a> tribe, a Native American nation.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFB9U76WuzGEi0vunSwTve4fWDm_X9JTyoFZrlCW0ZB0y2ovJTyqxyC5u6lTzh_UmR0JTdMoBDgbApn8sd_wQnr5mfrMvOfJhAMvn0k4PDRkrtHwMH3RqEJRYIPwGXIRDqTmMB1x4O1s/s1600/IMG_7143.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFB9U76WuzGEi0vunSwTve4fWDm_X9JTyoFZrlCW0ZB0y2ovJTyqxyC5u6lTzh_UmR0JTdMoBDgbApn8sd_wQnr5mfrMvOfJhAMvn0k4PDRkrtHwMH3RqEJRYIPwGXIRDqTmMB1x4O1s/s400/IMG_7143.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">representation of the tribe's ancestral bear<br />
carved from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglans_cinerea" target="_blank">butternut</a> wood</td></tr>
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We then spent the night at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Bay,_Wisconsin" target="_blank">Green Bay</a>, Wisconsin's third largest city and the third largest city on Lake Michigan's west shore after Chicago and Milwaukee.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIlpMk_h9nMcv7wHIAVq7OSoq2U0y7qbDIOA6EKH5e3QJrZTtYCDbqoyiAzCZOzhOrqDId-vyOGFcm8HOddwTTW83QHe13-2SKReW4OlIbLYg99gej5Gi4vsFAFORWwboV05Nj3CL0pA/s1600/IMG_7151.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIlpMk_h9nMcv7wHIAVq7OSoq2U0y7qbDIOA6EKH5e3QJrZTtYCDbqoyiAzCZOzhOrqDId-vyOGFcm8HOddwTTW83QHe13-2SKReW4OlIbLYg99gej5Gi4vsFAFORWwboV05Nj3CL0pA/s400/IMG_7151.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lambeau Field stadium of the Green Bay Packers American football team</td></tr>
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Our next stop was the university city of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison,_Wisconsin" target="_blank">Madison</a>, Wisconsin's state capital and the state's second most populous city. The State Capitol is the largest building of its kind in the US.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nJcldxe08T64eNxni8kzd6pcc22X9FG6g1hWblTEQf7iNRsJQj7haNvUktqhzwtBz0FlwRBkWQbX6PPLlGsrF2xZylF8bDQtcWadKxklECH8rVlOyyhOBX2UkN_yhHXcokx5_PFgdX0/s1600/P1170108.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nJcldxe08T64eNxni8kzd6pcc22X9FG6g1hWblTEQf7iNRsJQj7haNvUktqhzwtBz0FlwRBkWQbX6PPLlGsrF2xZylF8bDQtcWadKxklECH8rVlOyyhOBX2UkN_yhHXcokx5_PFgdX0/s400/P1170108.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madison state capitol building </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhnIhYbIzIEsIDF72ignmGNZ16AvaEEPvnWEy-EM4owGE8g3QzfGznf5NSuY3XRFJlvllejCRWNNMiT06kYBClrBLbiEzG8yeFwCk9KdBESl73Uu0HE02kJNGt6dp4nyWyQPXZLRz88A/s1600/IMG_7158.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhnIhYbIzIEsIDF72ignmGNZ16AvaEEPvnWEy-EM4owGE8g3QzfGznf5NSuY3XRFJlvllejCRWNNMiT06kYBClrBLbiEzG8yeFwCk9KdBESl73Uu0HE02kJNGt6dp4nyWyQPXZLRz88A/s400/IMG_7158.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of Lake Monoma from the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed<br />
Monona Convention Center</td></tr>
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Every summer Wednesday between late June and the end of July Madison holds free concerts in the grounds around the Capitol building. People sit on rugs and picnic.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIut-6hwCwD4pKW1ieFPwF7cA2l4dG9UJyg77hNq5QGT4JQ4GKs7iYY4Ypet-JgI50j636cq9W1C7ML_ZIuiJGGo4pTuB2oHhkrjtcL8dE3SL4WUmV2A8V_Q9A0ZseSf_qdvS1mR_VDY/s1600/IMG_3799+2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIut-6hwCwD4pKW1ieFPwF7cA2l4dG9UJyg77hNq5QGT4JQ4GKs7iYY4Ypet-JgI50j636cq9W1C7ML_ZIuiJGGo4pTuB2oHhkrjtcL8dE3SL4WUmV2A8V_Q9A0ZseSf_qdvS1mR_VDY/s400/IMG_3799+2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">free concert attendees sitting in the grounds around the Capital building </td></tr>
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Wisconsin is famous for its cheese, and makes about 500-600 different varieties. Below is a cheese platter with (from L to R) 15, 10 and 5-year-old cheddars.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-_URRzs_HXd6QeR3wcEBpeXo2zRNVm5zSOiXHVg_zaGcFiRky1xA-XF7Z26QQsjhf8qYXB5ySpqQ1x5879JontsJL8EtmsIq0AbhD95q8Da3xSSwKJZv06EY9HdwdCsMdoNGJymqOEM/s1600/IMG_7169.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-_URRzs_HXd6QeR3wcEBpeXo2zRNVm5zSOiXHVg_zaGcFiRky1xA-XF7Z26QQsjhf8qYXB5ySpqQ1x5879JontsJL8EtmsIq0AbhD95q8Da3xSSwKJZv06EY9HdwdCsMdoNGJymqOEM/s400/IMG_7169.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wisconsin-made cheddar platter</td></tr>
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Our next (quick) stop was on the shores of Lake Michigan again at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee" target="_blank">Milwaukee</a>. We stopped at Harley Davidson's world HQ but didn't take the time to visit the museum.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTUr5SZ5_gVguDnxR_F0nV95pIB59I1TmPJKYToThSdPqsJ0E1E78orcaZdn-bg2odaZmRA-3m67gGAUucnxZ1mBIuHHA26hHL7qTetxu5VRj1uHyailzR4dlcFitz-INrypf6q8EaQY/s1600/IMG_3805.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTUr5SZ5_gVguDnxR_F0nV95pIB59I1TmPJKYToThSdPqsJ0E1E78orcaZdn-bg2odaZmRA-3m67gGAUucnxZ1mBIuHHA26hHL7qTetxu5VRj1uHyailzR4dlcFitz-INrypf6q8EaQY/s400/IMG_3805.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milwaukee is the home of Harley Davidson</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCDznEr0gjaLE1HZOgz2AofAwrZg7FVGbnkjUt9IN9rLRV5Bd90x0lUzSqHHN67n5Y2e4jzpECj_W15EmI8qyaq8iGol2cDyUi6N7qvNYpPlFXtChJc3HfxSog3FBYiBGXY8ZpMIe93Q/s1600/P1170111.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCDznEr0gjaLE1HZOgz2AofAwrZg7FVGbnkjUt9IN9rLRV5Bd90x0lUzSqHHN67n5Y2e4jzpECj_W15EmI8qyaq8iGol2cDyUi6N7qvNYpPlFXtChJc3HfxSog3FBYiBGXY8ZpMIe93Q/s400/P1170111.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milwaukee Art Museum</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KhoqQdBG1GWJnE86GFDhz0eJj1ZMqiBSdH18FEAv33xak-I7MFqOA18D9_dk-As8Fzc3UK_2IExroFPSZnvzv4Uf3tS9zMLmBRw6qp9MLNG5o7M146zSL6r04Hcw0n47Aw3Tpk5xTvw/s1600/P1170110.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1132" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KhoqQdBG1GWJnE86GFDhz0eJj1ZMqiBSdH18FEAv33xak-I7MFqOA18D9_dk-As8Fzc3UK_2IExroFPSZnvzv4Uf3tS9zMLmBRw6qp9MLNG5o7M146zSL6r04Hcw0n47Aw3Tpk5xTvw/s400/P1170110.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milwaukee City Hall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92kv-wclefGVrhpoExEf4dQa8ZS9Ma2yr53TFBcQY5EGrfS6rmDVN2CZx4CNSntpDXvw1Q6fT6ludfLQcfPKkFnX7N0UzorCYceDm6e_ufOQR47dcbbcBF4TefNkuf3Hx1YUKXE83AuA/s1600/P1170114.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92kv-wclefGVrhpoExEf4dQa8ZS9Ma2yr53TFBcQY5EGrfS6rmDVN2CZx4CNSntpDXvw1Q6fT6ludfLQcfPKkFnX7N0UzorCYceDm6e_ufOQR47dcbbcBF4TefNkuf3Hx1YUKXE83AuA/s400/P1170114.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milwaukee has a large population of German origin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We then continued down the lake shore and into Illinois. Just north of Chicago we were surprised to come across this seemingly out-of-place building: the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%CA%BC%C3%AD_House_of_Worship_(Wilmette,_Illinois)" target="_blank">Baha'i House of Worship</a> for North America.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimz-Na9PwYQtM4yneTdCJyncBdnQU_d29mWshSe2Ok3cVzO7v-mF9dVyJqkW0edZEdm61CMpnVz9ETTEFYscuK50nvhOi01LcK3WDZvrixedmB69Aszx5lE_iXTq_HT7TMsNQ75V9FWks/s1600/P1170118.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimz-Na9PwYQtM4yneTdCJyncBdnQU_d29mWshSe2Ok3cVzO7v-mF9dVyJqkW0edZEdm61CMpnVz9ETTEFYscuK50nvhOi01LcK3WDZvrixedmB69Aszx5lE_iXTq_HT7TMsNQ75V9FWks/s400/P1170118.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bahá'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
We had several days in Chicago, enough to do some exploring but not to see all the city has to offer !</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9O-uohl5M-anRafUcSTDDPZs4Ar_Dkzicef5sm08ZPC7TEAZzHTTAkobSGlJeJMwvBGOraycnRh7v_UBj6ntXc1RWQpGjN1EXe3XfIhyda7h32flClDP3b2R5WUdxJWKuRGb8yZlvlTg/s1600/P1170128.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1096" data-original-width="1600" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9O-uohl5M-anRafUcSTDDPZs4Ar_Dkzicef5sm08ZPC7TEAZzHTTAkobSGlJeJMwvBGOraycnRh7v_UBj6ntXc1RWQpGjN1EXe3XfIhyda7h32flClDP3b2R5WUdxJWKuRGb8yZlvlTg/s400/P1170128.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of downtown Chicago arriving from the north</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR16wafvtte4GNXROOg7q2aaEcI5-x1Hq4wAzW8vO82cp85VQGifm2c2mTAwrpi_mDWhL1_mIRg66NXY4Jv_ZEiZSIisH4FLK8jdEqDxVV7CYTL4sMrLRr73qTery5vO3UyxBNdjPrd9I/s1600/P1170139.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR16wafvtte4GNXROOg7q2aaEcI5-x1Hq4wAzW8vO82cp85VQGifm2c2mTAwrpi_mDWhL1_mIRg66NXY4Jv_ZEiZSIisH4FLK8jdEqDxVV7CYTL4sMrLRr73qTery5vO3UyxBNdjPrd9I/s400/P1170139.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trump tower, Chicago </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hVk20VpAl-fcRW9KyMuuoNpN7KCd_YMmiDAVkENo8tWHfvnKIO06EwtzlPF1UO-4olIKNmuhwOJuEvPJB_gyg99n_hALHRroj1CIwydW5zQQa6-17VOg27Fxo81XXcF5L-1tKPP7mZc/s1600/P1170141.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hVk20VpAl-fcRW9KyMuuoNpN7KCd_YMmiDAVkENo8tWHfvnKIO06EwtzlPF1UO-4olIKNmuhwOJuEvPJB_gyg99n_hALHRroj1CIwydW5zQQa6-17VOg27Fxo81XXcF5L-1tKPP7mZc/s400/P1170141.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiffany dome, Chicago cultural center</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJHIRNZNOi8Rlz4k-AggonmI22xfAMgaAsdyS6u9klosEQvYx7FObouJP0E9Gp385o4Tcyy8h9QHoX8516N14STEzy_srBIPV9tAvTS9RHWGxWwi5sBOrDwvZ2WrDjCIwH7ixhQkLArE/s1600/P1170135.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJHIRNZNOi8Rlz4k-AggonmI22xfAMgaAsdyS6u9klosEQvYx7FObouJP0E9Gp385o4Tcyy8h9QHoX8516N14STEzy_srBIPV9tAvTS9RHWGxWwi5sBOrDwvZ2WrDjCIwH7ixhQkLArE/s400/P1170135.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rookery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBJkZaLFCgCkOrv6Om35cTL3tPzTW6BS4Qltn7Y9AfDx2QXV5ZPD37ozqs-oodznk4EyOn_GoGJEvwQ0wXXixhWneuZL7b5j5DqYSutsVlmrlBndnokyXcm-PtFxkeZ10jMP94E0pj08/s1600/P1170136.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBJkZaLFCgCkOrv6Om35cTL3tPzTW6BS4Qltn7Y9AfDx2QXV5ZPD37ozqs-oodznk4EyOn_GoGJEvwQ0wXXixhWneuZL7b5j5DqYSutsVlmrlBndnokyXcm-PtFxkeZ10jMP94E0pj08/s400/P1170136.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexander Calder sculpture: The Flamingo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqHxbUVrPPeKskr7W5S2CL2iHDxAkN2AFn7CZlh4MUaBR4oGzwWg3e9ioIWRtbsGGXWkkr-HR9Gg5XfHwWxDk6jrw91iSwUja9eQlOmJYhqBoyI1-2Vd5wMyrP4h57RqkLpXxXL5dPxw/s1600/P1170143.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqHxbUVrPPeKskr7W5S2CL2iHDxAkN2AFn7CZlh4MUaBR4oGzwWg3e9ioIWRtbsGGXWkkr-HR9Gg5XfHwWxDk6jrw91iSwUja9eQlOmJYhqBoyI1-2Vd5wMyrP4h57RqkLpXxXL5dPxw/s400/P1170143.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Millenium Park </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicc8KFR8GeMMNJI8QGHvD4GF5iUFKOHZgWjtGCUzUtcmBn7s2q6lN0j9fl6M7MNyjmhhPTReUJfxByMPGzbumTLAXpZETAoWncQoK888LXvz9kxUkbD2kdFps0ZD8YkDJj8g1VBQ30UgY/s1600/P1170146.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="1600" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicc8KFR8GeMMNJI8QGHvD4GF5iUFKOHZgWjtGCUzUtcmBn7s2q6lN0j9fl6M7MNyjmhhPTReUJfxByMPGzbumTLAXpZETAoWncQoK888LXvz9kxUkbD2kdFps0ZD8YkDJj8g1VBQ30UgY/s400/P1170146.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anish Kapoor's Cloud gate in Millennium Park, nicknamed "The Bean"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LrnEq1-SqM6qOSk3EexsdOW7FV6J8c7dkOqK6f-ZGRd7oJ6K1TDvoFt3IvtaqBnZmB5fzxmIZTO1r9bPl0Vf5nskwOynGASPw9l6Pzum0m-NkfK_jRAk2GMnBdGe47FeJ0DJb8wsNWU/s1600/P1170153.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1600" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LrnEq1-SqM6qOSk3EexsdOW7FV6J8c7dkOqK6f-ZGRd7oJ6K1TDvoFt3IvtaqBnZmB5fzxmIZTO1r9bPl0Vf5nskwOynGASPw9l6Pzum0m-NkfK_jRAk2GMnBdGe47FeJ0DJb8wsNWU/s400/P1170153.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of downtown Chicago from Millennium Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNX1JleXk85bdKokOCC8MRZ8wb4hyM01AcNKg-E-2WI8JZHnzNBR-xkC4SM0jjj_1Q6YLp9V6vbCFwKnCQHlGyRhGciMr6LpYScgGZiu4jWJkEaXCR5AbyyDk6HT_DuMKASXkN_G0y9k/s1600/P1170155.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="1600" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNX1JleXk85bdKokOCC8MRZ8wb4hyM01AcNKg-E-2WI8JZHnzNBR-xkC4SM0jjj_1Q6YLp9V6vbCFwKnCQHlGyRhGciMr6LpYScgGZiu4jWJkEaXCR5AbyyDk6HT_DuMKASXkN_G0y9k/s400/P1170155.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of downtown Chicago from Millennium Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBl-5wSY9NmC7oqySC-K0KWJ3mZ3ZuyPi6YGJh1isGXnZbpJIVJkD4yHnxukDxSKTCBGT1KR91omRfoc1HZIDZ5Dtdyety8cx85vLjKZJ87EMxjB-BuRoGwLDx2gYwNFkje5yg3HsT4E/s1600/P1170166.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBl-5wSY9NmC7oqySC-K0KWJ3mZ3ZuyPi6YGJh1isGXnZbpJIVJkD4yHnxukDxSKTCBGT1KR91omRfoc1HZIDZ5Dtdyety8cx85vLjKZJ87EMxjB-BuRoGwLDx2gYwNFkje5yg3HsT4E/s400/P1170166.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of downtown Chicago from Lake Michigan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQzYWXtoQWuDAVvghJiJDyN_iQgApNAHUvgjFVJ-u8lCzO2y903jNiygFM-PjeFzxwnzn3uWsc5VD_p88O6GE2uClgrJ6wGtnW5hbVNVUVSwEFSAubLi1h2NHcCoziitbEeYAqsGNTjA/s1600/P1170191.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQzYWXtoQWuDAVvghJiJDyN_iQgApNAHUvgjFVJ-u8lCzO2y903jNiygFM-PjeFzxwnzn3uWsc5VD_p88O6GE2uClgrJ6wGtnW5hbVNVUVSwEFSAubLi1h2NHcCoziitbEeYAqsGNTjA/s400/P1170191.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of downtown Chicago from the Chicago River</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjU8vMCb1yewwD0gY4y3DdVVWiPCV89GKAZtYm2sH9ZrYDyGPGHk1buPrOPB-LZyMXPY5rk2_DOgPMTjjnAOAVAqaQqdDeAZXMNMzlQhu9mZ8uWGAV-fnPGtKVb4JPHcHDy4F9vRyIip4/s1600/P1170208.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjU8vMCb1yewwD0gY4y3DdVVWiPCV89GKAZtYm2sH9ZrYDyGPGHk1buPrOPB-LZyMXPY5rk2_DOgPMTjjnAOAVAqaQqdDeAZXMNMzlQhu9mZ8uWGAV-fnPGtKVb4JPHcHDy4F9vRyIip4/s400/P1170208.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunday morning yoga on a stand-up paddle board on Lake Michgan!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
On leaving Chicago for the drive back to Plymouth, Michigan, we stopped off in pleasant <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Park,_Illinois" target="_blank">Oak Park</a>, which – amongst other claims to fame – is where <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hemingway" target="_blank">Ernest Hemingway</a> was born on 21st July 1899.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhncaJgdyBF4sEGLtr25zmIMC4R78pCb81O_VzKCgvSywZzQQltpInh-NOsQhvvIoqgGuAdyCX_wE8mPB-ZoC851nGxgrnupiMkhEv-MF77xarmMAu57bgNyV9WfBZUgW-dq8_TebuZs/s1600/P1170215.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="1600" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhncaJgdyBF4sEGLtr25zmIMC4R78pCb81O_VzKCgvSywZzQQltpInh-NOsQhvvIoqgGuAdyCX_wE8mPB-ZoC851nGxgrnupiMkhEv-MF77xarmMAu57bgNyV9WfBZUgW-dq8_TebuZs/s400/P1170215.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">birthplace home of Ernest Hemingway</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Architect <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lloyd_Wright" target="_blank">Frank Lloyd Wright</a> and his wife settled here in 1889 and stayed until 1909.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYS3Z-P69HOFiIQKS9Wt7cqSJ340110bIp6zuD_LgoO2Vu-J7O3WmpNqdbuLRSHvh7X3OLK7aGo7Um50dGy5QHL4jyNekSbb_ZLP8e9Y4-_TUiAhGSOwaDhOkuRv3Imv97bd-BwkHgq0/s1600/P1170223.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYS3Z-P69HOFiIQKS9Wt7cqSJ340110bIp6zuD_LgoO2Vu-J7O3WmpNqdbuLRSHvh7X3OLK7aGo7Um50dGy5QHL4jyNekSbb_ZLP8e9Y4-_TUiAhGSOwaDhOkuRv3Imv97bd-BwkHgq0/s400/P1170223.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><u>See also:</u><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/michigan-lower-peninsula.html" target="_blank">Michigan: Lower Peninsula </a></li><li><a href="https://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/toronto-niagara-falls.html" target="_blank">Toronto & Niagara Falls </a></li>
</ul>
<div>
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</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0The Great Lakes45.0522366 -82.48461150000002845.0522366 -82.484611500000028 45.0522366 -82.484611500000028tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-71838531164696506212019-06-30T18:32:00.000+04:002019-08-19T17:16:43.578+04:00Outfly<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've posted before about <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/06/skydiving-getting-high-over-reunion.html" target="_blank">skydiving</a>, when my husband jumped out of a plane in 2013. It's not an activity for me, but when a <a href="http://www.outfly.re/" target="_blank">body-flight skydive simulator </a>opened in <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion</a> last year I was more than happy to give it a try. In June 2018 I was given a voucher for two one-minute experiences but trying to get the dates to coincide with friends who also wanted to do it, plus travel plans, plus a car breakdown meant that it took me a year to actually get round to doing it - but it was worth the wait!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2XQO8XqfXUtptgg4Qvjd6fU3Qi4K0ZRUn0xsm_OSC5wP79x94BiNqJRz9MSP5yTioTIO6eSVpi2DqBcWiz9KXVRrdtSQ-PejGFm_2oVcRHQXXR96IaAQ4WJHPdLKnWyP_o3Pd_4hKY0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-06-30+at+07.27.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="1600" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2XQO8XqfXUtptgg4Qvjd6fU3Qi4K0ZRUn0xsm_OSC5wP79x94BiNqJRz9MSP5yTioTIO6eSVpi2DqBcWiz9KXVRrdtSQ-PejGFm_2oVcRHQXXR96IaAQ4WJHPdLKnWyP_o3Pd_4hKY0/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-06-30+at+07.27.05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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With <a href="http://www.outfly.re/" target="_blank">Outfly</a> you prebook a slot online, and on arrival you are equipped with a bodysuit, googles, hardhat, and earplugs. (You are advised to come wearing proper shoes and avoid unattached long hair or jewellery). This kitting-up takes about 10 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1Ulka34r53E3663PgMkubiW4jI8_h1pmYJtI15Ub40JWbd4fzFuTah6Zy_mhd_BHphs8kaguOfCXXID-44Q2W8iU45dUOzJb_UQjqfp-51KtZAvaVob_E7RjnC410bcwZ6V5xMFOvyY/s1600/P1160762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1Ulka34r53E3663PgMkubiW4jI8_h1pmYJtI15Ub40JWbd4fzFuTah6Zy_mhd_BHphs8kaguOfCXXID-44Q2W8iU45dUOzJb_UQjqfp-51KtZAvaVob_E7RjnC410bcwZ6V5xMFOvyY/s400/P1160762.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">reception area </td></tr>
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Then the participants (there were ten of us in our group) were seated next to the wind tunnel and thoroughly briefed on safety precautions and signs to be used during the experience.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDdJT2SycDJtpkMSvMtp8UTV34xL4GgGb0hQpGgZt5qxj35DmkbJptzFVlmEbWbvmijEfccPTZGykvQQadWnZ-99-F-d5YEku9cRTX1x5bPG73S6v3jsR7ilJjsm6OOCrTeTn_efPjUw/s1600/P1160763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDdJT2SycDJtpkMSvMtp8UTV34xL4GgGb0hQpGgZt5qxj35DmkbJptzFVlmEbWbvmijEfccPTZGykvQQadWnZ-99-F-d5YEku9cRTX1x5bPG73S6v3jsR7ilJjsm6OOCrTeTn_efPjUw/s400/P1160763.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of the wind tunnel used at Outfly</td></tr>
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After that we each took it in turn to "fly" for one minute, before repeating the whole experience. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLinnWNjmG-rpLpgmmRoH_gRZi-lubNq6N6rnhXfrF4z_iCSUJxdfKBT_THWyU8S8wNgen1tiSpahSwgCkPYrwq7aG1Mjjy017W-O79bepFOrcg90Z7mTuUd2NmY5vRkDzvOe0h5fT40/s1600/P1160769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLinnWNjmG-rpLpgmmRoH_gRZi-lubNq6N6rnhXfrF4z_iCSUJxdfKBT_THWyU8S8wNgen1tiSpahSwgCkPYrwq7aG1Mjjy017W-O79bepFOrcg90Z7mTuUd2NmY5vRkDzvOe0h5fT40/s400/P1160769.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">close-up of the wind tunnel</td></tr>
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An instructor is with you in the wind tunnel, and another member of staff is outside to adjust the wind speed.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhww5QuJuErIpBsYX65i6tWpjlE9OCwuDQjOIx5CvA7pOb4U4_aOu2w-ZwqZxv4ZQ1pxG5uZx3mza9zZ5pcigbETP59AmwFpc_mb2Odyk5es04XHNBNut30ucxiTvYSMRpE_hFfBDm8F1k/s1600/P1160783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhww5QuJuErIpBsYX65i6tWpjlE9OCwuDQjOIx5CvA7pOb4U4_aOu2w-ZwqZxv4ZQ1pxG5uZx3mza9zZ5pcigbETP59AmwFpc_mb2Odyk5es04XHNBNut30ucxiTvYSMRpE_hFfBDm8F1k/s400/P1160783.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my husband</td></tr>
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After having actually jumped out of a plane my husband was rather worried it would be tame, but he actually found the experience quite different, not least because in 2013 he did a tandem skydive i.e. he was strapped to someone, whereas with Outfly you move by yourself so have more freedom of movement.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd69zJeOX9O3T912N7Lpxmkp-JUyBrJjO_xgaW72t8gV9vSJOjgb77P5il7ACmDjJd7cfg8rRVh8kkqNuybGMI89WcFKwJ1tGqZ90SNBOfFnC9L4zzGS37MlSKHTyfyRYuHgziqjl1QI/s1600/P1160787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVd69zJeOX9O3T912N7Lpxmkp-JUyBrJjO_xgaW72t8gV9vSJOjgb77P5il7ACmDjJd7cfg8rRVh8kkqNuybGMI89WcFKwJ1tGqZ90SNBOfFnC9L4zzGS37MlSKHTyfyRYuHgziqjl1QI/s400/P1160787.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me in the wind tunnel</td></tr>
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It also turns out that being <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/diving" target="_blank">scuba divers</a> is an advantage, as the position you need to adopt is almost similar to neutral buoyancy when you dive. So my husband and I managed to position ourselves fairly naturally. You can see the videos of me below:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0KRnr5cigDA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0KRnr5cigDA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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For my second try I'd realised I needed to keep my mouth shut otherwise I was going to look like Wallace & Gromit.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1tcwfHXjzJs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1tcwfHXjzJs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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The co-owner and instructor of Outfly is a former world vice-champion of freestyle skydiving who has been parachuting for 20 years, so she knows her stuff. This is her giving us a demonstration at the end of the session:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaQuyoVXNbJcTMdcUlqy0OyDVyegFYc8b09ybrnuxPA7f3u0AzbFOajytvmTzaOIEIF3GCR2FdC5uANuyUXi0Ikl7qxY14194WY-fzWiDODc1gBT11C-qeJ3iWwrYmWovfCA-F7k2_4o/s1600/P1160805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifaQuyoVXNbJcTMdcUlqy0OyDVyegFYc8b09ybrnuxPA7f3u0AzbFOajytvmTzaOIEIF3GCR2FdC5uANuyUXi0Ikl7qxY14194WY-fzWiDODc1gBT11C-qeJ3iWwrYmWovfCA-F7k2_4o/s400/P1160805.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sophie Bernier demonstrating Outfly</td></tr>
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The wind tunnel is also available for experienced skydivers who want to train under controlled circumstances.<br />
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<u>Further reading:</u><br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/06/skydiving-getting-high-over-reunion.html" target="_blank">Skydiving - getting high over Reunion</a></li>
</ul>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Saint-Paul, Réunion-21.0452623 55.336470299999974-21.282387800000002 55.013746799999971 -20.8081368 55.659193799999976tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-18494404132319554452019-06-15T14:25:00.000+04:002019-09-01T14:52:33.316+04:00Hike Nez de Boeuf to Roche Plate (Rivière des Remparts)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Confusingly there are two places in <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion</a> called Roche Plate: one is a small village in <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Mafate" target="_blank">Mafate</a> (the <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldeira" target="_blank">cirque</a> only accessible on foot), and the other is a tiny hamlet in the river valley of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivi%C3%A8re_des_Remparts" target="_blank">Rivière des Remparts</a>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaCGAoJkJnLrO6RD2nN8ENpl0O-tL-1a_mPQYGmzKKHKNILo-77JYFvVgvs6x4H7kaVfP50pYcGs61AcKlK0TuxgOWPWDa3skC2WXKXBjPAxAZrbIHYguiTrSTKLaLSL8qGVhnziXjAo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-06-11+at+11.22.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="307" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaCGAoJkJnLrO6RD2nN8ENpl0O-tL-1a_mPQYGmzKKHKNILo-77JYFvVgvs6x4H7kaVfP50pYcGs61AcKlK0TuxgOWPWDa3skC2WXKXBjPAxAZrbIHYguiTrSTKLaLSL8qGVhnziXjAo/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-06-11+at+11.22.23.jpg" width="343" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">map showing hike route in bright green<br />
(Nez de Boeuf at the top, Roche Plate at the bottom)</td></tr>
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The second Roche Plate is only accessible by 4WD vehicle or on foot, and in the latter case it's either a long but easy walk from the <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Saint%20Joseph" target="_blank">coast</a>, or a tough hike down from Nez de Boeuf near the <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/volcano" target="_blank">volcano</a>. We chose the tough option!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHxt3S7cEEgzpIE6ekvZXeoSTgNvX_kU5RnEGKzGujs6odFCSBDdR1nU6sDC-XMUlKEjP3mvDTcneT7IHc0Fb30JBJKyhqNl1Tks5SSzCDgToFcOKup7f1p8qDBsrOxVX51gZa2ZX5D0/s1600/IMG_E6757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHxt3S7cEEgzpIE6ekvZXeoSTgNvX_kU5RnEGKzGujs6odFCSBDdR1nU6sDC-XMUlKEjP3mvDTcneT7IHc0Fb30JBJKyhqNl1Tks5SSzCDgToFcOKup7f1p8qDBsrOxVX51gZa2ZX5D0/s400/IMG_E6757.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's a hike that I'd already done in the early 2000s, but only hiking up, never down. This time we were going to be trekking down and then back up the next day.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8g1dUl4HwKL5NoCQy0nUNa8uhZEkp3foO00KtktXrD8QmHksUamSfKHMpiBdX_M8DZxEtzEqG7_mw9B_EkiyHy7KR4S0MvJHymXNn424qULdUaqKYcVhy5yEno5b3LWqOal8Jq2mEQYs/s1600/IMG_6778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8g1dUl4HwKL5NoCQy0nUNa8uhZEkp3foO00KtktXrD8QmHksUamSfKHMpiBdX_M8DZxEtzEqG7_mw9B_EkiyHy7KR4S0MvJHymXNn424qULdUaqKYcVhy5yEno5b3LWqOal8Jq2mEQYs/s400/IMG_6778.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">looking at the very top end of Riviere des Remparts from hike starting point </td></tr>
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As you can see from the sign below, the hike begins at an altitude of 2070 metres from a place technically known as "Haut de la Riviere des Remparts". Nez de Boeuf (which literally means 'Ox Nose' and was possibly named due to its shape) is a well-known viewpoint on the road that leads to the volcano, and is actually at an elevation 2136 metres but the hike starting point is 1.5 km further along the road.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48AaYCnHXnWxnz0mDm0lkXVNdtqPYqIiJ5Yqrwn-gSu2xMjcoI9gE19Puliwe4Eu242IPwz1cRl3wadZJCBPlR3_0xGkggjyoCK3-x6001uKOTCLt5PRm_h94gzowbHdYeHDbl7KSk-g/s1600/IMG_6777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48AaYCnHXnWxnz0mDm0lkXVNdtqPYqIiJ5Yqrwn-gSu2xMjcoI9gE19Puliwe4Eu242IPwz1cRl3wadZJCBPlR3_0xGkggjyoCK3-x6001uKOTCLt5PRm_h94gzowbHdYeHDbl7KSk-g/s400/IMG_6777.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">starting point of the hike Nez de Boeuf to Roche Plate</td></tr>
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The sign says that only 3 hours are needed for the hike down, but it actually took us a bit longer, albeit including breaks. The distance is 9.5 km but the altitude difference is 1400m - quite steep, especially at the part nearest Nez de Boeuf!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKTEdkCa4B40f_RMT_e5OnZOT3gZ149Y-efUXU4B0i5aDrWl6lnhUDxEmcACuB0MGVvH33CnhDYeqUHIzDPpHV9N_PtAVgw0SlBmz8LI5aHPP8oX6JGQYqIHwI06sYVkXgPZmod4c9Ro/s1600/IMG_6772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKTEdkCa4B40f_RMT_e5OnZOT3gZ149Y-efUXU4B0i5aDrWl6lnhUDxEmcACuB0MGVvH33CnhDYeqUHIzDPpHV9N_PtAVgw0SlBmz8LI5aHPP8oX6JGQYqIHwI06sYVkXgPZmod4c9Ro/s400/IMG_6772.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">thick forest during the first part of the hike </td></tr>
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After a while the vegetation thins out and although the weather was cloudy (and sometimes drizzly), at the half-way point we got this view of the river valley. You can clearly see the (seemingly) flat river bed surrounded by the high cliff walls (cf. the name of the river: remparts)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_zfLQg1Mf7ywTIrNSXr8jFqEnnYRDAa6csZtTVAjnp6Q1MP-9xM1T9H6owfaMymZm_96F_UVzB729dvbsMdIHx586nKapd4bAYBNgkbgJJCvFyhbvYdwSog0155qom33ah7zql-5L6k/s1600/IMG_E6759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_zfLQg1Mf7ywTIrNSXr8jFqEnnYRDAa6csZtTVAjnp6Q1MP-9xM1T9H6owfaMymZm_96F_UVzB729dvbsMdIHx586nKapd4bAYBNgkbgJJCvFyhbvYdwSog0155qom33ah7zql-5L6k/s400/IMG_E6759.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view looking south from ≈half-way point</td></tr>
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To give you an idea of what most of the hiking path looked like, here's a view taken from the same location and looking back up the way we'd came.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkrUSwaC2fh4tOX0DaO6KemSkaCTeUu3fXAW5ObZLG-DzuyGcPZiyPDEWLciWWCv2WW9E46ZaNh1d9RlxNl9eaOprjQH0m-jMKpnQdOB4sH25morp5iqUfOFRptEpgR630f6WkLR4VpY/s1600/IMG_6761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkrUSwaC2fh4tOX0DaO6KemSkaCTeUu3fXAW5ObZLG-DzuyGcPZiyPDEWLciWWCv2WW9E46ZaNh1d9RlxNl9eaOprjQH0m-jMKpnQdOB4sH25morp5iqUfOFRptEpgR630f6WkLR4VpY/s400/IMG_6761.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riviere des Remparts hiking path</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2vLcmGAR9Q4qFcSQH_jm_dJ8k3ASHE_evdaCYDC4xbQ2TY2Z6tXK4PUna68pNsfRvlUdKUb8cNTYfclmfOI_YeHVs_oW8hS3QjbN_5jQBif5O2v-qjVpPV1Ryguri-p7QSiBegMqj_4/s1600/IMG_6760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2vLcmGAR9Q4qFcSQH_jm_dJ8k3ASHE_evdaCYDC4xbQ2TY2Z6tXK4PUna68pNsfRvlUdKUb8cNTYfclmfOI_YeHVs_oW8hS3QjbN_5jQBif5O2v-qjVpPV1Ryguri-p7QSiBegMqj_4/s400/IMG_6760.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pathside wildflowers </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrH4vdhpvY7jijjP6wi3RNxkSb04uttmzcCAb8DNun1C48pPVVjdPxK0HA2ajoBYv7RicpkVhf-oYop8RE7l4lXHHLWQnEGDyBRP0mhTLam7qTtyrkEl5kyg-yvqf0wcQOruP633NhZ4/s1600/IMG_6765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrH4vdhpvY7jijjP6wi3RNxkSb04uttmzcCAb8DNun1C48pPVVjdPxK0HA2ajoBYv7RicpkVhf-oYop8RE7l4lXHHLWQnEGDyBRP0mhTLam7qTtyrkEl5kyg-yvqf0wcQOruP633NhZ4/s400/IMG_6765.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAecsn2AjcnJu7MulkgD9gTIRt0Pb83DCbjMSlZQQumR7ypaNPJL4_K_htXLI7X3MmLj-boNuI8y5cyN-zb46cAAIEucsPogpjMcBO8as1dQs1oxBtLY4DKbFQvFuIiW_CYJV6SkLeyc/s1600/IMG_E6769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheAecsn2AjcnJu7MulkgD9gTIRt0Pb83DCbjMSlZQQumR7ypaNPJL4_K_htXLI7X3MmLj-boNuI8y5cyN-zb46cAAIEucsPogpjMcBO8as1dQs1oxBtLY4DKbFQvFuIiW_CYJV6SkLeyc/s400/IMG_E6769.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">path nearing gîte</td></tr>
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Having set off late morning, we reached our accommodation for the night (one of several gîtes there) in the afternoon and joined the rest of our party (some had come up by 4WD, others had hiked up from the coast). It started raining during the night and the next morning we set off in the rain but it didn't take us any longer to hike up than down the previous day, and by the time we were back at the volcano road and had reached our cars we had a cloudless blue sky.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_52pBwFf80W0lHSKmX_g9Vo7vyYi9yDQ3N7P6vUpVylpoqyB-TB79Rss6cK2_ZbEI31n8SXyEGto_Qx0iSwqlPYh3PeBFwM9duja5WtCaJsxpgYzkyTZ5Spr-ClXXrpBG_4jplz1cqY/s1600/IMG_6781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_52pBwFf80W0lHSKmX_g9Vo7vyYi9yDQ3N7P6vUpVylpoqyB-TB79Rss6cK2_ZbEI31n8SXyEGto_Qx0iSwqlPYh3PeBFwM9duja5WtCaJsxpgYzkyTZ5Spr-ClXXrpBG_4jplz1cqY/s400/IMG_6781.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piton des Neiges seen from hike endpoint on arriving back</td></tr>
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<u><br /></u>
<u>Bonus:</u><br />
<div>
As we were doing this hike early June it was still <i>goyavier</i> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psidium_cattleyanum" target="_blank">strawberry guava</a>) season, and on the hike back up we picked lots of the fruit.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ggJoHfATODlYuuhKgGc-3lN5CivMKCzK30-BRRjXf2dO5WIOZmhMYKLnyzB_IssoEBPota6T8wSDKt4dkB8lcoRoljwHwNv8sTc7Mqfro2L7x-Yro_X0ghhXqMdN1kjhgX2i9UQ2yL4/s1600/IMG_E6767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ggJoHfATODlYuuhKgGc-3lN5CivMKCzK30-BRRjXf2dO5WIOZmhMYKLnyzB_IssoEBPota6T8wSDKt4dkB8lcoRoljwHwNv8sTc7Mqfro2L7x-Yro_X0ghhXqMdN1kjhgX2i9UQ2yL4/s400/IMG_E6767.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">goyavier bushes and path sign at 1000m altitude </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWULUSMxQ92-CBlRu2YWooe2OJAuu1SnIoTM5JRMZb7BCj8714IWLAmlKKwzCgFE1rbRYwV11TnBwf70za2g2rWKj_KJd3PxnJfe89JBakzQITNQRRe4C4GkaU1iJmPRpLGKpDqATWebc/s1600/IMG_E6766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWULUSMxQ92-CBlRu2YWooe2OJAuu1SnIoTM5JRMZb7BCj8714IWLAmlKKwzCgFE1rbRYwV11TnBwf70za2g2rWKj_KJd3PxnJfe89JBakzQITNQRRe4C4GkaU1iJmPRpLGKpDqATWebc/s400/IMG_E6766.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">path through goyavier bushes</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWXcgjXDYSMnRIkh3QfY_ZgVqklXnIYvexmdELwi7UUJZnnSmiQevUN9eTx1e8XqyzerqQ0E9BRu4Z2Oc6VJNU0mGkiwfUEsg8EIplg5Yc2DcdKJxsTUDD2WNosXZQWWdN3MLEap-0ig/s1600/IMG_E6763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWXcgjXDYSMnRIkh3QfY_ZgVqklXnIYvexmdELwi7UUJZnnSmiQevUN9eTx1e8XqyzerqQ0E9BRu4Z2Oc6VJNU0mGkiwfUEsg8EIplg5Yc2DcdKJxsTUDD2WNosXZQWWdN3MLEap-0ig/s400/IMG_E6763.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">close-up of goyaviers growing in the wild </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Y-0gv3bDQAC4pcBYDtUzMa6CbZ3I3cfLOtp7WS86QNLg4QKL_yCNI2PVOFZlY7acj17VuQrsWXICw0F1Bvro0SXNQz5vwSkgVbHOrHfHSCLiyo_BmLbhxvYDf5QIBipoGsjNZZn9G0Y/s1600/IMG_6779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Y-0gv3bDQAC4pcBYDtUzMa6CbZ3I3cfLOtp7WS86QNLg4QKL_yCNI2PVOFZlY7acj17VuQrsWXICw0F1Bvro0SXNQz5vwSkgVbHOrHfHSCLiyo_BmLbhxvYDf5QIBipoGsjNZZn9G0Y/s400/IMG_6779.jpg" width="332" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">freshly-picked goyaviers </td></tr>
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Once we were back home we washed them and put them through the juicer, leaving us with a some lovely juice (the taste is quite tart and tangy but the fruit has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties in addition to being full of Vitamin C).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpU7AmN3luG6PB5EEHEL6bT0M_sFX19yQUv7StMA8CCIl_GSKGS6lxxdw1nWThCUQOKVWNEK7rmTGOYsgp12lbM7I8SgJ4Eg81AECGp1XNNBTmWFOhrylzkHbgJ5S6dE8oguVoO63EXI/s1600/IMG_6782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpU7AmN3luG6PB5EEHEL6bT0M_sFX19yQUv7StMA8CCIl_GSKGS6lxxdw1nWThCUQOKVWNEK7rmTGOYsgp12lbM7I8SgJ4Eg81AECGp1XNNBTmWFOhrylzkHbgJ5S6dE8oguVoO63EXI/s400/IMG_6782.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">reading for juicing </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJhU-0COcsS6YFkSVRAxUwHwWOQ-iEVb-7QK6BlqYyCl-vBVqq9sTDBQIZ8s2GStNyuyw16KIi6PSNneep6vDqNprSZpf30nZyb2UTLPY3MW_MnwRrr1gAoQh3ygc3gP336DlIyemQMM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-06-11+at+10.53.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="539" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJhU-0COcsS6YFkSVRAxUwHwWOQ-iEVb-7QK6BlqYyCl-vBVqq9sTDBQIZ8s2GStNyuyw16KIi6PSNneep6vDqNprSZpf30nZyb2UTLPY3MW_MnwRrr1gAoQh3ygc3gP336DlIyemQMM/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-06-11+at+10.53.48.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">two glasses of fresh goyavier juice!</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<u>Further reading:</u></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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<br />
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/02/hiking-from-maido-to-ilet-alcide.html" target="_blank">Hiking from Maïdo to Ilet Alcide</a></li>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/06/hike-from-le-belier-to-hellbourg.html" target="_blank">Hike from Le Belier to Hell-Bourg</a></li>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/06/weekend-at-plaine-des-palmistes.html" target="_blank">Weekend at Plaine des Palmistes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2013/09/chateau-lauratet.html" target="_blank">Chateau Lauratet</a></li>
<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/11/some-useful-words-in-reunion-island.html" target="_blank">Some useful words in Reunion Island</a></li>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Rivière des Remparts, Réunion-21.3151735 55.62363049999999-21.5518545 55.300906999999988 -21.0784925 55.946353999999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-6433317181521794332019-06-01T17:53:00.000+04:002019-08-18T18:13:19.727+04:00Guide book in English for Reunion: new edition<div style="text-align: justify;">
Planning a trip to <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html">Reunion</a>? Looking for the perfect travel companion? Be inspired by the fully-updated new edition of the <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Insight-Guides-Mauritius-R%C3%A9union-Seychelles/dp/1789190576/" target="_blank">Insight Guide to Mauritius, Reunion & Seychelles</a>. From deciding when to go, to choosing what to see when you arrive, this is all you need to plan your trip and experience the best of Mauritius, Réunion & Seychelles, with in-depth insider information on must-see, top attractions like the <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/volcano" target="_blank">volcano of Piton de la Fournaise</a>, Réunion; Anse Lazio beach in the Seychelles and Black River Gorges National Park, <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Mauritius" target="_blank">Mauritius</a>, as well as hidden cultural gems like the Musée de Villèle, Réunion, and the Vieux Grand Port of Mauritius.</div>
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· Insight Guide Mauritius, Réunion & Seychelles is ideal for travellers seeking immersive cultural experiences, from exploring nature reserves and botanical gardens, to discovering some of the best beaches in the world </div>
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· In-depth on history and culture: enjoy special features on the cuisine of the Mascarenes, the underwater world of the <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/Seychelles" target="_blank">Seychelles</a> and the volcanic habitats of Réunion, all written by local experts</div>
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· Includes innovative, unique extras to keep you up-to-date when you're on the move - this guide comes with a free eBook, and an app that highlights top attractions and regional information and is regularly updated with new hotel, bar, restaurant, shop and local event listings</div>
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· Invaluable maps, travel tips and practical information ensure effortless planning, and encourage venturing off the beaten track</div>
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About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ84WPpTn1HkpQNHEY-AyalhALihkVxGQ_rQ2qCDQM7IPkvMMAEychQ_0zvB_AKYTk8oxwaCnS65r2MmMkDFKKjpO8F7fR-5gFAz0xnOijuMOgKDofS5HufiTrz8UWDPCOVhYgTbd37uk/s1600/51Tkm5uSY2L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ84WPpTn1HkpQNHEY-AyalhALihkVxGQ_rQ2qCDQM7IPkvMMAEychQ_0zvB_AKYTk8oxwaCnS65r2MmMkDFKKjpO8F7fR-5gFAz0xnOijuMOgKDofS5HufiTrz8UWDPCOVhYgTbd37uk/s400/51Tkm5uSY2L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Why am I telling you all this? Because – as was the case for the previous edition – I'm the author of the Reunion part :-) </div>
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The <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Insight-Guides-Mauritius-R%C3%A9union-Seychelles/dp/1789190576/" target="_blank">Insight Guide to Mauritius, Reunion & Seychelles</a> is published today in the UK, and on 1st July 2019 in the USA & Canada.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0slKdlVmmWtd4T2j-qXRzrjR0vcnLdTLsNVVQUMuvV2HXmszNbe6MhUQvix4pMPFKvryiBR9tByxNNg0bxVrk4fI9pYf-tldoTYKlz8qMvLQO4-2BpBmB9j-v8T8THSu-FJI5pUjxxA/s1600/51wCeG1UPSL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0slKdlVmmWtd4T2j-qXRzrjR0vcnLdTLsNVVQUMuvV2HXmszNbe6MhUQvix4pMPFKvryiBR9tByxNNg0bxVrk4fI9pYf-tldoTYKlz8qMvLQO4-2BpBmB9j-v8T8THSu-FJI5pUjxxA/s400/51wCeG1UPSL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>See also:</u></div>
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<li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2016/02/new-guide-book-in-english-for-reunion.html" target="_blank">New guide book in English for Reunion</a> (previous edition) </li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91nI8XYaV39D49WEdMGhneDm2SB3Res5hfVxQ21IXK3o3_wk3cNaybUwy4erWDWsoDWDBNfXHmiReOlBznT8ik7XLw7g2EO5WEBrZuJ2UvBFqBQeWfYP9GdN3czx2HIn7l4MCH1Szhcw/s1600/51QrrrMMixL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="342" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91nI8XYaV39D49WEdMGhneDm2SB3Res5hfVxQ21IXK3o3_wk3cNaybUwy4erWDWsoDWDBNfXHmiReOlBznT8ik7XLw7g2EO5WEBrZuJ2UvBFqBQeWfYP9GdN3czx2HIn7l4MCH1Szhcw/s400/51QrrrMMixL.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Réunion-21.115141 55.536384-21.5890735 54.890937 -20.6412085 56.181830999999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1428432411669338334.post-28074056104986330832019-01-27T17:32:01.055+04:002021-09-16T15:06:46.310+04:00Mexico<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhZ1ifAGPBbtn9F7xfeRZ4LT5fT3qQzsdKUAjmZo6d7Jwa1pMN58QbppdV-ZMNpJMeYPhF-yV4Sa4y8-pwGlwMCkaLLMrHr11gQld92ZXOAkpXnAcW_IFo-gi1SDGq6OqjuYDuTeBIJU/s4032/IMG_E4730.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhZ1ifAGPBbtn9F7xfeRZ4LT5fT3qQzsdKUAjmZo6d7Jwa1pMN58QbppdV-ZMNpJMeYPhF-yV4Sa4y8-pwGlwMCkaLLMrHr11gQld92ZXOAkpXnAcW_IFo-gi1SDGq6OqjuYDuTeBIJU/s320/IMG_E4730.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">arrival sign at Mexico City airport</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Our month-long trip to Mexico began by flying from <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/reunion-island-tourist-campaign-video.html" target="_blank">Reunion</a> to Mexico City via Paris. After a night to recover from the 8-hour time difference we set off for the east coast, stopping at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholula,_Puebla" target="_blank">Cholula</a> for lunch along the way. En route we saw the country's three highest peaks, albeit from a distance!</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0NJgbpFT6VzUdDMBQu8Ym3eRRtLhnTfjaV2bpppJICu09GclTGO1oaW5JzLzOjEJkpF1ANXBZScI7ByQEjdB_UhlZqCDNWEhwTQ6AFINfrF705JbvcmR13of10l3zllMlYtnFE0R1Ls/s4032/IMG_4732.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0NJgbpFT6VzUdDMBQu8Ym3eRRtLhnTfjaV2bpppJICu09GclTGO1oaW5JzLzOjEJkpF1ANXBZScI7ByQEjdB_UhlZqCDNWEhwTQ6AFINfrF705JbvcmR13of10l3zllMlYtnFE0R1Ls/w400-h300/IMG_4732.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cactus fruit for sale by the side of the road</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>We soon got used to <i>topes</i> (speedbumps) - they're everywhere on Mexican roads.</div><div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdAeUpIVgXhNo7dW7ZwALsl9NEfo-aWhRAxcLQWLrLKo1HcRW5hidaOELXXxDUF4dY7IGQIXxXHpgLSPXx4ww139R2mAalZj5Uiwp8UJ4gHoRcHBd46xd_rWgAE77cLO42nOdP6spx-s/s4032/IMG_5963.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdAeUpIVgXhNo7dW7ZwALsl9NEfo-aWhRAxcLQWLrLKo1HcRW5hidaOELXXxDUF4dY7IGQIXxXHpgLSPXx4ww139R2mAalZj5Uiwp8UJ4gHoRcHBd46xd_rWgAE77cLO42nOdP6spx-s/w400-h300/IMG_5963.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an unusually visible <i>topes</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmbTOIz5tAoYE65ionf-BKr6YiVlWccIikIIrTB3pzFEvd0-wNtWwepNiuQ26USpoXr_s6xUvrr91-byBiZgKPQpL1xC4zbbPbJrbjiQBmOpEPLocOnt70ZvMvruUkARMHSpHOVL8Yfc/s3264/IMG_5227.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmbTOIz5tAoYE65ionf-BKr6YiVlWccIikIIrTB3pzFEvd0-wNtWwepNiuQ26USpoXr_s6xUvrr91-byBiZgKPQpL1xC4zbbPbJrbjiQBmOpEPLocOnt70ZvMvruUkARMHSpHOVL8Yfc/w400-h300/IMG_5227.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pico de Orizaba (5611m) the country's highest mountain</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsp0ORw_YmrCqMmUWoeisWiFBxidleXAESW0MsWAU5bErqSxEgioKhT9pOnzFwiHjthSldPFAUNXl8AYKJPMoI3Za9QWungRnw1isJu8vNJGAXBQFLddjEwK_QGvpJCEXcZjkWtA5DSo/s3437/P1140926.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2577" data-original-width="3437" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsp0ORw_YmrCqMmUWoeisWiFBxidleXAESW0MsWAU5bErqSxEgioKhT9pOnzFwiHjthSldPFAUNXl8AYKJPMoI3Za9QWungRnw1isJu8vNJGAXBQFLddjEwK_QGvpJCEXcZjkWtA5DSo/w400-h300/P1140926.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Popocatépetl (aka "smoking Popo"), the country's second highest peak</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTuEdf3W5xhQzssq71tUKprej7YfM5Vm9Qw5zDRciwwaqrByLj8qnViIc3n6Aj6hCHRDR2IzoGK1SbiPLM20CvFL9kBSYEAjYc1B57tLSrR9n7AmTwuVNXpsjaXIqT36mB2QU4irM4vI/s3426/P1140930.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2570" data-original-width="3426" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTuEdf3W5xhQzssq71tUKprej7YfM5Vm9Qw5zDRciwwaqrByLj8qnViIc3n6Aj6hCHRDR2IzoGK1SbiPLM20CvFL9kBSYEAjYc1B57tLSrR9n7AmTwuVNXpsjaXIqT36mB2QU4irM4vI/w400-h300/P1140930.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">church built on top of a pre-Hispanic pyramid, Cholula</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBn9tykmdF7mX5bOHA6KICNugi3LGV6wg7VbXGH5wvwXsK4ujsT15tG7EiWU-nT4loJ9pTMRd8bHg9ojIf4qWd7ScsJj3Wq7D4BrbmJY2Bq7QQPgwkktIShTy38R-l4ZVQ3h2btKxJmw/s3264/IMG_5154.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBn9tykmdF7mX5bOHA6KICNugi3LGV6wg7VbXGH5wvwXsK4ujsT15tG7EiWU-nT4loJ9pTMRd8bHg9ojIf4qWd7ScsJj3Wq7D4BrbmJY2Bq7QQPgwkktIShTy38R-l4ZVQ3h2btKxJmw/w400-h300/IMG_5154.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cholula main square</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The next day we visited Pantanos de Centla biosphere reserve in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabasco" target="_blank">Tabasco</a> province, where we saw crocodiles, turtles, iguanas, bats and herons amongst other things.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimF4HwNPOAMJnnEDlOaOj4OUFiKyeWRpavtWFMTTC4z9dRxsTBJjT43T4RQYbSyJdopHrnQIZGP05ARC__l8MGzK8vb0a24V2TGXPw3Tx0STJMdYBLatRJiRV8THE9b521ENcUR3sd9zo/s4000/P1140962.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimF4HwNPOAMJnnEDlOaOj4OUFiKyeWRpavtWFMTTC4z9dRxsTBJjT43T4RQYbSyJdopHrnQIZGP05ARC__l8MGzK8vb0a24V2TGXPw3Tx0STJMdYBLatRJiRV8THE9b521ENcUR3sd9zo/w400-h300/P1140962.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">bats, Pantanos de Centla</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGZzc9r9o6iN36lXzbcBIs-MZXfuUMYpswiTaR8NJUQPkGTOXg-jauiiHqSKZLRU2iz0sxh_8U-lqTEJJMlD2_TcjyZPzVw7jMXtN0hykrACtR1otAd9-aKU-4E2g3tsN18yZffY8CWo/s4000/P1140971.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGZzc9r9o6iN36lXzbcBIs-MZXfuUMYpswiTaR8NJUQPkGTOXg-jauiiHqSKZLRU2iz0sxh_8U-lqTEJJMlD2_TcjyZPzVw7jMXtN0hykrACtR1otAd9-aKU-4E2g3tsN18yZffY8CWo/w400-h300/P1140971.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">adult crocodile, Pantanos de Centla</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKbCqCsL3LczMegSuxTq3AMKPTY8mJ9BeVAmeA4NefKQVomShOOrVxs1digxXMxTb9Gb2yWLtHVe_KTr3tyu_u4NNsX-lr_Iz_0NvRDoxkL9_L7lTMEpJlT0ku4wxT1vMnPzNNa-wOlE/s2647/P1150005.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1985" data-original-width="2647" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKbCqCsL3LczMegSuxTq3AMKPTY8mJ9BeVAmeA4NefKQVomShOOrVxs1digxXMxTb9Gb2yWLtHVe_KTr3tyu_u4NNsX-lr_Iz_0NvRDoxkL9_L7lTMEpJlT0ku4wxT1vMnPzNNa-wOlE/w400-h300/P1150005.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">heron, Pantanos de Centla</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikR5NSlNVZt0H0u6YJYcvi2szFikeIptDzakO5dmRq4q7kXULrAJv6f_brBioTa6vSZC4WJt0pgHqJD7GPEXBEj4F-rP798VlrRTPsk0FVPYJ5PN6HNwCt4oUaoLT_gqrr7NgSMSkEVc0/s2290/P1150013.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1717" data-original-width="2290" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikR5NSlNVZt0H0u6YJYcvi2szFikeIptDzakO5dmRq4q7kXULrAJv6f_brBioTa6vSZC4WJt0pgHqJD7GPEXBEj4F-rP798VlrRTPsk0FVPYJ5PN6HNwCt4oUaoLT_gqrr7NgSMSkEVc0/w400-h300/P1150013.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">sunbathing juvenile crocodile & turtle, Pantanos de Centla</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtGV2A8C4XSKr57KsIOIhL9xfjknpWotX7IOnfLjIQ0BAh5raGlaCkiZCMBW7DkJN_OMhyxo7In6CYVf1RhUFxJJELDrOdWpszwCfLX7DWKF7oelQnmZkwV7Ilm4VXq4Pu3lvjq3Iqr4/s3374/P1150054.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2530" data-original-width="3374" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtGV2A8C4XSKr57KsIOIhL9xfjknpWotX7IOnfLjIQ0BAh5raGlaCkiZCMBW7DkJN_OMhyxo7In6CYVf1RhUFxJJELDrOdWpszwCfLX7DWKF7oelQnmZkwV7Ilm4VXq4Pu3lvjq3Iqr4/w400-h300/P1150054.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">iguana, Pantanos de Centla</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We then headed to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiapas" target="_blank">Chiapas</a>, and the next day after breakfast we visited our first Mayan site: the former city state of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palenque" target="_blank">Palenque</a>, which flourished up until AD 799.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtQv_ngGArp_K658YZLubKl3XhtpX213p3i07FPrDFUKrEn5uNHItxJjAVlavQSBLlegKFePAEPwpwPOa7lyww5SNVAAQgFLy4NBmYjeOFEUfRDkY9AmH9Ck846f-5NVKZvsc82Q1AZU/s4032/IMG_4805.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtQv_ngGArp_K658YZLubKl3XhtpX213p3i07FPrDFUKrEn5uNHItxJjAVlavQSBLlegKFePAEPwpwPOa7lyww5SNVAAQgFLy4NBmYjeOFEUfRDkY9AmH9Ck846f-5NVKZvsc82Q1AZU/w400-h300/IMG_4805.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican breakfast!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrif3pH7Zc1xFzR7lEtqD4Z61q1P-WXH4pt4MewTrBQSo0PJbqrv6hjkHhHCGd7fugVrQAigl_LcJJMEX3WWyzTgXLlUC7w30yJK3OjmIW0XJK1VPqPA4G5_TBtyvJkJDdaSVM89WxgI/s4000/P1150061.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrif3pH7Zc1xFzR7lEtqD4Z61q1P-WXH4pt4MewTrBQSo0PJbqrv6hjkHhHCGd7fugVrQAigl_LcJJMEX3WWyzTgXLlUC7w30yJK3OjmIW0XJK1VPqPA4G5_TBtyvJkJDdaSVM89WxgI/w300-h400/P1150061.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Palenque</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTE-FbjoJ0nPiI9NHVtGbrd1EzAeUUz-pHcb46Rn3kecuJd9MWcmXV3DU_-0f2DN_aW6W3D-LRiPnW38I7EpZp_SYH2TaAc89kgHzXwfvoLXLfci3od5qBix9nzab6posiyTybFD5_5BM/s3794/P1150074.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2846" data-original-width="3794" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTE-FbjoJ0nPiI9NHVtGbrd1EzAeUUz-pHcb46Rn3kecuJd9MWcmXV3DU_-0f2DN_aW6W3D-LRiPnW38I7EpZp_SYH2TaAc89kgHzXwfvoLXLfci3od5qBix9nzab6posiyTybFD5_5BM/w400-h300/P1150074.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Palenque</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Y3vWGAO54pOOzjJgqath9AStaYvAii5r4vB75djnd6eSH2u8kDw_cLYEp2jgSHPLFkkSodciA9Wsn2NgqLnRq-t60BNNmWqZsRdUQB7gDwn2OyG1OltjZMBLFj5MQFDuJRWgIh8IBy8/s3638/P1150132.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2728" data-original-width="3638" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Y3vWGAO54pOOzjJgqath9AStaYvAii5r4vB75djnd6eSH2u8kDw_cLYEp2jgSHPLFkkSodciA9Wsn2NgqLnRq-t60BNNmWqZsRdUQB7gDwn2OyG1OltjZMBLFj5MQFDuJRWgIh8IBy8/w400-h300/P1150132.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Palenque</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RfFw_rcox30fMoCXShu62mzGwgydKuosl4iz8SQdhTSaCXiOZr8Mg_Zf4O9hamrRvlC2N1T1iblY0pdb8tetNfCGrSyxIpz30rPy5Cy7unxOVesbd-rdyFIMXxXYcRgImN0mV8r22NQ/s4000/P1150139.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RfFw_rcox30fMoCXShu62mzGwgydKuosl4iz8SQdhTSaCXiOZr8Mg_Zf4O9hamrRvlC2N1T1iblY0pdb8tetNfCGrSyxIpz30rPy5Cy7unxOVesbd-rdyFIMXxXYcRgImN0mV8r22NQ/w300-h400/P1150139.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Palenque</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>In the afternoon we saw <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agouti" target="_blank">agoutis</a>, butterflies, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piñata" target="_blank">piñatas</a>, and a waterfall!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1cLSAvLEcooaeikmXI3NTl_pzdcG0EtcNhonq7y9mvP-XLUNzyubTilreIfVomLrhgyGT19KrrOxbqdl2kNfxTrDjlo_Z5MPJ3XJi1A1CjsO-wnfM9M24ie6gclVikOqkY90ErIZq0Q/s4032/IMG_4810.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1cLSAvLEcooaeikmXI3NTl_pzdcG0EtcNhonq7y9mvP-XLUNzyubTilreIfVomLrhgyGT19KrrOxbqdl2kNfxTrDjlo_Z5MPJ3XJi1A1CjsO-wnfM9M24ie6gclVikOqkY90ErIZq0Q/w300-h400/IMG_4810.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">piñata</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEb-TLzvYtsAHqWDv8Oni3Yccls6PqpxlgL4Lzf6II_pYEgTbRNuYw06kN7jnsnW8ml-VgQ_J7VYx7mNZgS8hR0up0fkJ7bWc5lFoWjTv8CLGhMCaTrApK9cOFevf1tbcI__IZ-40ccY/s3162/IMG_4815.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3162" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEb-TLzvYtsAHqWDv8Oni3Yccls6PqpxlgL4Lzf6II_pYEgTbRNuYw06kN7jnsnW8ml-VgQ_J7VYx7mNZgS8hR0up0fkJ7bWc5lFoWjTv8CLGhMCaTrApK9cOFevf1tbcI__IZ-40ccY/s320/IMG_4815.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misol-Ha waterfall </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2_liqziPi06c7XOfZn-waPA2c24-CDZ06VTBsUA84xWoU1HwyU4z6uBVE0xSycGDt9vt-i0klM9yEZxmHxIysT5ZiXvaSjr5tWrYTeWO08a-6G-1wUYPixR0_qZkcHST5hjnEL-lTC8/s3923/Misol+Ha+sign+.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2942" data-original-width="3923" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2_liqziPi06c7XOfZn-waPA2c24-CDZ06VTBsUA84xWoU1HwyU4z6uBVE0xSycGDt9vt-i0klM9yEZxmHxIysT5ZiXvaSjr5tWrYTeWO08a-6G-1wUYPixR0_qZkcHST5hjnEL-lTC8/w400-h300/Misol+Ha+sign+.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">trilingual sign at Misol-Ha waterfall</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEATM-7kl6V_yLNmzvW0IAKf8Wul6bUWe9AGKtHa0gNgr_uqyR0vfXYnN30GNu-TUW0iJSmCpqLv-IDCvduRdKKLoz1IcdDANFQe36CJHUXXzNAATI27ptCTn5v7m5cu8ktnsiMe18HJA/s3773/Misol+Ha+sign+French.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3773" data-original-width="2861" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEATM-7kl6V_yLNmzvW0IAKf8Wul6bUWe9AGKtHa0gNgr_uqyR0vfXYnN30GNu-TUW0iJSmCpqLv-IDCvduRdKKLoz1IcdDANFQe36CJHUXXzNAATI27ptCTn5v7m5cu8ktnsiMe18HJA/w305-h400/Misol+Ha+sign+French.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">close-up of the French sign at Misol-Ha waterfall</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaHZkMqX8NV1ukogTcPNm-lLytfle8MHOibApZF618YxyPjUpj5ARtvJEKeXninsGAQOeHULEEbbplqXZ-0cSrr2PM9QlidTY9jOxvRNXnD-siF5bj8bsO_ZgaXB0Z3ENru14QKo22J8/s3305/P1150157.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2478" data-original-width="3305" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaHZkMqX8NV1ukogTcPNm-lLytfle8MHOibApZF618YxyPjUpj5ARtvJEKeXninsGAQOeHULEEbbplqXZ-0cSrr2PM9QlidTY9jOxvRNXnD-siF5bj8bsO_ZgaXB0Z3ENru14QKo22J8/w400-h300/P1150157.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">agouti, a type of rodent </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The following day we visited what turned out to be one of my favourite sites: the ancient Mayan city of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaxchilan" target="_blank">Yaxchilan</a>, on the border with present-day Guatemala and only accessible by boat along the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usumacinta_River" target="_blank">Usumacinta river</a>. We set off early and the river was still covered by morning mist before the heat the of the day. As we were amongst the first to be there we had the site almost to ourselves – apart from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howler_monkey" target="_blank">howler monkeys</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIeaM9sEIa3SvspKtGkGUaiElIXQA4m_9jwqG-DM0HJvUbWAE5GtbfrdZj1Cg6pLy1TBZg820o-0VKed3rSr8TttsFl6TEwicFonk_TNdPNjrNM4hAwR14Zw0t_76kCCItTFESgwnP0A/s4000/P1150165.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIeaM9sEIa3SvspKtGkGUaiElIXQA4m_9jwqG-DM0HJvUbWAE5GtbfrdZj1Cg6pLy1TBZg820o-0VKed3rSr8TttsFl6TEwicFonk_TNdPNjrNM4hAwR14Zw0t_76kCCItTFESgwnP0A/w400-h300/P1150165.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travelling to Yaxchilan. Mexico to the left, Guatemala to the right</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WRIURKrOY98J3MmEm398o0jMcbTq84N4enN9E-v6FKKkYdDN9LGOWZbApnFJD4CfarjOz6SS0gTufijSHxzojPD3h3VTa8O_i4fRG5WxxGne8CNBTB44gVaaBHaFU9fY1ZJNCmRKRGA/s2988/P1150163.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2240" data-original-width="2988" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WRIURKrOY98J3MmEm398o0jMcbTq84N4enN9E-v6FKKkYdDN9LGOWZbApnFJD4CfarjOz6SS0gTufijSHxzojPD3h3VTa8O_i4fRG5WxxGne8CNBTB44gVaaBHaFU9fY1ZJNCmRKRGA/w400-h300/P1150163.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">turkey vulture, Usumacinta river</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GXxpVj02djimIA03qm1nwzj6SSR4y0R41-j0M_8eonwU5N_fEMeNgLhyphenhyphen1E0cA6kSlvg3CeMylP2_4dAUxgAITQJJWt6pdazluJiwZaw2GdBBqSdTLqDyJhJBZP2T-w966yrrlOWLdYw/s4000/P1150299.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GXxpVj02djimIA03qm1nwzj6SSR4y0R41-j0M_8eonwU5N_fEMeNgLhyphenhyphen1E0cA6kSlvg3CeMylP2_4dAUxgAITQJJWt6pdazluJiwZaw2GdBBqSdTLqDyJhJBZP2T-w966yrrlOWLdYw/w400-h300/P1150299.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guatemalan border town seen from the Usumacinta river</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fDFZCdSiKkqpBv33kLwAiOB920s8Ax11-M8-1sfi3wwZzbhXxqCBIoV0YiANK5Rs35dYQpO2m3W-vmxwb2wMKQZkVYdQv7R5FAr2rnJiD1WrpHuGFEc5Ux3-353WagSNyRCFC3b7RKE/s3168/P1150308.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2376" data-original-width="3168" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fDFZCdSiKkqpBv33kLwAiOB920s8Ax11-M8-1sfi3wwZzbhXxqCBIoV0YiANK5Rs35dYQpO2m3W-vmxwb2wMKQZkVYdQv7R5FAr2rnJiD1WrpHuGFEc5Ux3-353WagSNyRCFC3b7RKE/w400-h300/P1150308.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">spider monkey</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrzz8J6Px5WjWeSaJ6tK4q24veafoeQzpip1GhLNVKP1J6Vf89uG3gzPYu0hMRAVP0ux1hvWl5L4jYcNH3C7A2mvM2NoJ8hfa-bdLKAVXanMAOjOUvJrQ9Sxwh4H7jSu7yNBcdCpUUQQ/s2463/P1150247.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="2463" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrzz8J6Px5WjWeSaJ6tK4q24veafoeQzpip1GhLNVKP1J6Vf89uG3gzPYu0hMRAVP0ux1hvWl5L4jYcNH3C7A2mvM2NoJ8hfa-bdLKAVXanMAOjOUvJrQ9Sxwh4H7jSu7yNBcdCpUUQQ/w400-h139/P1150247.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Yaxchilan</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWqMCcseYGZiTLvtObCQHFV_dBBL0CdsPoBRELRR7YZMhjKtUKwTt279K7lvHyzQ4MxbL8A7pvPlUbL05ZiNd4Jy02HvAdSL2so6Sflz4ReARAcT_5eZEv4Yn4WL2JlrhVacJmAQmTRwY/s4000/P1150252.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWqMCcseYGZiTLvtObCQHFV_dBBL0CdsPoBRELRR7YZMhjKtUKwTt279K7lvHyzQ4MxbL8A7pvPlUbL05ZiNd4Jy02HvAdSL2so6Sflz4ReARAcT_5eZEv4Yn4WL2JlrhVacJmAQmTRwY/w400-h300/P1150252.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Yaxchilan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTvtSBDpy-S_qwesA-TU0wkhlyGwTomMyDOqDnla5KCbJkvgeknW8T9nhthdbacq6mjw_Ll7QbeiUZGHwUVYsY7yTpXYQj40rpqFlJDOoGenW1SfH0-H9EinmH8MXP_6qHfoN3ictR3Q/s4000/P1150262.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTvtSBDpy-S_qwesA-TU0wkhlyGwTomMyDOqDnla5KCbJkvgeknW8T9nhthdbacq6mjw_Ll7QbeiUZGHwUVYsY7yTpXYQj40rpqFlJDOoGenW1SfH0-H9EinmH8MXP_6qHfoN3ictR3Q/w400-h300/P1150262.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Yaxchilan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHynaxfDpijuAOxU2QzwgqKCCNlrJlCXhK6Wxe_bFJ-U6EHXabSQU3yIpWJfJG5wp7xJ_b3M00VTeC7MgzcQx8_NXt65-BQZ-yrhUdXJ_V4l89X-_NlGMjKcxlL175teQn0R1gf2QjpAc/s4000/P1150263.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHynaxfDpijuAOxU2QzwgqKCCNlrJlCXhK6Wxe_bFJ-U6EHXabSQU3yIpWJfJG5wp7xJ_b3M00VTeC7MgzcQx8_NXt65-BQZ-yrhUdXJ_V4l89X-_NlGMjKcxlL175teQn0R1gf2QjpAc/w400-h300/P1150263.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Yaxchilan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eDA9HatcjXr9B4dQ0nkt_Ch-bkhjcyOIR7JDGB2pzcYkYpClnLEHX_Fh-r2NNORb5bcrZHDL9Tde90-MZqrbZuai0ZZWjEegPI28rW8yIEAYfjF01LmGP-x2YJUioiu9q2C-F9iV1q8/s4000/P1150293.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eDA9HatcjXr9B4dQ0nkt_Ch-bkhjcyOIR7JDGB2pzcYkYpClnLEHX_Fh-r2NNORb5bcrZHDL9Tde90-MZqrbZuai0ZZWjEegPI28rW8yIEAYfjF01LmGP-x2YJUioiu9q2C-F9iV1q8/w400-h300/P1150293.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Yaxchilan</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Maya site of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonampak" target="_blank">Bonampak</a> is smaller and less important than Yaxchilan, 30km away, but it has some of the best-preserved Mayan murals known to exist, dating from the eighth century AD (depicting war and human sacrifice!)</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOttEs-_R1AoH28X4QwKMmz-q-No65Y2cO1yCKPSirFKut6_dg6gk6UmqfYUoD443OFDzLu8JMLrI0OzONivRtHWSOxnx7wFUe_qwpERR9RCI-2E-0KsoaIbQ-S2p_JgUVzOcAnc49n0/s4032/IMG_4868.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOttEs-_R1AoH28X4QwKMmz-q-No65Y2cO1yCKPSirFKut6_dg6gk6UmqfYUoD443OFDzLu8JMLrI0OzONivRtHWSOxnx7wFUe_qwpERR9RCI-2E-0KsoaIbQ-S2p_JgUVzOcAnc49n0/w400-h300/IMG_4868.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">at Bonampak</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTh_brDzcbHTPmnH472Xk9V24qidU0DCOhxWkTgbPh6W2PIbWlL6WImJ550v_hYB1_ujEGGSxs2a-ab4GdruyjvtqEBKRX2DIHoL7TVs7CxFlp0hT7u0tMW0kS2U05sJ3xQMYZTuPg19E/s3896/P1150318.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2922" data-original-width="3896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTh_brDzcbHTPmnH472Xk9V24qidU0DCOhxWkTgbPh6W2PIbWlL6WImJ550v_hYB1_ujEGGSxs2a-ab4GdruyjvtqEBKRX2DIHoL7TVs7CxFlp0hT7u0tMW0kS2U05sJ3xQMYZTuPg19E/w400-h300/P1150318.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">at Bonampak</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEPSAibP1l4TEvmGgrnbieDZFcPxTUbE2bwGuxIW3BaBJQSdIDvHztEQfR_mGq_yNp6xMtMDUlka5atDqFu-Od5-VyYA15zsiDB1q9h_v1B973jzpkMgC614mxAwg5ztRrrHEcuYrz04/s4000/P1150330.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEPSAibP1l4TEvmGgrnbieDZFcPxTUbE2bwGuxIW3BaBJQSdIDvHztEQfR_mGq_yNp6xMtMDUlka5atDqFu-Od5-VyYA15zsiDB1q9h_v1B973jzpkMgC614mxAwg5ztRrrHEcuYrz04/w300-h400/P1150330.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">example of the murals at Bonampak</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirughVFvX78KPmSdWIKnH5bIJ2YSxpn-r4pb10bP0r1TbmSh6tmhBXZFaA3uCs84EBcy6aGQ8YFwWHTOLRbllZGLxC9ncbmOsYpZBXnyeEqWnxDU8uuVp3pDU8o8p6mvtkg8vVPr3CRtc/s4000/P1150344.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirughVFvX78KPmSdWIKnH5bIJ2YSxpn-r4pb10bP0r1TbmSh6tmhBXZFaA3uCs84EBcy6aGQ8YFwWHTOLRbllZGLxC9ncbmOsYpZBXnyeEqWnxDU8uuVp3pDU8o8p6mvtkg8vVPr3CRtc/w400-h300/P1150344.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">at Bonampak, looking down</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVw2DvtANLexZdNw3Al5CEyVUUcZcLJMRNCNn8DxktGVdJXxhs80Yxq6faQSPqMF288IH90bSdpoldSk20W0YS4V5AEJmfYGMKPglkM_aqNVJ07IKXgdVxfpav_8JzIA0eouKf5jYSU4/s3000/P1150317.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVw2DvtANLexZdNw3Al5CEyVUUcZcLJMRNCNn8DxktGVdJXxhs80Yxq6faQSPqMF288IH90bSdpoldSk20W0YS4V5AEJmfYGMKPglkM_aqNVJ07IKXgdVxfpav_8JzIA0eouKf5jYSU4/w266-h400/P1150317.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">at Bonampak</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The next day we visited some waterfalls and rapids whose name (very aptly) translates as "Hidden Paradise".</div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46yvuT4iig-eioNEuYw0q7NgK87v_p_jR19lqc_iYy_GrGjn52nhqMh4qb8YOpBnlcqftkK39-aV3r3xOby2ph43wUa_Hn5xoFIzndZO8slN52f0hK4XlXHWf9RzF70lMjUvgC3NJbUM/s4000/P1150365.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46yvuT4iig-eioNEuYw0q7NgK87v_p_jR19lqc_iYy_GrGjn52nhqMh4qb8YOpBnlcqftkK39-aV3r3xOby2ph43wUa_Hn5xoFIzndZO8slN52f0hK4XlXHWf9RzF70lMjUvgC3NJbUM/w400-h300/P1150365.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgcO7hgQIiOCx6B200di4gmyRsdo8HloyoRsjR4cbiXyycJBgWl9pNVcxFtFhwYNqUpIKIAPsQQx0p3QXy3PEkhMcTJC7kYr_wolod-q8QGBuoYOLEIz20fBHezqpseM8hc_Xx7p_zyU/s4000/P1150368.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgcO7hgQIiOCx6B200di4gmyRsdo8HloyoRsjR4cbiXyycJBgWl9pNVcxFtFhwYNqUpIKIAPsQQx0p3QXy3PEkhMcTJC7kYr_wolod-q8QGBuoYOLEIz20fBHezqpseM8hc_Xx7p_zyU/w400-h300/P1150368.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOoR_b8xtNZDd9ju4wrmgCgYXP2JiA6cH-Ux6_omB0HVyrdbSjJEQ9CHwanZThRs_2AiIEkkDtu4ntHQDA0DCcNtsK99-LbWhV5Sni440fDP6du4bAWU4luFnjte4cDZ4Tpw6GUV-7Yk/s4000/P1150387.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOoR_b8xtNZDd9ju4wrmgCgYXP2JiA6cH-Ux6_omB0HVyrdbSjJEQ9CHwanZThRs_2AiIEkkDtu4ntHQDA0DCcNtsK99-LbWhV5Sni440fDP6du4bAWU4luFnjte4cDZ4Tpw6GUV-7Yk/w400-h300/P1150387.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnx4p6Nkpn4o0XKtlBVudecJLmtnkhyphenhyphenH94tLAj53kZ1rQf5G2lJw9yimztSuEMvLsiXmFiQz9ToV_ZQfkgFOJNXP14zjuMan2Y8QNeE5AgIhQU8JHyCCwGkK2D_WE4EvfvJS3gySXmPOQ/s4000/P1150399.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnx4p6Nkpn4o0XKtlBVudecJLmtnkhyphenhyphenH94tLAj53kZ1rQf5G2lJw9yimztSuEMvLsiXmFiQz9ToV_ZQfkgFOJNXP14zjuMan2Y8QNeE5AgIhQU8JHyCCwGkK2D_WE4EvfvJS3gySXmPOQ/w400-h300/P1150399.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That evening we stayed in a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacandon_people" target="_blank">Lacandon</a> Indian village. Lacandon are Mayan peoples whose homeland is the Lacandon jungle.</div></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnYEPszSUq-d8zBKGXA9Ti_F5CG-qEwqpiiDV_K05gav8f-bqlC_X_3bvGWR3jd3DVlNdz-eY85Kvn7XA5_csnqccYZBjcGMCYPfFheH7kZwMu5ssObItYBWgSUSzQzn3aWbR_zzfiLQ/s3170/IMG_7794.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2413" data-original-width="3170" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnYEPszSUq-d8zBKGXA9Ti_F5CG-qEwqpiiDV_K05gav8f-bqlC_X_3bvGWR3jd3DVlNdz-eY85Kvn7XA5_csnqccYZBjcGMCYPfFheH7kZwMu5ssObItYBWgSUSzQzn3aWbR_zzfiLQ/w400-h305/IMG_7794.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">little Lacandon girl</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JwpT6nUn77IGQ96GqOorWEe4H-KTnWIRzHqnQBwTvJefFWXW2tQXqeJingx15N5gu6DH1CbKfS4edYJMEqkcHvPlKyqlbtRYq7F3Q3VC_vRaJ7WiU-QKDkDcbSxyUrxnLU2I4bpzr1o/s2830/IMG_7830.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2122" data-original-width="2830" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JwpT6nUn77IGQ96GqOorWEe4H-KTnWIRzHqnQBwTvJefFWXW2tQXqeJingx15N5gu6DH1CbKfS4edYJMEqkcHvPlKyqlbtRYq7F3Q3VC_vRaJ7WiU-QKDkDcbSxyUrxnLU2I4bpzr1o/w400-h300/IMG_7830.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the turkey that escaped Christmas!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAg8w4UT-kt4B1SACYmnDqe4gRDEuz9jWT5LLIRf1vrtb_Lb54FSTmnBcn5ebKDPj0h3Ps0IGawiz6pbuXbC3mfgfaXzfCoKP711uWPxpHd_teAhtQ0hNKZDFrVT3l6OPV1roEpUUgtw/s2710/IMG_7838.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2032" data-original-width="2710" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAg8w4UT-kt4B1SACYmnDqe4gRDEuz9jWT5LLIRf1vrtb_Lb54FSTmnBcn5ebKDPj0h3Ps0IGawiz6pbuXbC3mfgfaXzfCoKP711uWPxpHd_teAhtQ0hNKZDFrVT3l6OPV1roEpUUgtw/w400-h300/IMG_7838.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Beware: jaguar crossing"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwYwdaFADE_Bw5i8QCISp0Doo-777ATSYr7X7VS8HgkC_UMu6AAMBK_6rY6smJ6PMdhLH5o1Kp286NW3tionnUhRkZXNIu3uSsiGliBvFb3dnhiQW1zVGercYv8_NkYm7tkUBcXMtIoY/s2946/IMG_7860.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2209" data-original-width="2946" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwYwdaFADE_Bw5i8QCISp0Doo-777ATSYr7X7VS8HgkC_UMu6AAMBK_6rY6smJ6PMdhLH5o1Kp286NW3tionnUhRkZXNIu3uSsiGliBvFb3dnhiQW1zVGercYv8_NkYm7tkUBcXMtIoY/w400-h300/IMG_7860.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">getting a trimmer from A to B</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We were now in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapatista_Army_of_National_Liberation" target="_blank">Zapatista</a> rebel territory!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvz5Fc9dsI29oTOtzzk0AlKslPNdkqYTtNEanuVBzDRYPnRPsauaWF2JLhfWhqwkaNNAa96EumMVei-skb5_-33PS3XfTSFh-pstXtDG_k7wbmfogT5Pp2BKcWynp21d89PvMr8V5RfpM/s4000/P1150426.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvz5Fc9dsI29oTOtzzk0AlKslPNdkqYTtNEanuVBzDRYPnRPsauaWF2JLhfWhqwkaNNAa96EumMVei-skb5_-33PS3XfTSFh-pstXtDG_k7wbmfogT5Pp2BKcWynp21d89PvMr8V5RfpM/w400-h300/P1150426.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"You are in Zapatista rebel territory, <br />here the people rule and the government obeys"</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrés_Manuel_López_Obrador" target="_blank">new Mexican President</a> with a tough stance on drugs was sworn in about 5 weeks before our trip and we saw a lot of armed soldiers near the Guatemalan border, apparently for that reason. Our car even got stopped and searched on one occasion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_txTwxxvE10I9ySncBjwSSt5tgRQ_U7nTTCzToYqgXqKryIWie9drZsxVIs0yAjphdgE8FY2zSStIlX7SXwNZGZIen3IsZliAQ0x0uE_q_BGxRIVFShIW_HWedRWDGv0ttch8e9TFFug/s2483/IMG_5024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2483" data-original-width="2483" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_txTwxxvE10I9ySncBjwSSt5tgRQ_U7nTTCzToYqgXqKryIWie9drZsxVIs0yAjphdgE8FY2zSStIlX7SXwNZGZIen3IsZliAQ0x0uE_q_BGxRIVFShIW_HWedRWDGv0ttch8e9TFFug/w400-h400/IMG_5024.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Still in Chiapas we visited <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagunas_de_Montebello_National_Park" target="_blank">Lagunas de Montebello National Park</a>, which comprises 59 multi-coloured lakes in a pine forest and two Maya ruins. In 2009 it was designated a Biosphere Reserve by <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search/label/UNESCO" target="_blank">UNESCO</a>.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVX7eJKohONvI_RuDClW-BUXXdzUWLct3qz5au_4zip-2d8LIvKNmZm_V1Xhc1YYUQ6axrzd-ph7yeVREaPHCmUan3prSqk1NXL78nGsC-iRpnVi96EFRerL1tFLrFIAXfQ579YzHhiSo/s4000/P1150429.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVX7eJKohONvI_RuDClW-BUXXdzUWLct3qz5au_4zip-2d8LIvKNmZm_V1Xhc1YYUQ6axrzd-ph7yeVREaPHCmUan3prSqk1NXL78nGsC-iRpnVi96EFRerL1tFLrFIAXfQ579YzHhiSo/w400-h300/P1150429.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lagunas de Montebello</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The nearby Las Nubes Ecotourism center is located in the Las Margaritas municipality near the Guatemalan border. The area features a number of turquoise blue waterfalls with bridges and lookout points set up to see them up close.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbsfMvDXC40nOhUXhdH-QVqv4Kx368105cT2CnlyyGbETKhyphenhyphen3gh-LrKwQ38Nm4rwh_9bf2UqrVjIMKaNxw6PIZuZolHF76JnM54xLe2yyDpCNt4_RDYhWnRx62fMZK4Xs-mPujl4ehBI/s4000/P1150408.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbsfMvDXC40nOhUXhdH-QVqv4Kx368105cT2CnlyyGbETKhyphenhyphen3gh-LrKwQ38Nm4rwh_9bf2UqrVjIMKaNxw6PIZuZolHF76JnM54xLe2yyDpCNt4_RDYhWnRx62fMZK4Xs-mPujl4ehBI/w400-h300/P1150408.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Las Nubes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hAIEmHIqNm4gFpnwZiMPX7_qD5x4Q4dtbWN2T3nVNFOakSFsZ9GP8Az1x5I2Xl9l5NqJo4rCvmsNXk-wbaEXvxhc0k0hX_R9zkF_AA4KmYLxGTtjkuWRAl5FrVSyX7oLevZA2z3pCCw/s4000/P1150416.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hAIEmHIqNm4gFpnwZiMPX7_qD5x4Q4dtbWN2T3nVNFOakSFsZ9GP8Az1x5I2Xl9l5NqJo4rCvmsNXk-wbaEXvxhc0k0hX_R9zkF_AA4KmYLxGTtjkuWRAl5FrVSyX7oLevZA2z3pCCw/w400-h300/P1150416.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">here at Las Nubas we were actually looking down at <br />where we were the previous day <span style="text-align: left;">("Hidden Paradise")</span></td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The final day of 2018 saw us in colourful <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Cristóbal_de_las_Casas" target="_blank">San Cristobal de las Casas</a>. Further away from the Guatemalan border, it was state capital until 1892, and today is still considered the cultural capital of Chiapas.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4Q2ljqfvxYhznO1t48UOBgqJvKZwCn1ACA9u2PcNjGRG0t2VH0Ait3CX_zTcQLokY5zNBnkTnyMqJ2BvNDMoYisMHwZcFxYyml06-a5LLSPqPWqQ-LWtYtwoV0BVMPSGUMi8F93wBGE/s4032/IMG_5035.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4Q2ljqfvxYhznO1t48UOBgqJvKZwCn1ACA9u2PcNjGRG0t2VH0Ait3CX_zTcQLokY5zNBnkTnyMqJ2BvNDMoYisMHwZcFxYyml06-a5LLSPqPWqQ-LWtYtwoV0BVMPSGUMi8F93wBGE/w400-h300/IMG_5035.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Santo Domingo church, San Cristobal de las Casas</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjJDzPbceRERdAA6XMiI9T6JBI9LY_12efHGycVR8sL4AB7y0WrwFa7zWgCSjaSC0xmBvuvteub7ThCEySgYZAPGG00inG2LEojLwI1kO-7Yk8mijir0uz0FqUstcEPnyEdr1JURIX6c/s3405/IMG_5038.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2554" data-original-width="3405" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjJDzPbceRERdAA6XMiI9T6JBI9LY_12efHGycVR8sL4AB7y0WrwFa7zWgCSjaSC0xmBvuvteub7ThCEySgYZAPGG00inG2LEojLwI1kO-7Yk8mijir0uz0FqUstcEPnyEdr1JURIX6c/w400-h300/IMG_5038.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">street, San Cristobal de las Casas</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOM-YhpUVkhY3e_Og8GBnYR4El7GMPD5SSJGPg9hmYkxkMOQ9DSmT4TZR9EJRTRCzbuKLLhwHusIRB7sU3XQS8-2IeXELM9WLxPx_0aHUHBkrNrDlNxFCppiB0_s3Sryx9725pGgPk8IQ/s4000/P1150457.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOM-YhpUVkhY3e_Og8GBnYR4El7GMPD5SSJGPg9hmYkxkMOQ9DSmT4TZR9EJRTRCzbuKLLhwHusIRB7sU3XQS8-2IeXELM9WLxPx_0aHUHBkrNrDlNxFCppiB0_s3Sryx9725pGgPk8IQ/w300-h400/P1150457.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking across the town</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhHvqxGSiPAXzQPcUtfVGbgfoTSoRv_SY-vTfr0uDBHviZCM_eMp8pxs-aeXo2x7SDa_i-6beBwA1tKrcN-Q2LxpZ4sDsBLARv0DZC0DplP77BWbzm6qinuabKkorRvc8Pk_6r7hS9YM/s3800/P1150472.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1601" data-original-width="3800" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhHvqxGSiPAXzQPcUtfVGbgfoTSoRv_SY-vTfr0uDBHviZCM_eMp8pxs-aeXo2x7SDa_i-6beBwA1tKrcN-Q2LxpZ4sDsBLARv0DZC0DplP77BWbzm6qinuabKkorRvc8Pk_6r7hS9YM/w400-h170/P1150472.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On 1st January 1994 San Cristobal was one of the sites of a <br />Zapatista rebel uprising, and the fight continues!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePzTqVz7NpScvfE3wOZNOv5a99tj7FZVP-1XvwExUF4qpQqBhGrXz6M4Z6v30mQ0PU06EOFvyIE70gIjfdI252TDQke5uBhk9KIpEFax30s9skTW_veRfD0trzIuTvDUC_7Bxo1_Mdro/s3304/P1150474.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2322" data-original-width="3304" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePzTqVz7NpScvfE3wOZNOv5a99tj7FZVP-1XvwExUF4qpQqBhGrXz6M4Z6v30mQ0PU06EOFvyIE70gIjfdI252TDQke5uBhk9KIpEFax30s9skTW_veRfD0trzIuTvDUC_7Bxo1_Mdro/w400-h281/P1150474.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Times; font-size: 16px;">street, San Cristobal de las Casas</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7R8pmUnN9zA7s3tn0WICE-qAuEps4Dj3r9_NvRKdgmSpUvxm234yyZH6wCPLsNG61wnH6_R4ugv1L26OXbwnF8yZWU6jQJMcYrAVXih73-c3hyjMyGGiPop4wVq2Ee8qW04eufeUY5LA/s3732/P1150490.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2798" data-original-width="3732" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7R8pmUnN9zA7s3tn0WICE-qAuEps4Dj3r9_NvRKdgmSpUvxm234yyZH6wCPLsNG61wnH6_R4ugv1L26OXbwnF8yZWU6jQJMcYrAVXih73-c3hyjMyGGiPop4wVq2Ee8qW04eufeUY5LA/w400-h300/P1150490.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Times; font-size: 16px;">Cathedral of San Cristobal de las Casas</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1NHRbTmIh-tqW7CAu47XojVr1tpozXf1LJP9KG79tBqNKlqnPj73sLTM4psHksDpVcmTIm_s8YxhznNkkPS7bvy82SmP-WAupytpc4S767IuWREIbsqA2UwYJ5tHJ2ZTS5DEoIF0RxE/s4000/Cerro+de+Guadalupe.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1NHRbTmIh-tqW7CAu47XojVr1tpozXf1LJP9KG79tBqNKlqnPj73sLTM4psHksDpVcmTIm_s8YxhznNkkPS7bvy82SmP-WAupytpc4S767IuWREIbsqA2UwYJ5tHJ2ZTS5DEoIF0RxE/w400-h300/Cerro+de+Guadalupe.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cerro de Guadalupe church (note bunting in the colours of the Mexican flag)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimi87i0IdP191ptY_OsepoBwzv61HsE1gEltv0Jb4EC-XFR6pz9V-uHUC0SgfrbH8XPAg8Fpz7kwb5pcdcwH8ojmo5Md62Gj3CYu3V5UKJhVMHundPFW9uMiLzJ5s_LarMckUu2r4viUQ/s4000/P1150482.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimi87i0IdP191ptY_OsepoBwzv61HsE1gEltv0Jb4EC-XFR6pz9V-uHUC0SgfrbH8XPAg8Fpz7kwb5pcdcwH8ojmo5Md62Gj3CYu3V5UKJhVMHundPFW9uMiLzJ5s_LarMckUu2r4viUQ/w400-h300/P1150482.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another view of Cerro de Guadalupe</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">On New Year's Day we visited Grutas de Rancho Nuevo Ecotourism Centre, a set of caves with stalagmites and stalactites.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEJ9Vc3Jm05PnwFWipXPv4BHdlblKwB5Z60Oem9-M7Ay3ZPqEjpf8V-dH3BUpU1XB9PMNOmtD3SaPrX1H9or9yaz42jLFUX0VTnEuGUWEQC9uX864wMKzmuvAMvbp_lVfd6g_eJ9IQHQ/s4000/Grutas+de+San+Cristobal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEJ9Vc3Jm05PnwFWipXPv4BHdlblKwB5Z60Oem9-M7Ay3ZPqEjpf8V-dH3BUpU1XB9PMNOmtD3SaPrX1H9or9yaz42jLFUX0VTnEuGUWEQC9uX864wMKzmuvAMvbp_lVfd6g_eJ9IQHQ/w300-h400/Grutas+de+San+Cristobal.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Grutas de Rancho</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The next day my husband and I flew from San Cristobal to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancún" target="_blank">Cancun</a> in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucatán_Peninsula" target="_blank">Yucatan peninsula</a>, where we soon went diving. Our first dive was at the MUSA (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancún_Underwater_Museum" target="_blank">Museo Subacuático de Arte</a>) which is the largest underwater museum in the world (500 sculptures, though we didn't see them all!). It combines art with conservation as it aims to save the nearby coral reefs by providing an alternative destination for divers.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMh4va_yVPLRzS5bNkw_zZW460OSgLi7IbKAEoy4Te8Enz6baonxslqZbpDJu2uoBo-qYkGc5FY2U1oXEs1ZwDpwl7MxYbc0PDyDIrsW8_4PWxBRYJuul3OpAYqIo9jaBq5sfO9fM3U1o/s853/DpE1qJtUYAAcJrl.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="853" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMh4va_yVPLRzS5bNkw_zZW460OSgLi7IbKAEoy4Te8Enz6baonxslqZbpDJu2uoBo-qYkGc5FY2U1oXEs1ZwDpwl7MxYbc0PDyDIrsW8_4PWxBRYJuul3OpAYqIo9jaBq5sfO9fM3U1o/w400-h266/DpE1qJtUYAAcJrl.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">© MUSA</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZEMZbRffMAUk506pczq5ceIk5ygYd0vrZLDHswoV-Gw5aoniEAfIpcyQ7MUtjI8PV8ypix74iOy4q7sxvWR2d44A129pgy3yoB9cBsAoD3N1FN0ux3OwE_1OF37orEBBLgYjOleFegQ/s853/DpVpzchV4AAhrgE.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="853" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZEMZbRffMAUk506pczq5ceIk5ygYd0vrZLDHswoV-Gw5aoniEAfIpcyQ7MUtjI8PV8ypix74iOy4q7sxvWR2d44A129pgy3yoB9cBsAoD3N1FN0ux3OwE_1OF37orEBBLgYjOleFegQ/w400-h266/DpVpzchV4AAhrgE.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this sculpture is called "The Bankers" <span style="text-align: justify;">© MUSA</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_W8A90Cuus1M6cdevUxCVs6j6Y_htwijkCq68YJK4Huzp0kgPJLlmbmVoT9Yg2NmbEEsvLoDwr6ydy8TSP6uD9OHCt0b__pE-XohIHzUH9wreHg4ZNvEnSjWyvezCPTInkUK0XQ7nDE8/s225/images.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_W8A90Cuus1M6cdevUxCVs6j6Y_htwijkCq68YJK4Huzp0kgPJLlmbmVoT9Yg2NmbEEsvLoDwr6ydy8TSP6uD9OHCt0b__pE-XohIHzUH9wreHg4ZNvEnSjWyvezCPTInkUK0XQ7nDE8/w400-h400/images.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volkswagen car <span style="text-align: justify;">© MUSA</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEq_5FJ5a5z5zGWxKug8xWMspZL_RmwMI_wwF2fKeEEk0ThblGVtGixdYXWPhaWAAh6A1BCaU9Uv0T7iyjnQvGhJJIeB3fXRPzIv3oxXIbsUhASyGvFhcqfd80oHoSw43aJol1Sj94XyY/s1200/MUSA-Cancuns-Underwater-Museum-VDPCcover.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEq_5FJ5a5z5zGWxKug8xWMspZL_RmwMI_wwF2fKeEEk0ThblGVtGixdYXWPhaWAAh6A1BCaU9Uv0T7iyjnQvGhJJIeB3fXRPzIv3oxXIbsUhASyGvFhcqfd80oHoSw43aJol1Sj94XyY/w400-h266/MUSA-Cancuns-Underwater-Museum-VDPCcover.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">© MUSA</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We then hired a car and headed inland across the Yucatan Peninsula. Our first stop was at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekʼ_Balam" target="_blank">Ek' Balam</a>, the seat of a Mayan kingdom until about 1100 AD.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjyVRFEWOp3vPCtb5xpmueqPubc7FLj74LCUy041WqpONKkftDKqXEJ1Za1VZOKE1LbCCzHtDJIATrd4nzfUW17KnJBZexcmg9Nn3dpVcySfgzVwne8Xb0GP50sWtpWYgoKDiK9aWE-s/s3327/P1150531.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2494" data-original-width="3327" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjyVRFEWOp3vPCtb5xpmueqPubc7FLj74LCUy041WqpONKkftDKqXEJ1Za1VZOKE1LbCCzHtDJIATrd4nzfUW17KnJBZexcmg9Nn3dpVcySfgzVwne8Xb0GP50sWtpWYgoKDiK9aWE-s/w400-h300/P1150531.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Mayans use mobile phones these days!</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRy1N5YcEGHo82wNyo2cctNUvyvFFNudxy62haM8X3lZ5X9jPKGNa3WcYKoq8veC1kGMxICcAASkUfic82kvR08IZJdIAcLtEcETn7Y9HozCAiBcPA00lutdxENp2RBXOahT3xvPCrOBQ/s4000/P1150539.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRy1N5YcEGHo82wNyo2cctNUvyvFFNudxy62haM8X3lZ5X9jPKGNa3WcYKoq8veC1kGMxICcAASkUfic82kvR08IZJdIAcLtEcETn7Y9HozCAiBcPA00lutdxENp2RBXOahT3xvPCrOBQ/w400-h300/P1150539.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zona Arqueológica De Ek Balam, Yucatán</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrefMPTOz-SKdTU12ztCIj7gwpSgBC2V02-W6Wcovec2F-H4W_48cl0WMhcmztpeF8fK9PsiEu7vUm4W4FQpBAuQPVyX02205SB5zsV3VoXG1cYp2IunZYBp9QAK3Di-6X9TsWpM8bR0/s4000/P1150552.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrefMPTOz-SKdTU12ztCIj7gwpSgBC2V02-W6Wcovec2F-H4W_48cl0WMhcmztpeF8fK9PsiEu7vUm4W4FQpBAuQPVyX02205SB5zsV3VoXG1cYp2IunZYBp9QAK3Di-6X9TsWpM8bR0/w400-h300/P1150552.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">there are about 140 steep steps & 32 metres to the top of the Acropolis!</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_BYD5BlpwLQv9WZtnS3wEaOFJ0_GwOQ_gstvfstLEu2O_JeFnHsH_8k4buvNyVpReaHo9k8wEPnZdaZuJ3GKunsF9i4AWh2u12nTEY0BBHwqfUBcyecRxm5owZK1yBTkAIWMXma8RhA/s4000/P1150559.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_BYD5BlpwLQv9WZtnS3wEaOFJ0_GwOQ_gstvfstLEu2O_JeFnHsH_8k4buvNyVpReaHo9k8wEPnZdaZuJ3GKunsF9i4AWh2u12nTEY0BBHwqfUBcyecRxm5owZK1yBTkAIWMXma8RhA/w400-h300/P1150559.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top of the Acropolis</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2G3C6YNfnVCxdwp0_-YPhaEI2S0ZCnUSZm-F61smVPgkVvP1Sorl5vqW3mV9gbwLMsDJuIOA9yJhks8IWLZS2sl1k4jpgOZIGJGJlBsM_vAP0NE0znAu4T3zQgnIP2fjIxzfT1VLJdE4/s4000/P1150568.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2G3C6YNfnVCxdwp0_-YPhaEI2S0ZCnUSZm-F61smVPgkVvP1Sorl5vqW3mV9gbwLMsDJuIOA9yJhks8IWLZS2sl1k4jpgOZIGJGJlBsM_vAP0NE0znAu4T3zQgnIP2fjIxzfT1VLJdE4/w400-h300/P1150568.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of a winged figure</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We then headed to Rio Lagartos in the north of the peninsula to see their famed pink flamingos, but were rather underwhelmed and didn't find it worth the detour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCPbzRJAepleuZY6byQnsgXQC2YIFW-Ep7WwMgOyflqFRN9DfUWl0lZK2LBj1-V1QR1xrcf3h4emlSDSuu-7j546eiKEqh7BBleXz7UvIj9JuYZFQ3d0FZ2LZZ2JIcLyg3I64nTpbobk/s4000/P1150584.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCPbzRJAepleuZY6byQnsgXQC2YIFW-Ep7WwMgOyflqFRN9DfUWl0lZK2LBj1-V1QR1xrcf3h4emlSDSuu-7j546eiKEqh7BBleXz7UvIj9JuYZFQ3d0FZ2LZZ2JIcLyg3I64nTpbobk/w400-h300/P1150584.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some pink flamingos at Rio Lagartos</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We stayed overnight at Valladolid and visited our first <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenote" target="_blank">cenote</a></i> the next day. Cenotes are limestone freshwater sinkholes only found in Yucatan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywLH4STug8aSVh4wf2sQ4lZdtSTcLEaHMbuPN0elEqOsDP5ARtAKQ0Sd1k-rSBdc483Y93RNuTCMYt801q4IX8TLG2-whDR7PIEJE-7vAIagkkGqq_bG-c_a8e2EzyAx6cGvwROR9eto/s3890/P1150587.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3890" data-original-width="2917" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywLH4STug8aSVh4wf2sQ4lZdtSTcLEaHMbuPN0elEqOsDP5ARtAKQ0Sd1k-rSBdc483Y93RNuTCMYt801q4IX8TLG2-whDR7PIEJE-7vAIagkkGqq_bG-c_a8e2EzyAx6cGvwROR9eto/w300-h400/P1150587.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our hotel in Valladolid was one of the prettiest we stayed in</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbbl5lpQYUinJ5K3cgS92FK3fmHwmi-XTRaoflHz2Z_e-i2012n78T2WsB648Qk84vC4qF7erEb1yDXrrP-_wjO_thjfQkP8m7z-R-iREECau1tfSSQ_UtDtV-RYk_8Za2nyyGHsSeS4/s4032/IMG_5162.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbbl5lpQYUinJ5K3cgS92FK3fmHwmi-XTRaoflHz2Z_e-i2012n78T2WsB648Qk84vC4qF7erEb1yDXrrP-_wjO_thjfQkP8m7z-R-iREECau1tfSSQ_UtDtV-RYk_8Za2nyyGHsSeS4/w400-h300/IMG_5162.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">large signs like this can be found in every Mexican town</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhco3Vt78XKQ8jP_6xXpvqfwNv13NjoKigOZ3wCAg8Z3tN6TRNCnU0lTQyEdVUF1Xz8RoflhiR5-zaF1DT2UMKC-0-xP2KVEdJsEwGuWh_5AGVM2IZ42qWkcPsjwLDR7hfQEJGi7w2Pdvg/s4032/IMG_5163.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhco3Vt78XKQ8jP_6xXpvqfwNv13NjoKigOZ3wCAg8Z3tN6TRNCnU0lTQyEdVUF1Xz8RoflhiR5-zaF1DT2UMKC-0-xP2KVEdJsEwGuWh_5AGVM2IZ42qWkcPsjwLDR7hfQEJGi7w2Pdvg/w300-h400/IMG_5163.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in Valladolid</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmT9Kmd6fD5LDwzrs8QMoTF8vHBu6pQXcPgBrY8yIIhhkQ9D3gvVVLhVt-UNh2UqbDFHl6K8o4o9a8Vp3pPvWJDcqs-DbQ5pJ_V4c5YPhs2G0XR-sPK653-KkNAlwhL_URHd23qQyMs3A/s4000/P1150593.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmT9Kmd6fD5LDwzrs8QMoTF8vHBu6pQXcPgBrY8yIIhhkQ9D3gvVVLhVt-UNh2UqbDFHl6K8o4o9a8Vp3pPvWJDcqs-DbQ5pJ_V4c5YPhs2G0XR-sPK653-KkNAlwhL_URHd23qQyMs3A/w400-h300/P1150593.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Convento De San Bernardino, Valladolid</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PpY7kmdJehOZmCBfg9V36vdJiOOgMIbAFzgxAF1u1teTvNS-Iept03dV1yNQ2pNQ2QyuIdGLYTwJlKuIxDUvcOWFxGrKxzP3HFdsWEchmtN7rHmCcbHkHz1_c0-f2JYkPhb24i-U7Ig/s4000/P1150597.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PpY7kmdJehOZmCBfg9V36vdJiOOgMIbAFzgxAF1u1teTvNS-Iept03dV1yNQ2pNQ2QyuIdGLYTwJlKuIxDUvcOWFxGrKxzP3HFdsWEchmtN7rHmCcbHkHz1_c0-f2JYkPhb24i-U7Ig/w400-h300/P1150597.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Cathedral of San Gervasio, Valladolid</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FeD9k5cssPtuN5DZM2q8S-Y6tr_1KOtFzQ-dZ7MJ8WXFTmc6XqHIIOjS607TwCIxzZmOapn6Ntu7nXl_c8LD4Ynhl__bFzmaBTSnSmGDsLM3z25-F8ZPAsthUSB1As68SQwpgyRSfq4/s4000/P1150607.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FeD9k5cssPtuN5DZM2q8S-Y6tr_1KOtFzQ-dZ7MJ8WXFTmc6XqHIIOjS607TwCIxzZmOapn6Ntu7nXl_c8LD4Ynhl__bFzmaBTSnSmGDsLM3z25-F8ZPAsthUSB1As68SQwpgyRSfq4/w400-h300/P1150607.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valladolid even has its own downtown cenote, Cenote Zaci!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzah01j2XhDoy-1m4jNH21VJtH9K-nOb4_gJdioGLcjtuCD_4qChzFb6nO1STzHr6fQ66wPOUYKhe_ng90KQC9nejGXOOLAZESSpkfvKe7lO3re-K72lZ7XHcUp0D6ny5krCO-VVRbYY/s4000/P1150512.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzah01j2XhDoy-1m4jNH21VJtH9K-nOb4_gJdioGLcjtuCD_4qChzFb6nO1STzHr6fQ66wPOUYKhe_ng90KQC9nejGXOOLAZESSpkfvKe7lO3re-K72lZ7XHcUp0D6ny5krCO-VVRbYY/w400-h300/P1150512.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cenote X'canche</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uQ2W7zmOr5xgZc1sQjUAC2jZ0f494aAoddEMsAz0iHyupLHG5CLvEnIncJHATIQRCzf1zkUv2IcmJT2kLjOtzsL8-qyOmZ6lR8ckaXQWcKPp3JxtGPxO1Uu5zmp0P-qwHnMTz8xo5bc/s4000/P1150516.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uQ2W7zmOr5xgZc1sQjUAC2jZ0f494aAoddEMsAz0iHyupLHG5CLvEnIncJHATIQRCzf1zkUv2IcmJT2kLjOtzsL8-qyOmZ6lR8ckaXQWcKPp3JxtGPxO1Uu5zmp0P-qwHnMTz8xo5bc/w400-h300/P1150516.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cenote X'canche</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_Zf0GrTESQktdGRSW6sgO-aLJLtoI_VERtF7SuqaHYc5ATAkMcee3daSsVW9oxAD-j6ydwldnXI0y81WPTr5_qmzvgBZj9Q07YwHRoUYFrH2u1M96bGIQbIeQwX1lQ79TfEWJ_bI8R8/s4000/P1150517.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_Zf0GrTESQktdGRSW6sgO-aLJLtoI_VERtF7SuqaHYc5ATAkMcee3daSsVW9oxAD-j6ydwldnXI0y81WPTr5_qmzvgBZj9Q07YwHRoUYFrH2u1M96bGIQbIeQwX1lQ79TfEWJ_bI8R8/w400-h300/P1150517.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cenote X'canche</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Next we visited world-renowned <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_Itza" target="_blank">Chichen Itza</a>, a UNESCO World Heritage site that was voted one of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New7Wonders_of_the_World" target="_blank">new 7 wonders of the world</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cdRJKeFEzw2F7cmBYfXLsvA3R8xoPB9zPrV51bZIaDcErmU-qykPvsESKdhN4tuuoKhij6q-_zhM5PCJjtk_BRfqOvP0bYDwFsp_lRBqiAL7veQ9extUHJ34FI8dbIuma0nG2pN5hQk/s4000/P1150615.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cdRJKeFEzw2F7cmBYfXLsvA3R8xoPB9zPrV51bZIaDcErmU-qykPvsESKdhN4tuuoKhij6q-_zhM5PCJjtk_BRfqOvP0bYDwFsp_lRBqiAL7veQ9extUHJ34FI8dbIuma0nG2pN5hQk/w400-h300/P1150615.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Castillo,_Chichen_Itza" target="_blank">El Castillo</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_pyramids" target="_blank">step-pyramid</a> dominates the centre of Chichen Itza</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFKNxoczldmRCnqeQF_KbQFHX4g9uCJp4tW1XFxVH0vABEVEzYU7oP0RMmS4UeC0sjeMZWn88vTPpA-z4xBpS5SRPJQRTEt8HEsHlNQueloLG6qpnMWvyPL2A5pkuVA7fJGTXVath-nY/s3764/P1150640.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2823" data-original-width="3764" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFKNxoczldmRCnqeQF_KbQFHX4g9uCJp4tW1XFxVH0vABEVEzYU7oP0RMmS4UeC0sjeMZWn88vTPpA-z4xBpS5SRPJQRTEt8HEsHlNQueloLG6qpnMWvyPL2A5pkuVA7fJGTXVath-nY/w400-h300/P1150640.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Chichen Itza</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jnkt1YpgHCByH480vD8Qh6s8bUGvcCqq8USKF0egQY7eQO3NFFl07SWMKFxRTmg_ADcxJqXpkyqfI4ncJSqApqf0ogk9SfnAvdNE2aDJdHm35zvWTWKLXy7EvCZPCUyuss2GGHIMeuA/s4000/P1150647.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jnkt1YpgHCByH480vD8Qh6s8bUGvcCqq8USKF0egQY7eQO3NFFl07SWMKFxRTmg_ADcxJqXpkyqfI4ncJSqApqf0ogk9SfnAvdNE2aDJdHm35zvWTWKLXy7EvCZPCUyuss2GGHIMeuA/w400-h300/P1150647.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Chichen Itza</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_2Bj4FNpb8-i8qqGO_Q-z2gxGBOrnjZPFXgVeeZsN9CRM_6ew-RFNHjddk2l5U5jNd7rK6c296tzv7rIg6HaVNFNtNiVTE875EsqSjEV7R3zT4jWAIyn9abAXb7hLKJxZsqT1gmEoh4/s3221/P1150610.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3221" data-original-width="2415" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_2Bj4FNpb8-i8qqGO_Q-z2gxGBOrnjZPFXgVeeZsN9CRM_6ew-RFNHjddk2l5U5jNd7rK6c296tzv7rIg6HaVNFNtNiVTE875EsqSjEV7R3zT4jWAIyn9abAXb7hLKJxZsqT1gmEoh4/w300-h400/P1150610.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a well-camouflaged iguana at Chichen Itza</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At nearby <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mérida,_Yucatán" target="_blank">Merida</a> the following day we visited the Museum of the Maya World (<i>Grand Museo del Mundo Maya</i>) and Yucatan Museum of Popular Art (<i>Museo de Arte Popular</i>)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ezAIoVoCkUlzTxtpWwpQai18rW2cLBDQ2T2p1pstavJVOU6kCdIq5mTbUUfdqugV7tRM9ynBrginD-dqArlUSx7Ykb7-d3al2HtqEe9-AlXsJc85fWJ9ew35aYxCL-h-VYN2pK3vV_A/s3669/P1150747.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="3669" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ezAIoVoCkUlzTxtpWwpQai18rW2cLBDQ2T2p1pstavJVOU6kCdIq5mTbUUfdqugV7tRM9ynBrginD-dqArlUSx7Ykb7-d3al2HtqEe9-AlXsJc85fWJ9ew35aYxCL-h-VYN2pK3vV_A/w400-h300/P1150747.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Chac mool' sculptural stone altar, 1000-1250 AD, <br />with a flat surface on the belly to place offerings.</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4uZYbAfCpMhXbQI5Ib9zhNcQN4BfVEG3h3H-6yEBbUI7ZSV0X-QmQgFzxijdgUcaM-AAF1PaCyte0U4hDpnlh02TD6VfY3aex0ET4fUKMZ279Qxgy-Frx1X_qXAK-1UJLCuQSH_LVhpE/s3156/P1150761.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2366" data-original-width="3156" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4uZYbAfCpMhXbQI5Ib9zhNcQN4BfVEG3h3H-6yEBbUI7ZSV0X-QmQgFzxijdgUcaM-AAF1PaCyte0U4hDpnlh02TD6VfY3aex0ET4fUKMZ279Qxgy-Frx1X_qXAK-1UJLCuQSH_LVhpE/w400-h300/P1150761.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceramic vessel for drinking chocolate, 600-900 AD</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaEq638eT0S494P6JMxhCNEOvZmNgmLx9RcTIRT_WfSAhWxwXBU0lvt8u-CqI2gMf2TEg2OP2ybacGg6sPz_tmkh8my564Ytv50PxeIqn9PTrVsdwYvVc9PuWFRL40V0pfniZe0NnjXBU/s3552/P1150770.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2664" data-original-width="3552" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaEq638eT0S494P6JMxhCNEOvZmNgmLx9RcTIRT_WfSAhWxwXBU0lvt8u-CqI2gMf2TEg2OP2ybacGg6sPz_tmkh8my564Ytv50PxeIqn9PTrVsdwYvVc9PuWFRL40V0pfniZe0NnjXBU/w400-h300/P1150770.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mask from 600-900 AD.</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg39KFSsekw6pDD9eWkgpwNtYlxmF4VkHSkPZtQ9eaugz6oN1wL6H4KVmPTLdN59mjRM_aJo2LdepuO1ObY6iHTphpaMI-1vnjLcApRyJpptrkpcm_7iki0Xe2ScsXIOy4rP-0dJ1L4AM/s3788/P1150772.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2840" data-original-width="3788" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg39KFSsekw6pDD9eWkgpwNtYlxmF4VkHSkPZtQ9eaugz6oN1wL6H4KVmPTLdN59mjRM_aJo2LdepuO1ObY6iHTphpaMI-1vnjLcApRyJpptrkpcm_7iki0Xe2ScsXIOy4rP-0dJ1L4AM/w400-h300/P1150772.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stone jaguar throne, 1000-1250 AD, from Chichen Itza. <br />The jaguar symbolised nighttime sun, war, and sovereignty over land.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3cYENWB52x1FdFC3QeKFN4EP0C-fDzVnEUrtIaYZX24leGR1jg_WG74p6QTMRfFbH7xm76kFzSSFUu4jDbV2LjY41DJQvWHN10QcrfUUgpJo-7acrchVIkhN7_nUj5igGiUF8DqC0yw/s2699/P1150773.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2699" data-original-width="1798" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3cYENWB52x1FdFC3QeKFN4EP0C-fDzVnEUrtIaYZX24leGR1jg_WG74p6QTMRfFbH7xm76kFzSSFUu4jDbV2LjY41DJQvWHN10QcrfUUgpJo-7acrchVIkhN7_nUj5igGiUF8DqC0yw/w266-h400/P1150773.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayan anthropomorphic figure dating from 1000-1250 <br />AD, used to support a temple bench in Chichen Itza</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiJ_3rKjzBAWqsHYWV0zFIHe7Qz1fV03fMSWYuexlisZda0umrNFgp7hLWqrzXf9pX5sTm3HSIbo0WXNKdbjFLhA4x-UBbTaQyKCu4pUcJVSSlbmSwh5VVavQ4so47WZwkg2MWH5-RrE/s3618/P1150739.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2713" data-original-width="3618" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiJ_3rKjzBAWqsHYWV0zFIHe7Qz1fV03fMSWYuexlisZda0umrNFgp7hLWqrzXf9pX5sTm3HSIbo0WXNKdbjFLhA4x-UBbTaQyKCu4pUcJVSSlbmSwh5VVavQ4so47WZwkg2MWH5-RrE/w400-h300/P1150739.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">watch out for the jaguars at Yucatan Museum of Popular Art!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48PzaDlxbkBFYqKucSAWvIflkTKXe5wwB-7VGaIOf9vygZhH3vNdsmJb7O9DO_-rolcQBMuRBWChE_T1rjhx1HK4ymZoUfV7hP48Q_e3Z0uWb_MmZW-2fw7vs9Lumo2SRHASz0AXKnsQ/s3838/P1150741.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2877" data-original-width="3838" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48PzaDlxbkBFYqKucSAWvIflkTKXe5wwB-7VGaIOf9vygZhH3vNdsmJb7O9DO_-rolcQBMuRBWChE_T1rjhx1HK4ymZoUfV7hP48Q_e3Z0uWb_MmZW-2fw7vs9Lumo2SRHASz0AXKnsQ/w400-h300/P1150741.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Yucatan Museum of Popular Art</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGUZ9Xj6F0134h5ydhTiu1OdtF8Xz9llPT64N9-ILybWG0xIki10Bo90Y1RmowAoNyWcE3GJUWRUq1VWqG0bJVCE2XtRLltrasx8vSQ96xkhRa9iXHHRogKKZOWRNAwLdzmAwpIsg6vM/s4000/P1150734.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2999" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGUZ9Xj6F0134h5ydhTiu1OdtF8Xz9llPT64N9-ILybWG0xIki10Bo90Y1RmowAoNyWcE3GJUWRUq1VWqG0bJVCE2XtRLltrasx8vSQ96xkhRa9iXHHRogKKZOWRNAwLdzmAwpIsg6vM/w400-h300/P1150734.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Façade of Casa de Montejo, built in the 16th century</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmidhM1VwDc8eIZnyHnCA_rbhGuUytrNo1PPvFBD5W7adwD7zEC_DQNSl9XPRf9YIjnXaImGOc1wmA7ZHQF62ejlq_D8ONR-EDTS38cwJKdo1fw6SAL__9JpZOyiYCQRzT7p8-ZGKIts/s3797/P1150736.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="3797" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmidhM1VwDc8eIZnyHnCA_rbhGuUytrNo1PPvFBD5W7adwD7zEC_DQNSl9XPRf9YIjnXaImGOc1wmA7ZHQF62ejlq_D8ONR-EDTS38cwJKdo1fw6SAL__9JpZOyiYCQRzT7p8-ZGKIts/w400-h300/P1150736.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside Casa de Montejo</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-u9qRAPJFTiIlBmP_B6v61f61raGk94ytnS07-uFxP_w9qJjOFO6D3FlQJd_gDPs4uGagSRZnwTjiRLtNRKMTCk4qwfEG5IJ5E5zEH5Sotm3GC3XGkuOZMaqpLgrxG52utF2YLAlpwW8/s4000/P1150738.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-u9qRAPJFTiIlBmP_B6v61f61raGk94ytnS07-uFxP_w9qJjOFO6D3FlQJd_gDPs4uGagSRZnwTjiRLtNRKMTCk4qwfEG5IJ5E5zEH5Sotm3GC3XGkuOZMaqpLgrxG52utF2YLAlpwW8/w400-h300/P1150738.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">street in Merida</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Newt we headed south from Merida, stopping at Yaxcopoil Hacienda and two cenotes. Landowners in this region became rich growing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisal" target="_blank">sisal</a> (agave rope fibre) during the 19th century, and the haciendas date from this period.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLjtNMY0g50kLzGjLPwdDuqjqJhqZSAYPx3cZlc0_G_0PzEXzhjBgTZ-ZmHZGeBogA6UdDsJIUgZqlndhe6yUh9KDk19X1JJ6wFv3ViE7aka9GjXiO2Ej-X6mUqTfEg3IPjH_XZE-PPo/s3844/P1150777.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3844" data-original-width="2883" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLjtNMY0g50kLzGjLPwdDuqjqJhqZSAYPx3cZlc0_G_0PzEXzhjBgTZ-ZmHZGeBogA6UdDsJIUgZqlndhe6yUh9KDk19X1JJ6wFv3ViE7aka9GjXiO2Ej-X6mUqTfEg3IPjH_XZE-PPo/w300-h400/P1150777.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Yaxcopoil Hacienda</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeElBBIJEEZoHyibTqTyer7ZLfdW-cS1EmAs9In04b4EILJisfHmKcKEvGHldYEEqrOgUAs8OphCmbRyuaGWO7ZRfN-eQlm_gJb2EdNw-un0Z9MfrN_EZK4GpSf64klzJyJgTtBIfMdaY/s4000/P1150790.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeElBBIJEEZoHyibTqTyer7ZLfdW-cS1EmAs9In04b4EILJisfHmKcKEvGHldYEEqrOgUAs8OphCmbRyuaGWO7ZRfN-eQlm_gJb2EdNw-un0Z9MfrN_EZK4GpSf64klzJyJgTtBIfMdaY/w400-h300/P1150790.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Yaxcopoil Hacienda</span> grounds</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSTNX4mgX052o5p5txkayhzIWgaSCaHvc0rdsDiQ0G41lXCAKPI5jnD5cXlMlwewyocT-1s0XF2taXZdQIwbuWchOzEFYj8gVY0MRsBuNfsfS3H8J8MDXmztFKxSB52WhI1tQx7hTGrc/s4000/P1150798.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSTNX4mgX052o5p5txkayhzIWgaSCaHvc0rdsDiQ0G41lXCAKPI5jnD5cXlMlwewyocT-1s0XF2taXZdQIwbuWchOzEFYj8gVY0MRsBuNfsfS3H8J8MDXmztFKxSB52WhI1tQx7hTGrc/w400-h300/P1150798.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at <span style="text-align: left;">Yaxcopoil Hacienda</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LogPpe5PE5FNnXmNSbsFjBuDc84Ro07gx2xdLvj8sZ-usElt4gE7BuCu7JcW58B5FTiiSubrf3uU9c7OUteVKBjLRG7sJEsif4yUORE287KDdqCarVJDmCWLaZOV_cB07XG_CvSYdnQ/s4000/P1150800.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LogPpe5PE5FNnXmNSbsFjBuDc84Ro07gx2xdLvj8sZ-usElt4gE7BuCu7JcW58B5FTiiSubrf3uU9c7OUteVKBjLRG7sJEsif4yUORE287KDdqCarVJDmCWLaZOV_cB07XG_CvSYdnQ/w400-h300/P1150800.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cenote Xbatun</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lWO-_i8grdCMmfPsWEG3z5mq1ZxmbHtiUbqmfPXL_sYfFpojnR1Y8xstiSJh-1xltmSzWMDnA6QuwQt9iI5Nb2VQ8vDtFEKRbCNBRLebSr1OaAU_NN-x5M_Ay8npzx5bzzYwzHQbGI0/s4000/P1150804.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lWO-_i8grdCMmfPsWEG3z5mq1ZxmbHtiUbqmfPXL_sYfFpojnR1Y8xstiSJh-1xltmSzWMDnA6QuwQt9iI5Nb2VQ8vDtFEKRbCNBRLebSr1OaAU_NN-x5M_Ay8npzx5bzzYwzHQbGI0/w400-h300/P1150804.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cenote Dzonbakal</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sixty kilometres south of Merida our next Maya ruins were at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uxmal " target="_blank">Uxmal</a>, and are also UNESCO. They are considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Mayan culture, along with Palenque and Chichen Itza.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuadu80YpqktWdYFzsagIkO_Py_nkzTjqXtsIM6AYt3LTtTeRkKz7jtRcP71WF3T0TEAg3ajNRAFzfkAF3ZgGgep2F6JlOJ_7DoAlFs87JPBom-dQTyHosRkj8R-QYxG7gQEMcFUwP840/s4000/P1150864.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuadu80YpqktWdYFzsagIkO_Py_nkzTjqXtsIM6AYt3LTtTeRkKz7jtRcP71WF3T0TEAg3ajNRAFzfkAF3ZgGgep2F6JlOJ_7DoAlFs87JPBom-dQTyHosRkj8R-QYxG7gQEMcFUwP840/w400-h300/P1150864.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uxmal</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSWo3x2RMtmHNYp4QVTTTpEJZxHs-pY6eBu6FegV12pvLz6Rpn2k2Wuxw1rovU47_HbYx5Ljl45O2DOATmKbIOwoc2cNcP_3zEcOAgNnnCfnFrzJ6k8xMwo4ERN5fD-Nv1e6aT7K9oGE/s4000/P1150831.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNSWo3x2RMtmHNYp4QVTTTpEJZxHs-pY6eBu6FegV12pvLz6Rpn2k2Wuxw1rovU47_HbYx5Ljl45O2DOATmKbIOwoc2cNcP_3zEcOAgNnnCfnFrzJ6k8xMwo4ERN5fD-Nv1e6aT7K9oGE/w300-h400/P1150831.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">detail, Uxmal</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">After <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uxmal" target="_blank">Uxmal</a> we headed to the coast to the small but rarely visited Mayan ruins at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muyil" target="_blank">Muyil</a>. Muyil ("place of the rabbit") is a contemporary name for the site, and the original name is no longer known. Some buildings – once occupied by a prehispanic population whose origins date back to 300 BC – have been excavated, others give you the impression of still waiting to be discovered. We were accompanied by monkeys on our visit, and also got to see a small part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sian_Kaʼan_Biosphere_Reserve" target="_blank">Sian ka'an lagoon</a> (a UNESCO World Heritage biosphere reserve whose name means "Where the Sky is Born"). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHk3Va5EjP1JPaVHyXnpfhLX3AhfuAkiPXaxJU2EQYwLevaSUxjPjfDhZQHJNnW8BweNkyRqoWcsPiFxH99K-wi0DxsZ-RO2QrT77c77ZZmeFDvHESauJe0Egl79fQthDFkgybS80mHcg/s4000/P1150910.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHk3Va5EjP1JPaVHyXnpfhLX3AhfuAkiPXaxJU2EQYwLevaSUxjPjfDhZQHJNnW8BweNkyRqoWcsPiFxH99K-wi0DxsZ-RO2QrT77c77ZZmeFDvHESauJe0Egl79fQthDFkgybS80mHcg/w400-h300/P1150910.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Muyil</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwwmdu3kCmshAPTJIJoizZSwh1PnA9vQX_dayD7YHMqGxqLqZrqac9G4cAbe4iA06Eo1Ze7JyRKu7kELgW5f2_gh6-MK_LLiEu32zHCzIrtXS_5zeiCOQmNgymI6i0C-1AjeAhcJi0nPY/s4000/P1150905.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwwmdu3kCmshAPTJIJoizZSwh1PnA9vQX_dayD7YHMqGxqLqZrqac9G4cAbe4iA06Eo1Ze7JyRKu7kELgW5f2_gh6-MK_LLiEu32zHCzIrtXS_5zeiCOQmNgymI6i0C-1AjeAhcJi0nPY/w400-h300/P1150905.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Muyil</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXIGhLB3TPqYyemfxJP9T0kYLGCBxZxrYfJ1EEnqoVTCWbQwKxEeEAlazIFZj0kN1Ivy5PHd8UxXn7jpRBzhWOT8wV6k5-cuT4ETE0xYrGRKkgADJAxg9-ssjyePFt4aviPiGXOB7wrw/s4000/P1150951.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXIGhLB3TPqYyemfxJP9T0kYLGCBxZxrYfJ1EEnqoVTCWbQwKxEeEAlazIFZj0kN1Ivy5PHd8UxXn7jpRBzhWOT8wV6k5-cuT4ETE0xYrGRKkgADJAxg9-ssjyePFt4aviPiGXOB7wrw/w400-h300/P1150951.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reminiscent of <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2011/03/cambodia.html" target="_blank">Angkor Wat</a>?</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fifteen kilometres further north we arrived at Tulum, which was to be our base for cenote <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search?q=diving" target="_blank">dives</a>.</div></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlnymxXbdF2BUgC7oHVq7o-OHzDo48t_n2BCko6nVdOExukPJKm3Rur3hd0DnMUWjH6IQywd7xAt5w4SkJcH7LnRHLaVM8CviO2A9RBFel1y4CsKBBdupnyfbyPd6fQlWrYrstn2B6iw/s4000/P1150955.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlnymxXbdF2BUgC7oHVq7o-OHzDo48t_n2BCko6nVdOExukPJKm3Rur3hd0DnMUWjH6IQywd7xAt5w4SkJcH7LnRHLaVM8CviO2A9RBFel1y4CsKBBdupnyfbyPd6fQlWrYrstn2B6iw/w300-h400/P1150955.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from our hotel room in Tulum</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Doing cenote <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/search?q=diving" target="_blank">dives</a> meant overcoming one of my greatest fears as they're essentially underground cavern dives (think 'night dive' in an enclosed space!). The experience was beautiful, eerie, and almost primeval; not sure the photos do it justice. The cenote was called Tajma Ha (the name is a play on <a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2012/01/delhi-agra.html" target="_blank">Taj Mahal</a>).</div></div></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGvdKN7oviHgG9rMmvKLR1yI0C7XV_cNriC9hkE2h_l3o8j3KyZ5T-zcAMTCEN-GrXFc1qs8esgaC-ki0qk9T5R-wALEoHfR49bn5gq_rRak4sHptNlC5IdRwlryU-w1ZGR5Ig4JIPUM/s4032/IMG_5180.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGvdKN7oviHgG9rMmvKLR1yI0C7XV_cNriC9hkE2h_l3o8j3KyZ5T-zcAMTCEN-GrXFc1qs8esgaC-ki0qk9T5R-wALEoHfR49bn5gq_rRak4sHptNlC5IdRwlryU-w1ZGR5Ig4JIPUM/w400-h300/IMG_5180.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">map of Tajma Ha cenote</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoFjHvtBgvbly904-3avfdLlu5gsdHkezZUtHwIScjLeQYfM44HcwFiDw9xWkwd5i65x0tSRw8vq3lxHZN2TCtvpxJpj7nQtDhphy7WPUqcs9OWr1CdlfpiK2OkRq9-JU5zSuRrkRgTE/s4032/IMG_5186.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoFjHvtBgvbly904-3avfdLlu5gsdHkezZUtHwIScjLeQYfM44HcwFiDw9xWkwd5i65x0tSRw8vq3lxHZN2TCtvpxJpj7nQtDhphy7WPUqcs9OWr1CdlfpiK2OkRq9-JU5zSuRrkRgTE/w400-h300/IMG_5186.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Tajma Ha</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgUYbHG52WXbbvz297hf51wnkgKLvfpGzCTrUZd6czqG2YqDk1robkQkxjU8CumxZGPlU-G4i53uXEjUQOznYDJ39-S6PcXvFlc13cBppsfvlhBazG_H6J1uIMbpdAKUP9GKub-vm-iU/s4238/IMG_9067.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2384" data-original-width="4238" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgUYbHG52WXbbvz297hf51wnkgKLvfpGzCTrUZd6czqG2YqDk1robkQkxjU8CumxZGPlU-G4i53uXEjUQOznYDJ39-S6PcXvFlc13cBppsfvlhBazG_H6J1uIMbpdAKUP9GKub-vm-iU/w400-h225/IMG_9067.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Tajma Ha</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1_vi4xsvhENLhWMnSmCAjTA78BTl2gaVsIPdzeg-LFbpgBUx2M6vytM43VeuyMqaiTB-uECmrihwt9qhqIsyiQwyAsjhefA4uksn3N_xoQrMzAEF8HbZlOU0Pk21S88nb_pTJ33UhcM/s2631/IMG_9093.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="2631" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1_vi4xsvhENLhWMnSmCAjTA78BTl2gaVsIPdzeg-LFbpgBUx2M6vytM43VeuyMqaiTB-uECmrihwt9qhqIsyiQwyAsjhefA4uksn3N_xoQrMzAEF8HbZlOU0Pk21S88nb_pTJ33UhcM/s320/IMG_9093.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Tajma Ha</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcr5ccD1vMfl6eeO_OelrDnGsZjh3xIhCvEVbfelNhlODd2g1eCUh4ySWLM2oTyTsXLuEajA7Z8p8kd7LE4HnFkEJhH8sx8DLGxJhC-oMuvki4KPUGbTpmJ6INo2wrfmQvvAFnWlh4d2g/s4608/IMG_9098.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcr5ccD1vMfl6eeO_OelrDnGsZjh3xIhCvEVbfelNhlODd2g1eCUh4ySWLM2oTyTsXLuEajA7Z8p8kd7LE4HnFkEJhH8sx8DLGxJhC-oMuvki4KPUGbTpmJ6INo2wrfmQvvAFnWlh4d2g/w400-h225/IMG_9098.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Tajma Ha</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVXpJ1Rwmbu7Ck3w6RkVg3X5J2NNZLHbX751i0EkNFtsNFSL1omeu3qo2yleBrYsh73iUJtahL9o0JGojxEOAxL9dFi4uDsUH8zXEzayh4wcn5xunkIUC9QEGZavoT_OBE6ISaTg3294/s4224/IMG_9135.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2376" data-original-width="4224" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVXpJ1Rwmbu7Ck3w6RkVg3X5J2NNZLHbX751i0EkNFtsNFSL1omeu3qo2yleBrYsh73iUJtahL9o0JGojxEOAxL9dFi4uDsUH8zXEzayh4wcn5xunkIUC9QEGZavoT_OBE6ISaTg3294/w400-h225/IMG_9135.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Tajma Ha</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhD2QYgvzj6M-0BAaU8485-VTtDs01D-2Hr8fscljFcjx7n6KSfCYeJsD8CFxqGCCS-BVYTaBR0U0CkYD1FKXB5LBDxOaxhRqG8RDTNh8EX8YOKFnLyLL2iNVdDIMtS-fMfUIGqXyqyKU/s4608/IMG_9145.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhD2QYgvzj6M-0BAaU8485-VTtDs01D-2Hr8fscljFcjx7n6KSfCYeJsD8CFxqGCCS-BVYTaBR0U0CkYD1FKXB5LBDxOaxhRqG8RDTNh8EX8YOKFnLyLL2iNVdDIMtS-fMfUIGqXyqyKU/w400-h225/IMG_9145.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Tajma Ha</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulum" target="_blank">Tulum</a> also has Maya ruins, and while they're not the most grandiose we've seen, they are very dramatically located next to a turquoise-blue sea and a beach of pure white sand. The site was probably a key Mayan trading port until the mid-16th century.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyxrKoQ-kNXni_FavNKHAuFXD59xIWjuualL7Qi9ofngjYlrs-8lGdP1EaxCudqYrOzVm6UazUrqh3tBs1Zq-QOx9uTUM2ItdVOsOWibRtaYIv0Xukz3XUkcVnCZwI4SNg6yBwR-GrmU/s4000/P1150980.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyxrKoQ-kNXni_FavNKHAuFXD59xIWjuualL7Qi9ofngjYlrs-8lGdP1EaxCudqYrOzVm6UazUrqh3tBs1Zq-QOx9uTUM2ItdVOsOWibRtaYIv0Xukz3XUkcVnCZwI4SNg6yBwR-GrmU/w400-h300/P1150980.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tulum ruins</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FN0AfGqFMtky_aIfBxzFXkJBSbEmde8HtqwVB5Scb6rJjAKm8_okTk0SY_w4UP4iyzN97WRaoC4HfhVuKJF7GhjfbzzqUjokWNldJEbB0ziWMNw0evW0PjeI3xQOIw3WCM8s5tuGlMY/s4000/P1160021.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FN0AfGqFMtky_aIfBxzFXkJBSbEmde8HtqwVB5Scb6rJjAKm8_okTk0SY_w4UP4iyzN97WRaoC4HfhVuKJF7GhjfbzzqUjokWNldJEbB0ziWMNw0evW0PjeI3xQOIw3WCM8s5tuGlMY/w400-h300/P1160021.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tulum ruins</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeb1o4p7VDtcKd0etMeZxZ8hobxfYz_XoP2b5fBD6EDaq2mnTYnfkyPWvyIkL5K8kqFQ3Z6lCYshgmAaXBlfIOWTqKgnlfoZDA-koMMlKuMXkjKrvCu_08swkrNSHDy3bXu2-TcZtV4Q/s4000/P1150988.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeb1o4p7VDtcKd0etMeZxZ8hobxfYz_XoP2b5fBD6EDaq2mnTYnfkyPWvyIkL5K8kqFQ3Z6lCYshgmAaXBlfIOWTqKgnlfoZDA-koMMlKuMXkjKrvCu_08swkrNSHDy3bXu2-TcZtV4Q/w400-h300/P1150988.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the Mayan god of diving, aka the Descending god</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoPSEcXrNWUk9vtayzZXqHNJi2uwzAyN9mtARcao55X7pJxRgwea3qe2md274I6mLXcP9vrPBHbW66lmh5t_gocAcPe7QxSwQuo-jBjrZa4jIsDaaZO0h95nSR8PKtdzB8IDTzkZGy78/s1958/P1160007.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1469" data-original-width="1958" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoPSEcXrNWUk9vtayzZXqHNJi2uwzAyN9mtARcao55X7pJxRgwea3qe2md274I6mLXcP9vrPBHbW66lmh5t_gocAcPe7QxSwQuo-jBjrZa4jIsDaaZO0h95nSR8PKtdzB8IDTzkZGy78/w400-h300/P1160007.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picture postcard perfect view ...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnaVr_HgVs0L0w570eHQMiZ-h4rYbAPjnJGbAAlGJ5Siit6JfJIrgC7L7aQ0KkqcoT7W0MF0sQF-BZi4h9u-Ws2n9yvzRa5Xq4CYIdM8xnG37DUfbc5v08pKTvOJcGyG6rsy2Yl4c06v4/s2417/P1160005.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2417" data-original-width="1813" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnaVr_HgVs0L0w570eHQMiZ-h4rYbAPjnJGbAAlGJ5Siit6JfJIrgC7L7aQ0KkqcoT7W0MF0sQF-BZi4h9u-Ws2n9yvzRa5Xq4CYIdM8xnG37DUfbc5v08pKTvOJcGyG6rsy2Yl4c06v4/w300-h400/P1160005.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and the reality: the beach is covered by red sargassum. As <br />this is a turtle nesting beach, not sure what effect it has on them.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOsHIxybPFqzehy5smJOsrpb82AWMoy876SM6hzHLUil1WYK-nHj_heWVWAD11-YP_JjSnih19m0Q2zwGFOmfNOMeUOa8QNsx5Mkj3k324vVnJu2mwcajpFAZLSzB3_bbBpdfhVJTunw/s4000/P1160038.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOsHIxybPFqzehy5smJOsrpb82AWMoy876SM6hzHLUil1WYK-nHj_heWVWAD11-YP_JjSnih19m0Q2zwGFOmfNOMeUOa8QNsx5Mkj3k324vVnJu2mwcajpFAZLSzB3_bbBpdfhVJTunw/w400-h300/P1160038.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunbathing iguana at Tulum ruins</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPw1JdseGm0pO3oKTJvKFj-qmbkv5VLz_4CRimsJDl6dR6w9rOlhVK5i93lYTTZZF_xa31eIw55bsguzt-3XmcnD8wALA5omclw7MagkT-L9AUS2yZtUx9aD0jbzh1TMuJQFCfJSoUD0/s3543/P1150962.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2657" data-original-width="3543" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPw1JdseGm0pO3oKTJvKFj-qmbkv5VLz_4CRimsJDl6dR6w9rOlhVK5i93lYTTZZF_xa31eIw55bsguzt-3XmcnD8wALA5omclw7MagkT-L9AUS2yZtUx9aD0jbzh1TMuJQFCfJSoUD0/w400-h300/P1150962.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a white-nosed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coati" target="_blank">coati</a>, a Central American member of the raccoon family</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTq_udzElSYpxPJHk3rvvp8GHwMu_KpYIi_EbvHcAAjNSX8D7v5K1axx7vDJMHbsZkPZAw5Twla6yKMAmeeL-5mShbC163QpYUH0U7H9NFVmmypFax-4AKeFYsacCTnRRcudjdStE93A/s3554/P1150957.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2466" data-original-width="3554" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTq_udzElSYpxPJHk3rvvp8GHwMu_KpYIi_EbvHcAAjNSX8D7v5K1axx7vDJMHbsZkPZAw5Twla6yKMAmeeL-5mShbC163QpYUH0U7H9NFVmmypFax-4AKeFYsacCTnRRcudjdStE93A/w400-h279/P1150957.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another coati, you can see the tail in this photo</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">After two nights in Tulum we headed to Playa del Carmen where we had a stressful incident with Hertz and nearly missed our ferry to Cozumel, where we heading for several days' diving on the world‘s second largest coral reef.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3D1FJAMqEFZScyfpYxH7Xylv-PsQDvozt8CrCyivSQoA09oRO4qObaOcUHn9SB_lVnEqPLOiHkeS1qKauFr3vCqY7NkHUd1eLS_M30kOXX4mDYfemHVOeHYXYQVA_0oCDJCS7jP59Te0/s4032/IMG_3142.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3D1FJAMqEFZScyfpYxH7Xylv-PsQDvozt8CrCyivSQoA09oRO4qObaOcUHn9SB_lVnEqPLOiHkeS1qKauFr3vCqY7NkHUd1eLS_M30kOXX4mDYfemHVOeHYXYQVA_0oCDJCS7jP59Te0/w400-h300/IMG_3142.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cozumel receives up to 7 enormous cruise ships at a time</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7CXFM4SgZQCqezysWqq5MSk0At-m1-zCs4hwE-mAUQcmZ6OMuhwQz1Ue-me6DC8HvZ3fyYU64fa7B5SBtb25xKkjdltkaY3VAGyhGXKu9wkVieys3h-y5i7P96AP8Xu3u2HTcEBEuZc/s3816/IMG_3154.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1717" data-original-width="3816" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7CXFM4SgZQCqezysWqq5MSk0At-m1-zCs4hwE-mAUQcmZ6OMuhwQz1Ue-me6DC8HvZ3fyYU64fa7B5SBtb25xKkjdltkaY3VAGyhGXKu9wkVieys3h-y5i7P96AP8Xu3u2HTcEBEuZc/w400-h180/IMG_3154.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">diving-related sculpture in San Miguel de Cozumel</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsX3Bn7srJWDuKiy4VpRZT8ltS97XofNF5pSCUkWDJkSjSDzZJEfwH6vOCsNPbxYfXadR1DBfNliRaB7rk4hRAs-5VKxC55FX9wPGFdHWc4TmmB4PWvJ8I8vcI0xtKlLNLSgx3DbP2InQ/s4032/IMG_3158.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsX3Bn7srJWDuKiy4VpRZT8ltS97XofNF5pSCUkWDJkSjSDzZJEfwH6vOCsNPbxYfXadR1DBfNliRaB7rk4hRAs-5VKxC55FX9wPGFdHWc4TmmB4PWvJ8I8vcI0xtKlLNLSgx3DbP2InQ/w400-h300/IMG_3158.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">close-up of the sculpture</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">After Cozumel it was time to leave Yucatan and head back to Mexico City, where we able to start visiting the city.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4n2jo0v0re1tYAMdVKlF9nHYLIT-sLnfEqM8s0tSsG60hkJQj90VM8pwdFwGXQp0t6CRxiIqO48M8sUrTbfAekYlUHMA8R1ynO6eHRu7FM7ISVQBaPCdmfHIAfnOTOdM31kXs0Mhd8k/s3780/P1160060.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2834" data-original-width="3780" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4n2jo0v0re1tYAMdVKlF9nHYLIT-sLnfEqM8s0tSsG60hkJQj90VM8pwdFwGXQp0t6CRxiIqO48M8sUrTbfAekYlUHMA8R1ynO6eHRu7FM7ISVQBaPCdmfHIAfnOTOdM31kXs0Mhd8k/w400-h300/P1160060.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the La Casa de los Azulejos building is covered in blue tiles</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqypcpMY-AuyxXvppeiXymT0VIR_QJhyphenhyphenSAsMQwleWgRmUKUbX23KHuPZLnAeqmG1seNQEKp41FfbaNqpE3E5Tx1LUMpt2mAAM1N6ffMs73p0kCoe4aWGetyqn747rwyaFc8Z6okFuXPwA/s3894/P1160052.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3894" data-original-width="2920" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqypcpMY-AuyxXvppeiXymT0VIR_QJhyphenhyphenSAsMQwleWgRmUKUbX23KHuPZLnAeqmG1seNQEKp41FfbaNqpE3E5Tx1LUMpt2mAAM1N6ffMs73p0kCoe4aWGetyqn747rwyaFc8Z6okFuXPwA/w300-h400/P1160052.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside La Casa de los Azulejos</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHQGqC9D4GWC_PN9llcE824JuvyIV3GHNjhROS3rvEofozu-1AwZWXjUCm89nS_0wU6ucS4SY0cvTJbZZB8K93NheD1klaU5B0-QhNurLtE2HZohn-cshyphenhyphen883mdrwwKa2PeXIaNG7rcY/s3539/P1160054.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3539" data-original-width="2818" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHQGqC9D4GWC_PN9llcE824JuvyIV3GHNjhROS3rvEofozu-1AwZWXjUCm89nS_0wU6ucS4SY0cvTJbZZB8K93NheD1klaU5B0-QhNurLtE2HZohn-cshyphenhyphen883mdrwwKa2PeXIaNG7rcY/w320-h400/P1160054.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Templo de San Francisco, remnant of a vast Franciscan monastery</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYA5xH9D-jRcOxMnK5Bx75heVD7_iRYZDxqUMwxFwQIBjSJ30mKyhSx8YdwHVgO_8Mh5pfffAiHK2edXppWCdTjSxTWtlQ5C1nI_atzLaHoxaYp9s1y5PmSYdLSXkk_hkd4alqQif4wE/s3668/P1160063.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2751" data-original-width="3668" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYA5xH9D-jRcOxMnK5Bx75heVD7_iRYZDxqUMwxFwQIBjSJ30mKyhSx8YdwHVgO_8Mh5pfffAiHK2edXppWCdTjSxTWtlQ5C1nI_atzLaHoxaYp9s1y5PmSYdLSXkk_hkd4alqQif4wE/w400-h300/P1160063.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palacio de Iturbide, with a late 18th century baroque facade</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfBrz_yZUQMpOUg8SCrYCMvr-ZhoWxUWYmBun0XCccNB-Xy4NsHKoUZXfWpurOLDXMO_Wtmh79lkqcmmg8XrREXvrsk_B3K1d6g6gq5JkTeEr5a42rjKqyIYGRBLSIy8UbV9BIujBmRQ/s4000/P1160069.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfBrz_yZUQMpOUg8SCrYCMvr-ZhoWxUWYmBun0XCccNB-Xy4NsHKoUZXfWpurOLDXMO_Wtmh79lkqcmmg8XrREXvrsk_B3K1d6g6gq5JkTeEr5a42rjKqyIYGRBLSIy8UbV9BIujBmRQ/w400-h300/P1160069.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside Palacio de Guberniado, the City Hall of Mexico City</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAfT7hyphenhyphenuyNUEX73nDmVVXhFFv_vrH5wrZswioln0IvTW1G8HcU1wprU5kTLhPi7YWWhWgZWpV4bQuNY0BZfzEY6cTYgJzxsaVyPrcGSGiji1kROaQvfpRv6eE72Ymenx-bk2oXb532Dg/s4000/P1160082.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAfT7hyphenhyphenuyNUEX73nDmVVXhFFv_vrH5wrZswioln0IvTW1G8HcU1wprU5kTLhPi7YWWhWgZWpV4bQuNY0BZfzEY6cTYgJzxsaVyPrcGSGiji1kROaQvfpRv6eE72Ymenx-bk2oXb532Dg/w400-h300/P1160082.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of 120 Diego Rivera murals from the 1920s adorning the courtyard corridors of<br />the Education Ministry. This one shows his wife <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida_Kahlo" target="_blank">Frida Kahlo</a> as an arsenal worker.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAG6_QhTtPFcIQzuVYdWFHUk_FHiIAVDInb8SkGIx81bgpZdMImXSfqt_0QCVB9iS-yaeG3Yd3pH6-oLhxJkVi-MZXaHO0rNuN-29zjOyY3gmH8K9XrT_26gHzKvG3P1Q-TMmCLmBbz_Q/s4000/P1160080.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAG6_QhTtPFcIQzuVYdWFHUk_FHiIAVDInb8SkGIx81bgpZdMImXSfqt_0QCVB9iS-yaeG3Yd3pH6-oLhxJkVi-MZXaHO0rNuN-29zjOyY3gmH8K9XrT_26gHzKvG3P1Q-TMmCLmBbz_Q/w400-h300/P1160080.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption">courtyard </td><td class="tr-caption">of the Ministry of Education</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">On another day we visited the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_Anthropology_(Mexico)" target="_blank">National Museum of Anthropology</a>, which is the largest and most visited museum in Mexico. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4d8l0OW8QB4rEYHQYQXsdAS81bLreyf2Ck-HhCo20j9x1BsZH58WDebW3IK0hjQf-C1yZoX8Kg_X3ltroHxe_ALhMx1kLS5FEnZH_zDUvc4q1pKH9gkG0lBwrxs4_lLJEjnj7YDE4WQ/s2872/IMG_5342.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2872" data-original-width="2872" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4d8l0OW8QB4rEYHQYQXsdAS81bLreyf2Ck-HhCo20j9x1BsZH58WDebW3IK0hjQf-C1yZoX8Kg_X3ltroHxe_ALhMx1kLS5FEnZH_zDUvc4q1pKH9gkG0lBwrxs4_lLJEjnj7YDE4WQ/w400-h400/IMG_5342.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vase in the shape of an acrobat</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlG1j_GRPKZPFEGm3oiN1QJYY172fbrHHO1vqQ7y5v9rSQseCi1VUYYbvQGXnQieVxpnbGI4y4tK8zCLuAZv9RJ0NzlbSWGenYbMEuaNg_CV-zI103Nde6EawbQ_BIGJ_V5dXe742LYos/s4032/IMG_5351.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlG1j_GRPKZPFEGm3oiN1QJYY172fbrHHO1vqQ7y5v9rSQseCi1VUYYbvQGXnQieVxpnbGI4y4tK8zCLuAZv9RJ0NzlbSWGenYbMEuaNg_CV-zI103Nde6EawbQ_BIGJ_V5dXe742LYos/w400-h300/IMG_5351.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stone jaguar sculpture. Sacrificial victims' blood and hearts<br />were deposited in the hole in the middle of its back.</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsyZPRb76hF8yq86_gpNqeNZv96hhvL0I4pmhLcvXZhxIy1z-zyYE8EoA9WtSEqNkcILAxNPZjCndjcM_iXApi1Q_hkDSFEoe6RZ3j8f3RffULPM001quD7R7T7pFcf1mhrDzR_nkWSw/s4032/IMG_5353.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsyZPRb76hF8yq86_gpNqeNZv96hhvL0I4pmhLcvXZhxIy1z-zyYE8EoA9WtSEqNkcILAxNPZjCndjcM_iXApi1Q_hkDSFEoe6RZ3j8f3RffULPM001quD7R7T7pFcf1mhrDzR_nkWSw/w300-h400/IMG_5353.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olmec head carving weighing about 20 tonnes</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMl7yNg_13fniw7mfjvvGwhyphenhyphenh9UNzwF_WNY8yOWDvE012woEI0sFjQ3XHJWf9qM6ZYonnB5SZSc0CnoXJShUr8vddif82cIhNprFkQX_6OJOB2YAThI2OpyRPZz4nCDknIydPuSOd6xjs/s4032/IMG_5359.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMl7yNg_13fniw7mfjvvGwhyphenhyphenh9UNzwF_WNY8yOWDvE012woEI0sFjQ3XHJWf9qM6ZYonnB5SZSc0CnoXJShUr8vddif82cIhNprFkQX_6OJOB2YAThI2OpyRPZz4nCDknIydPuSOd6xjs/w300-h400/IMG_5359.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant fountain in the courtyard, known as "El paraguas" <br />(the umbrella). Each side shows a different sculpture</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Outside the museum we saw the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danza_de_los_Voladores" target="_blank">Voladores</a> rite being performed by the indigenous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totonac" target="_blank">Totonac</a> people. It involves 'flying' round a 20 metre high pole while suspended upside down. Each of the four participants turns 13 times, making a total of 52 turns (52 being a sacred number). One of them was also beating a small drum and playing a whistle at the same time! In 2009 the ceremony was named an Intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in order to help the ritual survive and thrive in the modern world</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqGWQG286UVe23Tb0VwP61ep-s-T5d3ZQiPg_vEW0FJ0tCdCO923NghHziB3s9UTjuDpsUHitBQaWw25LvgPxIqqiYR1gYhyphenhyphenKen-7VIHi1b093I2Q0FVH6xOCYo9zRWFeZDtGuJvg1sg/s4032/IMG_3226.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqGWQG286UVe23Tb0VwP61ep-s-T5d3ZQiPg_vEW0FJ0tCdCO923NghHziB3s9UTjuDpsUHitBQaWw25LvgPxIqqiYR1gYhyphenhyphenKen-7VIHi1b093I2Q0FVH6xOCYo9zRWFeZDtGuJvg1sg/w300-h400/IMG_3226.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYym5zCi0iypRhCcccpktg0ntcWX6jr6p5HaFDlsCzHkY0bDMP74yRnLgW-pqhGJ1OZTJVt71G3WF8BANTetOnoL0vVENhs_FQnBg6owmlEpuLgAuBIXCWEeNH9j_6M27J-bzdBqSjxWM/s4032/IMG_5367.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYym5zCi0iypRhCcccpktg0ntcWX6jr6p5HaFDlsCzHkY0bDMP74yRnLgW-pqhGJ1OZTJVt71G3WF8BANTetOnoL0vVENhs_FQnBg6owmlEpuLgAuBIXCWEeNH9j_6M27J-bzdBqSjxWM/w300-h400/IMG_5367.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexebe88bBBluAAQtVnkFVuy6i8K4sVlDvJhJPWFcML1Lv7XV4wyij6SFHr_Q0DNyEZ2Zk6t_JliBAdl4GB3lHc5cx2uJsDujjcP0cbWb9P1Eo2s9skrrOS4npltKul-YXpPgvFL8lpos/s4032/IMG_5382.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexebe88bBBluAAQtVnkFVuy6i8K4sVlDvJhJPWFcML1Lv7XV4wyij6SFHr_Q0DNyEZ2Zk6t_JliBAdl4GB3lHc5cx2uJsDujjcP0cbWb9P1Eo2s9skrrOS4npltKul-YXpPgvFL8lpos/w300-h400/IMG_5382.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvrAcSwDLjl01TCKi0KXzMtUi8LEv-DEg8VCsmF1cABAly9LMreYQQS-7bdX-FDoQWz8wH7aIfgRlWIUOKbPSmoHxsDa6XeT8P9IbscMGCN-LQncjUmPlV74lSJORsUCDz-WOhYOoLFo/s4032/IMG_5363.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvrAcSwDLjl01TCKi0KXzMtUi8LEv-DEg8VCsmF1cABAly9LMreYQQS-7bdX-FDoQWz8wH7aIfgRlWIUOKbPSmoHxsDa6XeT8P9IbscMGCN-LQncjUmPlV74lSJORsUCDz-WOhYOoLFo/w300-h400/IMG_5363.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this photo gives you an idea how tall the pole is</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dwTKM9dg5ctCF1sOudjrFkXFrnc84hwnfub2Z8mUK9NHlhxmdK2vkt_vBnqa5YL7GTPvAMH2lqwH7fYUS3Ls7Yr3vVdBfGgNFHjy78GCIvQB-dIHeVPOizdxIoZxtDAkVcHPngou1Dk/s4032/IMG_5385.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dwTKM9dg5ctCF1sOudjrFkXFrnc84hwnfub2Z8mUK9NHlhxmdK2vkt_vBnqa5YL7GTPvAMH2lqwH7fYUS3Ls7Yr3vVdBfGgNFHjy78GCIvQB-dIHeVPOizdxIoZxtDAkVcHPngou1Dk/w300-h400/IMG_5385.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">close-up of two <span style="text-align: justify;">Voladores</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div>The next day we went to Six Flags amusement park, and one of the rides was reminiscent of the Voladores!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRP29MP7AAb1EwZinXJRRgYNcE6nHdTX6lVnELQpOSMrqAbKpkv7OamtwuIsN__aAepCk71VUysBgLvoaKPKZFDjFnSo-fJcyL3OOfQnDAi_qpIe_pcASFFPvUCBytErhKEXlvNzMIbk/s4032/IMG_3241.jpg" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRP29MP7AAb1EwZinXJRRgYNcE6nHdTX6lVnELQpOSMrqAbKpkv7OamtwuIsN__aAepCk71VUysBgLvoaKPKZFDjFnSo-fJcyL3OOfQnDAi_qpIe_pcASFFPvUCBytErhKEXlvNzMIbk/w300-h400/IMG_3241.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzY8MZezWsutj-6SVoFoJnF_j9quQsZ7elWl0QP4B7Xjod3cWt8dXsH79GkyeYwxVBakt3NU84RDTkDxBODSYOq7OYehA-Jex2hQyzbG8RONNMwpSmK-zE__QBzFtp_iAtEyjRMhZAoo/s4032/IMG_5453.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzY8MZezWsutj-6SVoFoJnF_j9quQsZ7elWl0QP4B7Xjod3cWt8dXsH79GkyeYwxVBakt3NU84RDTkDxBODSYOq7OYehA-Jex2hQyzbG8RONNMwpSmK-zE__QBzFtp_iAtEyjRMhZAoo/w400-h300/IMG_5453.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of Six Flags Mexico</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhSgZ_TAcoAqXKqocBvxTCV1qGBDrqTecKs4UNy4uWQBmH8gCSNe23_Cg8dNRb5T8joSd7iCpXkWvxci5qV6k4fV8Rgc6cM1aw6rsz0MGGOi06gctDy5LjyztUBDiNFvngJpbFNFRQAc/s4032/IMG_5457.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhSgZ_TAcoAqXKqocBvxTCV1qGBDrqTecKs4UNy4uWQBmH8gCSNe23_Cg8dNRb5T8joSd7iCpXkWvxci5qV6k4fV8Rgc6cM1aw6rsz0MGGOi06gctDy5LjyztUBDiNFvngJpbFNFRQAc/w400-h300/IMG_5457.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the park at night <br />(this was mid-January so the Christmas decorations were still up)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The following day we went back to the city centre to visit <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templo_Mayor" target="_blank">Templo Mayor</a>, the main temple (and centre of the universe) of the former <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztecs" target="_blank">Aztec</a> city located on the site of present-day Mexico City before the Conquistadors arrived in the early 16th century.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrJfLJ4G1rqawTiSYGdvKvTO5a7nMltfGON7LGzsJIDN-hAdRT8C7hJV2avYqpSrqEDYvLLIhW7GIa-Bggswmv4uJkDsEZ5nHLzwUvkQs_UWni2rip2R6kGIGrxky7dD2PPZqt5NttWc/s4000/P1160110.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrJfLJ4G1rqawTiSYGdvKvTO5a7nMltfGON7LGzsJIDN-hAdRT8C7hJV2avYqpSrqEDYvLLIhW7GIa-Bggswmv4uJkDsEZ5nHLzwUvkQs_UWni2rip2R6kGIGrxky7dD2PPZqt5NttWc/w400-h300/P1160110.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wall of skulls at Templo Mayor</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbYCIUx4jeAu98Pq0XxPAft7EL98hDWOb7xhRdaHy3LJ1f8gf0U32SjZliGLKA8ALPjsOPR2u_wK3On-RFd1xx9TId-S7McJ19t_uUTKDF3qS6oQzRLMN72Kg0V58QclIllaE-k-ix0o/s3328/P1160117.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3328" data-original-width="2496" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbYCIUx4jeAu98Pq0XxPAft7EL98hDWOb7xhRdaHy3LJ1f8gf0U32SjZliGLKA8ALPjsOPR2u_wK3On-RFd1xx9TId-S7McJ19t_uUTKDF3qS6oQzRLMN72Kg0V58QclIllaE-k-ix0o/w300-h400/P1160117.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Templo Mayor museum</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ugYrnWGrjE0DGqGXzR_0WcLc4yV1cbG_pt1QHsdkEvd1wNxiEvGnYTYbUg8Z2YjuMunXZbmNUDGmg6ROC2YqvqZAutSuLEq4AHMKJCz63Ib9pWxWYSe_hcvh3KBKQ_xBP5Jg3nbeilo/s4000/P1160123.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ugYrnWGrjE0DGqGXzR_0WcLc4yV1cbG_pt1QHsdkEvd1wNxiEvGnYTYbUg8Z2YjuMunXZbmNUDGmg6ROC2YqvqZAutSuLEq4AHMKJCz63Ib9pWxWYSe_hcvh3KBKQ_xBP5Jg3nbeilo/w400-h300/P1160123.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monolithic stone carved with Tlaltecuhtli, the goddess of earth fertility, <br />unearthed in October 2006.</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqIeD_7i9iLg9TfiKFH-3OSJN5VRafFxFzzwv5WoQLBdMSS_uZvoJAF0vEq2lpXZRuOJCxj0eJX0BGAZrB3y7gw1NOlawlcA2cnqOoCZt-to9ezJJze8XhShK559V9C8b3hKteCcSc0g/s4000/P1160128.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqIeD_7i9iLg9TfiKFH-3OSJN5VRafFxFzzwv5WoQLBdMSS_uZvoJAF0vEq2lpXZRuOJCxj0eJX0BGAZrB3y7gw1NOlawlcA2cnqOoCZt-to9ezJJze8XhShK559V9C8b3hKteCcSc0g/w400-h300/P1160128.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disc covered in 15,000 pieces of turquoise</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWduPDusBTqM88GgpA_vyWQDvyMj3uVsqOvw6ZDkT3Mewl34XgnDCz1sJ2ZThdQWE_lttAVT5xCMgKOmyuY2Y3oqOQUO6sgOUET7gm9RnDVj6caTWTeaYo4vE_S2kGWLCfDQ532md02Rk/s4000/P1160092.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWduPDusBTqM88GgpA_vyWQDvyMj3uVsqOvw6ZDkT3Mewl34XgnDCz1sJ2ZThdQWE_lttAVT5xCMgKOmyuY2Y3oqOQUO6sgOUET7gm9RnDVj6caTWTeaYo4vE_S2kGWLCfDQ532md02Rk/w400-h300/P1160092.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral from Templo Mayor</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">In the afternoon we explored the city's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zócalo" target="_blank"><i>Zocalo</i> (central square)</a>, and saw an 'Aztec' as well as more <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Rivera" target="_blank">Diego Rivera</a> murals at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Palace_(Mexico)" target="_blank">Palacio Nacional</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palacio_de_Bellas_Artes" target="_blank">Bellas Artes</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvnF1up3JvTjuy7WnMEPntcW6OXfpIuxB69pU-lkq-9yyPXdouOBict8AIXdXEXmxPX3Lb7ScD3MIM3lONlbDZRj6jI9K0VoO6p5_V6z0LcM8PBxXQ9WvuK4UwtVNnjVpdeqH_q3wSp8/s3332/P1160133.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2498" data-original-width="3332" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvnF1up3JvTjuy7WnMEPntcW6OXfpIuxB69pU-lkq-9yyPXdouOBict8AIXdXEXmxPX3Lb7ScD3MIM3lONlbDZRj6jI9K0VoO6p5_V6z0LcM8PBxXQ9WvuK4UwtVNnjVpdeqH_q3wSp8/w400-h300/P1160133.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexico City's <i>zocalo</i> is one of the largest main squares in the world</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5rX6tSZLr5PeSFMOzu51KqPCcpoR-jsQEL9NUVSmV01TUwWSMIBjkMzznPkJyAnPhvfhyQFg63v3yGG2adH3T0ejNqdhYi-PfDo1HliooRrPzvHB5rZbyGLdQVuTox1mSWVJarzI7vs/s4000/P1160148.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5rX6tSZLr5PeSFMOzu51KqPCcpoR-jsQEL9NUVSmV01TUwWSMIBjkMzznPkJyAnPhvfhyQFg63v3yGG2adH3T0ejNqdhYi-PfDo1HliooRrPzvHB5rZbyGLdQVuTox1mSWVJarzI7vs/w400-h300/P1160148.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an "Aztec" at the <i>Zocalo</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZCY0X_GwELmX7cJyyC54pQr99KrYMdVKLyRMWPjLHmA2ueuHgbW4shB4RCE4Lpp0s0JSNiDmbjoJLCUQ-0zgJktzJOebz5iX5b_mCd4JmHtMxtqgYx3Ls4d3AIODqnpfatvrkhds3qY/s4000/P1160138.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZCY0X_GwELmX7cJyyC54pQr99KrYMdVKLyRMWPjLHmA2ueuHgbW4shB4RCE4Lpp0s0JSNiDmbjoJLCUQ-0zgJktzJOebz5iX5b_mCd4JmHtMxtqgYx3Ls4d3AIODqnpfatvrkhds3qY/w400-h300/P1160138.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ancient Mexico" mural by Diego Rivera, 1929 at Palacio Nacional</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CIJJpoh5LDbDXcXeC8fV39v1zYkAQXedS_3rBCOU2vDVsOdOP3ZTjQEobjOy1T1cXYPsazC1_Yn6XAdE2QsUWywl06aDFtA5qnPof8qVrBiMiO0jDFWP-o17iWbp3DqLcfWGK7C5sJg/s4000/P1160143.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CIJJpoh5LDbDXcXeC8fV39v1zYkAQXedS_3rBCOU2vDVsOdOP3ZTjQEobjOy1T1cXYPsazC1_Yn6XAdE2QsUWywl06aDFtA5qnPof8qVrBiMiO0jDFWP-o17iWbp3DqLcfWGK7C5sJg/w400-h300/P1160143.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at Palacio Nacional</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_at_the_Crossroads" target="_blank">Man at the crossroads</a>" mural by Diego Rivera, originally commissioned for NY's Rockefeller Center was destroyed for being too anti-capitalist, so was re-created at Palacio de Bellas Artes in 1934.</div><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGXg8zhJPsF0T0X5t2RhfI9nkvwFlui5R_KwuNTdnvhqjRahvgVY059zVwuWMM_XpI0yfeuhTe7y9wBOcZLy_qll9RkXxA-Ornf2u-7tWA3JXersL3eNCiWlyKpQ9BjC7yALDBkhOCsI/s2944/P1160150.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="2944" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGXg8zhJPsF0T0X5t2RhfI9nkvwFlui5R_KwuNTdnvhqjRahvgVY059zVwuWMM_XpI0yfeuhTe7y9wBOcZLy_qll9RkXxA-Ornf2u-7tWA3JXersL3eNCiWlyKpQ9BjC7yALDBkhOCsI/w400-h116/P1160150.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Man at the crossroads </i>mural</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">At the weekend we headed out of the city to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Oro_de_Hidalgo" target="_blank">El Oro</a>, a former gold and silver mining town until the early 20th century.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7upMqsKMdQW6TCmEmW4ZQdbvTRfFaUvCZrzerEyTawcyJ2YNoHSzOtOo8Y0qLk9vulllPqLatQvr3PPTTNTWWQfXtDJXEpJO_L0yuidZc3f8I3tG9r3KRoG5ndkn9Mnnbbx4UOs0NLE/s4000/P1160153.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7upMqsKMdQW6TCmEmW4ZQdbvTRfFaUvCZrzerEyTawcyJ2YNoHSzOtOo8Y0qLk9vulllPqLatQvr3PPTTNTWWQfXtDJXEpJO_L0yuidZc3f8I3tG9r3KRoG5ndkn9Mnnbbx4UOs0NLE/w400-h300/P1160153.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the town's theatre. At the height of the mining boom El Oro <br />had the wealth to build it and attract top-level talent to perform.</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKhczwZgVR7eLe7WLBn9lo-bsespS8tIOqxLUFRm3lWic1UAFy1xEIn17n5Wgpt-z0xcH4DpUIdTAHgXwqPfML1OUGjDBiv-j-042CL_peBHPjIjmKS-URdtoXQcDlk-utJG22lc3cH8/s3843/P1160158.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2882" data-original-width="3843" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKhczwZgVR7eLe7WLBn9lo-bsespS8tIOqxLUFRm3lWic1UAFy1xEIn17n5Wgpt-z0xcH4DpUIdTAHgXwqPfML1OUGjDBiv-j-042CL_peBHPjIjmKS-URdtoXQcDlk-utJG22lc3cH8/w400-h300/P1160158.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside El Oro Town Hall</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefU2Jcs19CaqbAKixZ-5C5NOmaziWnHVgCemBZmoCBv6ZxoPW4dES4Qapg-NyEQqOrXNzsObj_x0htyxyUX_ZwDmGgvGjnT3qVW2DDTj_VPNvDFO_KlEMaesJ6d7-clJBno7xnFC5Hac/s3705/P1160168.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2778" data-original-width="3705" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefU2Jcs19CaqbAKixZ-5C5NOmaziWnHVgCemBZmoCBv6ZxoPW4dES4Qapg-NyEQqOrXNzsObj_x0htyxyUX_ZwDmGgvGjnT3qVW2DDTj_VPNvDFO_KlEMaesJ6d7-clJBno7xnFC5Hac/w400-h300/P1160168.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Oro street</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknUTg7le_QXaIng1kSbnoknME_crSUCCOmbRRlt58WIumWfjCLxytxKZ1H3BlCiHVcL7jRtZgsEX8mUW-AZZoNWGE-Jhxn8zfieZp3wzbXi1erzFhx9JJ8eJ6SBXLgStXgC_RGUsqn5w/s3493/P1160172.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3493" data-original-width="2619" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknUTg7le_QXaIng1kSbnoknME_crSUCCOmbRRlt58WIumWfjCLxytxKZ1H3BlCiHVcL7jRtZgsEX8mUW-AZZoNWGE-Jhxn8zfieZp3wzbXi1erzFhx9JJ8eJ6SBXLgStXgC_RGUsqn5w/w300-h400/P1160172.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos for a 15th birthday celebration <br />in front of the town's old mining tower</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUEI754k5oxWr-24B5kPjyxpEOJmoObBedXduMyDYlyDAbiZawIupIkt3ZlVV5XoQ9YqFyDwB7V8sc62kzvgH4bvJ0H30ZjovcAtu0r2KA_Ra8Xcp0eCA2yxOttzcwKEerN8Noyu2_qE/s3843/P1160174.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3843" data-original-width="2882" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUEI754k5oxWr-24B5kPjyxpEOJmoObBedXduMyDYlyDAbiZawIupIkt3ZlVV5XoQ9YqFyDwB7V8sc62kzvgH4bvJ0H30ZjovcAtu0r2KA_Ra8Xcp0eCA2yxOttzcwKEerN8Noyu2_qE/w300-h400/P1160174.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in El Oro</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We stayed two nights in nearby <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlalpujahua" target="_blank">Tlalpujahua</a>, (in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michoacán" target="_blank">Michoacán state</a>), which was also a gold and silver mining town until a landslide of debris effectively destroyed the mining industry in 1937. Today this small town (population of less than 4,000) is now a major producer of Christmas tree ornaments: the largest producer in Latin America and one of the five largest in the world!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77kT_4Zn3i5Ejwn8dDEQiL6G-vSmwRvdSHhS2xrOSf6kdtXy-dgqZeZFgxRiF0oB1Hawe60ARpiu4uc-n9Pbdnf4W93EC8efjS2Rj9fU-p4nlFz0DESOXPyMTn57voc8znkMTyUPejAk/s3264/IMG_0756.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77kT_4Zn3i5Ejwn8dDEQiL6G-vSmwRvdSHhS2xrOSf6kdtXy-dgqZeZFgxRiF0oB1Hawe60ARpiu4uc-n9Pbdnf4W93EC8efjS2Rj9fU-p4nlFz0DESOXPyMTn57voc8znkMTyUPejAk/w400-h300/IMG_0756.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside one of the town's year-round Christmas decoration shops</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZV8Q70J_4G6aHNMWjFC_ijElSiTdsVOmDu9t8nuw9-uy_2gP3oCtRNM09nQF407_hy0FbRkXmZ7Xn2h67Bw35vkAubuSXhnBjHqeAQD5a8DePoF-Z4jVe6DP_ZXU-ESN0xT9NfGyshE/s4000/P1160151.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZV8Q70J_4G6aHNMWjFC_ijElSiTdsVOmDu9t8nuw9-uy_2gP3oCtRNM09nQF407_hy0FbRkXmZ7Xn2h67Bw35vkAubuSXhnBjHqeAQD5a8DePoF-Z4jVe6DP_ZXU-ESN0xT9NfGyshE/w400-h300/P1160151.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in Tlalpujahua</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGXYlnuycaRRf1BFgd90s7pPp-OEpxTZTd8JY2Z2o4BIIwtiRnCjOprvh-zGjH4Q8S1DW31gmjmEGpqCkdh_aSG8K7Rv2mr1xPYV4yjcikp6FB_0GJDtZK6frw3I52nkhvO4IeizyV6c/s4000/P1160181.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbGXYlnuycaRRf1BFgd90s7pPp-OEpxTZTd8JY2Z2o4BIIwtiRnCjOprvh-zGjH4Q8S1DW31gmjmEGpqCkdh_aSG8K7Rv2mr1xPYV4yjcikp6FB_0GJDtZK6frw3I52nkhvO4IeizyV6c/w400-h300/P1160181.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in Tlalpujahua</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogh2shN9YoVe9kogv38QLiCcIfjyiwFh3nrjtAMt96rhF-6PqWRcBPh3es4w4HzkiG0Q1z3PG-DUxRVLqkdTCqrE9OKgXonYdV5NAtkWlrZqEwVfumTepRDQUtQgWSa4uwSwSNTNCqFA/s3893/P1160182.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2919" data-original-width="3893" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogh2shN9YoVe9kogv38QLiCcIfjyiwFh3nrjtAMt96rhF-6PqWRcBPh3es4w4HzkiG0Q1z3PG-DUxRVLqkdTCqrE9OKgXonYdV5NAtkWlrZqEwVfumTepRDQUtQgWSa4uwSwSNTNCqFA/w400-h300/P1160182.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside Tlalpujahua church </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeSOoaxz_0Vb60K5bDuoDYiQwCzW5yLHgi1B_3Xojc48dRwLvkSd8CyRpHgZBQTGWKOvJ5k_2jDKQ5NJ0JialTD76aQbVGC1bTwKPpznhMknjS5Bs46iL2so-Dye4SMNZtXLmtoR3bbc/s3264/IMG_0888.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDeSOoaxz_0Vb60K5bDuoDYiQwCzW5yLHgi1B_3Xojc48dRwLvkSd8CyRpHgZBQTGWKOvJ5k_2jDKQ5NJ0JialTD76aQbVGC1bTwKPpznhMknjS5Bs46iL2so-Dye4SMNZtXLmtoR3bbc/w300-h400/IMG_0888.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">detail in the church</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCTrXbnRODNjDH3w37Vau9Va2j4UQgrE2eIeXCqspBTdUG1yHiUGmLkcidgCk0W2UL3kO23z6XbUEKZK7wJyLXQVfm7B4JraGTCQuFFQITPQUyDmIKHrkCVG9z53nWbrpobrmHs89kiw/s3684/P1160194.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2762" data-original-width="3684" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCTrXbnRODNjDH3w37Vau9Va2j4UQgrE2eIeXCqspBTdUG1yHiUGmLkcidgCk0W2UL3kO23z6XbUEKZK7wJyLXQVfm7B4JraGTCQuFFQITPQUyDmIKHrkCVG9z53nWbrpobrmHs89kiw/w400-h300/P1160194.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in Tlalpujahua</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYwKHSFMTaCOIrjHG8EEnBIt5DzClR7JTTRo_DAw0yGXsOuxSKItMasI7TLHzCNAyhoHearKo06xRwFToXuFwvL3cezrNLh3rI6pwAKVWyHkHyG6T8acZ0BjiHM-u76KbsWW9AI9v33c/s4000/P1160196.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYwKHSFMTaCOIrjHG8EEnBIt5DzClR7JTTRo_DAw0yGXsOuxSKItMasI7TLHzCNAyhoHearKo06xRwFToXuFwvL3cezrNLh3rI6pwAKVWyHkHyG6T8acZ0BjiHM-u76KbsWW9AI9v33c/w400-h300/P1160196.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in Tlalpujahua</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">During the day we visited a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_Butterfly_Biosphere_Reserve" target="_blank">reserve</a> to see thousands of the millions of Monarch butterflies that migrate annually from northern North America to the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in Mexico.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWvf59AumojPVXu_oGAgxsjJaMDkQtBICHkCN0eDqPhazPGydT-odK5E_eKKKXB9NZQpWenXiehktFqC47zavfEJvPcZzWxg_DbZrN1jUU366AflcfgkC7pTwL4Bl-xuLvZkJsQ31M8A/s3321/P1160254.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3321" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWvf59AumojPVXu_oGAgxsjJaMDkQtBICHkCN0eDqPhazPGydT-odK5E_eKKKXB9NZQpWenXiehktFqC47zavfEJvPcZzWxg_DbZrN1jUU366AflcfgkC7pTwL4Bl-xuLvZkJsQ31M8A/w400-h361/P1160254.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The orange colour on the tree comes from 000s of butterflies covering it</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQiKs_j2cPZDh9h_xUgrzAav1iHI7W6O0gbf28mS9A4UmuBFG89YQDyqWDSsGW4qDyNQrR6_kKtSOzbaVE5YP7XIE7hS0ND9HAu3aA1VfZNdju1wjETJrCCzDvFhHr9nxpUN4_6zuKMo/s4000/P1160205.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQiKs_j2cPZDh9h_xUgrzAav1iHI7W6O0gbf28mS9A4UmuBFG89YQDyqWDSsGW4qDyNQrR6_kKtSOzbaVE5YP7XIE7hS0ND9HAu3aA1VfZNdju1wjETJrCCzDvFhHr9nxpUN4_6zuKMo/w400-h300/P1160205.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reserve is at an altitude of 3,300m so the view is great!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJVZm8eEL3syW5U_CAq9mdJ4YLKFBmwF05GLqDS3KtpnOpGBdXSG64Fmt5DHS4EvhX7DgLr6b7lV8GtuMvXRF_A0TDjRG3xFkEfeggx9Sa6YozS7Ake-ZBD4cPMSABPGNEZC9cHkeCRI/s4000/P1160253.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJVZm8eEL3syW5U_CAq9mdJ4YLKFBmwF05GLqDS3KtpnOpGBdXSG64Fmt5DHS4EvhX7DgLr6b7lV8GtuMvXRF_A0TDjRG3xFkEfeggx9Sa6YozS7Ake-ZBD4cPMSABPGNEZC9cHkeCRI/w400-h300/P1160253.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-DNDUfg4ngPFG8U_qC-Np-CvMHEHNaXjATzV2l7vi_sPP1mM3ARPSUeU6c-fiKjUT5DT958FSTL1aICzZybxdtG9u9f7i-L0HK-uMbh1hdpr-dCC7EKRV7gTvTfxnkad6w8V6Xmxlxs/s4000/P1160262.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-DNDUfg4ngPFG8U_qC-Np-CvMHEHNaXjATzV2l7vi_sPP1mM3ARPSUeU6c-fiKjUT5DT958FSTL1aICzZybxdtG9u9f7i-L0HK-uMbh1hdpr-dCC7EKRV7gTvTfxnkad6w8V6Xmxlxs/w400-h300/P1160262.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUbp8Y3Mu-Fkusmeb-IW7ieqz_JsKsLBOnwiVEISAWBzgAEgiNpnLx6mtiCpzgcB-h9r49iGUKhdjMpUjv_n2WgfWwKHizTE67PdcyLvr96o5S-KUl6Y_YA2id38Ecfxb7_uviZ-Msdg/s3264/IMG_1097.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUbp8Y3Mu-Fkusmeb-IW7ieqz_JsKsLBOnwiVEISAWBzgAEgiNpnLx6mtiCpzgcB-h9r49iGUKhdjMpUjv_n2WgfWwKHizTE67PdcyLvr96o5S-KUl6Y_YA2id38Ecfxb7_uviZ-Msdg/w300-h400/IMG_1097.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qiuI3qSPPYOZJy6AVrAKkaACoweSe4qUjj8LLvDSZxVXLlnLASCH86Xz-AxNCunwWe72dVHe500Ndhuy8CBus3b2yQ-V-IrZP6ksg-tLrzstA5gh_dPQl5hpuIN3VRzqcjmWvb5Vu6g/s3463/P1160214.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2596" data-original-width="3463" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qiuI3qSPPYOZJy6AVrAKkaACoweSe4qUjj8LLvDSZxVXLlnLASCH86Xz-AxNCunwWe72dVHe500Ndhuy8CBus3b2yQ-V-IrZP6ksg-tLrzstA5gh_dPQl5hpuIN3VRzqcjmWvb5Vu6g/w400-h300/P1160214.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We got back to Mexico City just in time to see a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2019_lunar_eclipse" target="_blank">lunar eclipse</a>!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_PmNn_EmeJeyRx7UjtM6e1NnewTjrdN0zaKSoNKMgb7uTEwz0JKqIX7w_r-r06fnxlEKHWnEdbDvcV_Tcp2N_dDXcJaZDejYy-gFBVRyn5hjg0uGUF92AHdflEjt6P-D1GJlthktXU8/s4000/P1160269.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_PmNn_EmeJeyRx7UjtM6e1NnewTjrdN0zaKSoNKMgb7uTEwz0JKqIX7w_r-r06fnxlEKHWnEdbDvcV_Tcp2N_dDXcJaZDejYy-gFBVRyn5hjg0uGUF92AHdflEjt6P-D1GJlthktXU8/w400-h300/P1160269.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0oWJiPbVxI9v6IPOgi9QUim-YGbmVIYGOj9IPmnufnhSBlbg5KFpeDfKe77FzAUPwN9VKZx5CGtOAYb2cLsHatcs4W6PpOWzPJY9JJ6nNUqmSSy9z0kVQfP4aGs_XYLwYUp4uoaIYIo/s4000/P1160274.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0oWJiPbVxI9v6IPOgi9QUim-YGbmVIYGOj9IPmnufnhSBlbg5KFpeDfKe77FzAUPwN9VKZx5CGtOAYb2cLsHatcs4W6PpOWzPJY9JJ6nNUqmSSy9z0kVQfP4aGs_XYLwYUp4uoaIYIo/w400-h300/P1160274.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8C-IOKZ4fnl_6R9sy5q3MFWjcdDmBd3RLatssS66bOkQb3HpaKK8V5ZUli8Vm34RCrSkS50ZhBwTQHREDGuZo6XSKbRBmG1G4N5thK8OwJqZ3TxOfosEXZA92SNn1Q46ZIKLtUYVt9Y/s4000/P1160266.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8C-IOKZ4fnl_6R9sy5q3MFWjcdDmBd3RLatssS66bOkQb3HpaKK8V5ZUli8Vm34RCrSkS50ZhBwTQHREDGuZo6XSKbRBmG1G4N5thK8OwJqZ3TxOfosEXZA92SNn1Q46ZIKLtUYVt9Y/w400-h300/P1160266.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6chSiX4GDr568walUL66HPYT2cV_9KWi_y4JR84NkkhW-q7t8tBQrg9Lw9Qr2_uMvpNDlbTU_jXbc4ntbTB3Ck2yFu6SgMimBfgRx1-7XGDCAQ1Ox5demZBhzljJaJw7UZmmSFrXYWo/s4000/P1160277.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6chSiX4GDr568walUL66HPYT2cV_9KWi_y4JR84NkkhW-q7t8tBQrg9Lw9Qr2_uMvpNDlbTU_jXbc4ntbTB3Ck2yFu6SgMimBfgRx1-7XGDCAQ1Ox5demZBhzljJaJw7UZmmSFrXYWo/w400-h300/P1160277.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">For our last full day in Mexico we visited the last (of ten!) but biggest archaeological site in Mexico: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teotihuacan" target="_blank">Teotihuacan</a>, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerica" target="_blank">Mesoamerican</a> city that was active until 8th century AD, and is famous for the 'Sun' & 'Moon' Pyramids.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWFFUSyPxo5JDNg-VRd9TF7V6ZGzYVEzAdAyc0eci9qVaPa1B_AEcdO5ThpIZLXFMMpJ3nnj9uhPYlkgUMwuA-HWNHqsTmHREJD0F2bu1BvtsDKHPMfRVy8dkwAguFOhIK59sC0qRVpo/s4000/P1160356.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWFFUSyPxo5JDNg-VRd9TF7V6ZGzYVEzAdAyc0eci9qVaPa1B_AEcdO5ThpIZLXFMMpJ3nnj9uhPYlkgUMwuA-HWNHqsTmHREJD0F2bu1BvtsDKHPMfRVy8dkwAguFOhIK59sC0qRVpo/w300-h400/P1160356.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down the two-kilometre 'Avenue of the Dead' <br />from the Pyramid of the Moon</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dZabcMDm1RZhrg0osboDgHsjHSPFnULcPw_hEGcCfJR4mSg8iEntwcUQ3epvS_ycoHmfEDSB_zZNEihE7Ki8fPXyt4k1nu-0Ee2KbB_7uI9RAOmIzRfmFR-xUOSqW5aK3kEK9tA9CWA/s4000/P1160385.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dZabcMDm1RZhrg0osboDgHsjHSPFnULcPw_hEGcCfJR4mSg8iEntwcUQ3epvS_ycoHmfEDSB_zZNEihE7Ki8fPXyt4k1nu-0Ee2KbB_7uI9RAOmIzRfmFR-xUOSqW5aK3kEK9tA9CWA/w400-h300/P1160385.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pyramid of the Moon with Cerro Gordo behind.</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WVJj5W2wG1eegUsAohjIY4bZnNWGsvJBTPnHGWumH-bh7spGTdGkw9jmKuWicogfHFQM2vJRI7-SZ1pyEOHM1NLODR0Lynnfy-aZfWK_2XD7L3ksJeK140-toNfEniseBrpdk3DD2fE/s4000/P1160389.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WVJj5W2wG1eegUsAohjIY4bZnNWGsvJBTPnHGWumH-bh7spGTdGkw9jmKuWicogfHFQM2vJRI7-SZ1pyEOHM1NLODR0Lynnfy-aZfWK_2XD7L3ksJeK140-toNfEniseBrpdk3DD2fE/w400-h300/P1160389.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br style="text-align: left;" /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbovSnpyEbCn_25Ajn9nP7Ojt9Lf35GgboA6E-1CaAWu_B8Lh4TP7_u3CJBNwd88g4zEYF0LymbIn-WkYcHyCoq1-VIINhB5oUiozAzIFP4cztpnJ8VRroSdpOniUS33dojvHNgGR4Ss/s4000/P1160406.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbovSnpyEbCn_25Ajn9nP7Ojt9Lf35GgboA6E-1CaAWu_B8Lh4TP7_u3CJBNwd88g4zEYF0LymbIn-WkYcHyCoq1-VIINhB5oUiozAzIFP4cztpnJ8VRroSdpOniUS33dojvHNgGR4Ss/w400-h300/P1160406.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pyramid of the Moon (left) and Sun (right) at sunset, <br />with the summit of Cerro Gordo (3050 metres) behind.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCjK3CDzo5zf3N_MoYxlgW7N_9bbyvbkdn5elrr8Z68fmURUEf-RLpyKDnRv6C6nSYTwC3KFj7m6YXBhWKBFdn1Z-iAo9Wqqzai3M_-Fo-1KkFyZtH-aEp0GADGeTbvCTuEfTBJ-L0c0/s4032/IMG_5973.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCjK3CDzo5zf3N_MoYxlgW7N_9bbyvbkdn5elrr8Z68fmURUEf-RLpyKDnRv6C6nSYTwC3KFj7m6YXBhWKBFdn1Z-iAo9Wqqzai3M_-Fo-1KkFyZtH-aEp0GADGeTbvCTuEfTBJ-L0c0/w400-h300/IMG_5973.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;">"underground" restaurant at Teotihuacan in a cave</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaOvEXjTl598_Ql20f8DdkzLKg7GNjGYQmH7EfzWORyHeINY-Cas-6KYmhwwIkp3HqdatvXkSVlaTM8K7dlazxW7o98BL5Vod65_Tp_EkAVLYaUSczwYoM0DI_hpHBSH_yPcAX49uYlc/s4032/IMG_5313.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaOvEXjTl598_Ql20f8DdkzLKg7GNjGYQmH7EfzWORyHeINY-Cas-6KYmhwwIkp3HqdatvXkSVlaTM8K7dlazxW7o98BL5Vod65_Tp_EkAVLYaUSczwYoM0DI_hpHBSH_yPcAX49uYlc/w300-h400/IMG_5313.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtyUpssE553rc_JvY1LSceBHr1q7FjsAugbC4pCphTM38qul2ze2LInHF7LrcTsUNVSQuIeI2WSLiKTCcnA7DOZ8yUGL2qtlE7LUxuTYegDsug8IF_KdD_V4ZIC-kGa3mNjcYEELlF9o/s3877/IMG_5976.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3877" data-original-width="2908" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtyUpssE553rc_JvY1LSceBHr1q7FjsAugbC4pCphTM38qul2ze2LInHF7LrcTsUNVSQuIeI2WSLiKTCcnA7DOZ8yUGL2qtlE7LUxuTYegDsug8IF_KdD_V4ZIC-kGa3mNjcYEELlF9o/w285-h398/IMG_5976.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">handbag stands like these were everywhere in Mexican restaurants</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzw1gbWZSmRe_qK8YriKAd0NMxNRdUUTgu6_v10broA3rDyrXbe9Q_JvrDwBuD_oVbQvo_eDwoXszUDZBLOofMWZWXcdUU3Kbk9CMfV6O5XlhrGJ9PdOkLgM7pEf4UKiHjoY8W6ZumRE/s4032/IMG_5319+2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzw1gbWZSmRe_qK8YriKAd0NMxNRdUUTgu6_v10broA3rDyrXbe9Q_JvrDwBuD_oVbQvo_eDwoXszUDZBLOofMWZWXcdUU3Kbk9CMfV6O5XlhrGJ9PdOkLgM7pEf4UKiHjoY8W6ZumRE/w300-h400/IMG_5319+2.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2011/11/back-to-salazie.html" target="_blank">chou-chou</a> (seen here in Cozumel) originate <br />from Mexico but are "hairier" than in Reunion</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><br /></div><div><u>Further reading:</u></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/michigan-lower-peninsula.html" target="_blank">Michigan: Lower Peninsula</a> (where we saw Monarch butterflies pre-migration)</li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/upper-michigan-wisconsin-chicago.html" target="_blank">Upper Michigan, Wisconsin, Chicago</a></li><li><a href="http://travelssmart.blogspot.com/2019/08/toronto-niagara-falls.html" target="_blank">Toronto & Niagara Falls</a></li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="none" data-via="Smart_Translate" data-related="champacs">Tweet</a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>champacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08848703899881684601noreply@blogger.com0Mexico23.634501 -102.552784-6.0200309722463 -137.709034 53.289032972246304 -67.396534