New Books

There's new Lonely Planet books that I have co-authored falling out of the sky this week - France, Spain, Discover Spain, best trips France and Indonesia all out now! Buy them at  http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/

Travellers Guide: Coastal Catalonia

The following is a feature I wrote for the Independent newspaper in the UK. It appeared in print on April 27th 2013 as part of a series on Spain. The online version is available here:  http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/travellers-guide-coastal-catalonia-8589543.html
Or you can read the same below.

Travellers Guide: Coastal Catalonia

For many tourists, Barcelona is the be-all and end-all of Catalonia, but venture beyond the city limits and out spreads a coastline of such diversity that you could spend weeks dissecting it. As well as being varied, this corner of the Iberian peninsula also offers something culturally very different from the rest of the Spanish Mediterranean. In fact, many Catalans will insist that they're not really Spaniards at all. For a visitor, the most obvious manifestation of this is the use of Catalan as a day-to-day language (although everybody will speak to you in Castilian Spanish – or even English in the tourist towns), and the abundant fluttering of Catalan flags.

Political and cultural differences aside, after fleeing the region's capital, the priority for most people is to lay a towel down on a beach. Catalonia has around 580km of coastline, which stretches from the rocky French frontier at Port Bou in the north to the marshlands marking the frontier with the province of Valencia.

Package tourism may have been born on the Costa Brava, to the north of Barcelona. But the "Wild Coast" is very different to the heavily visited Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol – and contains some of Spain's most exceptionally beautiful slips of sand.

One hundred kilometres north-east of Barcelona is the one-time fishing town of Tossa de Mar – which curves around a boat-speckled bay and is guarded by a headland crowned with impressive medieval walls – is today the most low-key and attractive of the bigger resorts. Come early or late in the season (May is a delight) and it can almost come across as undiscovered.

Further north, not far from the French border, is the sea-sprayed, white-washed town of Cadaqués. There's a special magic to Cadaqués – a fusion of wind, sea, light and rock that has long attracted the creative. Federico García Lorca, Paul Eluard and Gabriel García Márquez are some of those who have been inspired by the town. However, it was the painter, Salvador Dalí, who really put Cadaqués on the holiday wish list of the chic set. He once described L'Hostal, a Cadaqués bar that's still going strong, as the "lugar más bonito del mundo" (the most beautiful place on Earth) .

Although man created a work of art when he built Cadaqués, nature has done an even better job with the nearby Cap de Creus. This easternmost point of the Spanish mainland is a place of sublime, rugged beauty, battered by the merciless Tramuntana wind. The odd-shaped rocks, barren plateaux and deserted shorelines that feature in so many of Dalí's paintings were not just a product of his fertile imagination. This is the landscape the artist would draw inspiration from, described by him as a "grandiose geological delirium".

Sitting roughly halfway between Tossa de Mar and Cadaqués are the small towns of Palafrugell and Begur. In between these, lie dozens of pocket-sized coves hemmed in by pine trees and lapped by azure waters. Even the names of some of these beaches – Aigua Blava, Fornells, Sa Tuna and Aiguafreda – sound exotic. And the best thing is that on account of their small size and difficult access, many remain largely undeveloped, hosting no more than one or two upmarket, boutique-style hotels.

South of Barcelona, the coast is very different to the Costa Brava. This is a region of apparently endless flat, sandy beaches and, beyond the history-soaked streets of Tarragona, there are few coastal places of interest. Until that is the Ebro, one of the great waterways of Spain, mutates from stately river to become the flamingo-tinted Ebro Delta; a confused web of channels, lagoons and dune-backed beaches reaching down to Catalonia's southern border and forming northern Spain's most important wetland bird habitat.

Cities by the sea
There is more urban fun to be had outside Barcelona. Just 35km south, Sitges is an old fishing village that's now a beach resort and a favourite with locals since the late 19th century. It was also central to the Modernist movement that paved the way for Picasso. It now attracts shoppers, clubbers, honeymooners, weekending families and, in July and August, Sitges turns into one big beach party with nightlife to rival Ibiza as well as a renowned Carnaval bacchanalian (February-March).
The sunny port city of Tarragona is a fascinating mix of beach life, Roman history and medieval alleyways. Its top attraction is its sea-facing amphitheatre and other Roman sites ( museutgn.com; admission €3.25 per site/ €10.85 all sites), but the town's medieval heart is also one of the most beautifully designed in Spain.

Gourmet hot spots
Catalonia has something for all tastes, from simple beachside shacks serving seafood to esteemed temples of gastronomy. El Bulli, with three Michelin stars and a record five "Best Restaurant in the World" titles, has closed. But others were quick to move in. One of the best is El Celler de Can Roca in Girona (00 34 972 22 21 57; cellercanroca.com; tasting menus from €130), pictured. Its style is playful – try a "dry gambini", with a prawn serving the olive role in a dry Martini.
In Tossa de Mar, La Cuina de Can Simón (00 34 972 34 12 69; Carrer del Portal 24; tasting menus €68 to €98) has the most imaginative dishes in town (try pig trotters and sea cucumber).
In the Ebro Delta, Mas Prades (00 34 977 05 90 84; menus €30) is where gourmets from Barcelona go for superb delta cuisine such as mussels and baby squid or rice with wild duck.

Dally with Dalí
Salvador Dalí was a boy of the Catalan coast, born in Figueres in 1904. His art defined a movement and his presence still echoes throughout the coast. The Teatre-Museu Dalí (00 34 972 677 500; salvador-dali.org; entry €12), pictured, in his home town, was created by the artist with the goal of allowing everyone to experience his "desires, enigmas, obsessions and passions".
In his youth, Dalí holidayed in Cadaqués, not far from Figueres, and later set up home in the village of Port Ligat. His house, now the Casa Museu Dalí (00 34 972 25 10 15; salvador-dali.org; €11), is open to visitors by reservation only.
Towards the end of their lives Dalí and his wife Gala moved to the Castell de Púbol (00 34 972 488 655; salvador-dali.org; €8), not far from Girona, where Gala now lies in a crypt surrounded by stone elephants with giraffes' legs and other oddities.

What lies beneath
The Costa Brava has some of the best diving in the western Med. The focus is on the Illes Medes, a group of seven islets offshore from the town of L'Estartit. Some 1,300 species of plants and animals have been seen in the waters here, including conger eels, rays and groupers.
The tourist office has lists of scuba-diving operators – Costa Brava Divers (00 34 972 752 034; costa-brava-divers.com) is one option; two-hour trips from €35pp.

Where to stay
There are fabulous places to stay all along the Catalan coast. The Hostal Sa Rascassa (00 34 972 622 845; hostalsarascassa.com; doubles from €135, B&B), pictured, overlooking the rocky cove of Aiguafreda, has a handful of delightful rooms and a sense of utter tranquillity.

The Hotel Cap d'Or (00 34 972 34 00 81; hotelcapdor.com; doubles from €103, B&B), which rubs up against the Old Town walls of Tossa de Mar, is a classic Spanish guesthouse with simple but lovingly decorated rooms.

The Hotel Mediterrani (00 34 972 61 45 00; hotelmediterrani.com; doubles from €130, B&B) has swish, arty rooms decked out in placid creams – some with breathtaking views of a sliver of sand on the edge of Calella de Palafrugell, one of the nicest beach towns on the Costa Brava.
The website rusticae.es lists more, properties with character along the coast.

Getting there and getting around
Barcelona is the main flight hub for the region, served from the UK by easyJet (0843 104 5000; easyjet.com), Ryanair (0871 246 0000; ryanair.com), BA (0844 493 0787; ba.com), Monarch (0871 940 5040; monarch.co.uk), Jet2 (0871 226 1737; jet2.com) and Vueling (0906 754 7541; vueling.com). Ryanair also flies from eight UK airports to the city of Girona, close to the beaches of the Costa Brava.

Package holidays are available from a range of UK airports with Thomson (0871 231 4691; thomson.co.uk) and Thomas Cook ( thomascook.com). Specialist operators include Keycamp (0844 334 8253; keycamp.co.uk) for camping; Solmar Villas (0845 508 7775; www.solmarvillas.com) and James Villas (0800 074 0122; jamesvillas.co.uk) for rentals.
Getting around is a breeze; excellent trains run close to the coast all the way from the French border to south of Tarragona, with reliable and cheap bus services filling in the gaps.
For more information go to: www.costadaurada.info, en.costabrava.org and catalunya.com.

Central Africa (Republic Congo, DR Congo, Central African Republic) 2012

Central Africa (Republic Congo, DR Congo, Central African Republic) 2012, a set on Flickr.

I spent part of late 2012 in the Central African countries of Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic (although my trip through the eastern part of DRC was cut short though by the M23 invasion of Goma). I was there both for Lonely Planet researching the relevant chapters for the monster that is the Africa book and for a variety of magazines and websites. The Congo was a trip I had always wanted to make and it didn't let me down - gorillas and elephants, boat rides, surfing and hunting with the pygmies. An amazing experience. Enjoy the photos!

Holidays (almost) in Mosul

And today in Iraq we went to church, made wishes by tying knots in sheets and skirted along the edge of Mosul, arguably the most dangerous city on Earth (yeah this bit was quite scary).

Driving south out of Dohuk we travelled through flat arable land and semi-desert to the small village of al-Kosh which is unusual in Iraq in that it’s 100% Christian. The village itself was simply lovely and one of the only places we’ve been here that has actually felt genuinely old thanks to its mud wall gateway, narrow streets, houses with little courtyard gardens. I was walking a little ahead of Toby and Marion and was basically kidnapped by an old couple who forced me into their house to drink coffee and eat biscuits. It was a struggle to escape without having lunch there. The highlight of the village though was the old monastery built into and around a system of caves high up on a honey coloured cliff face above the village. The amazing thing about this small island of Christianity in Iraq was that despite being just 30 odd kilometres from the violence and mayhem of Mosul where killing Christians is almost a hobby, the war hadn’t touched the village at all.

It was somewhat reluctantly we left here and continued onto Mar Metti or St Matthews Monastery, which at 1650 years old is the oldest church/monastery in Iraq. Like the one in al-Kosh this one was also set like an eagles nest way up on a cliff face. Unlike the al-Kosh monastery though this one was huge and once (well 1000 years ago) it housed over 2000 monks - today there are seven although this is up on the two Monks of a few years ago. Getting to Mar Metti was something of an adventure. We had to pass very, very close to the suburbs of Mosul - in fact we could have walked from the road we were travelling along to the city outskirts in about 5 minutes. Had we realised the road went quite so close to what is possibly the most dangerous city in the world we probably wouldn’t have bothered; as Marion kept saying “What are we doing? Driving by Mosul just to see a church. I never even go to church at home”. She did have a point! The security through the area we drove through was shared between the Kurds and the Iraqi army and was outside the full control of the Kurds. The look and atmosphere of the place was radically and instantly different. It was immediatly much poorer, much dirtier, much more desperate and, frankly, much, much more scary. This was exactly the Iraq you see on TV. There were road blocks everywhere. Driving through one town there were army road blocks on almost every street so they could check who went in and out of each and every quarter of the town. Everyone at the check points said we were safe here, but stopping for a kebab for lunch just didn’t seem all that appealing when you could see down the hill into Mosul itself. Things weren’t improved much by the fact that the driver hadn't been here before, didn’t seem at all certain of the security situation himself and was a little worried he'd take a wrong turn and in a kilometre or so end up in Mosul itself.... When the road finally turned north again and re-entered areas fully controlled by the Kurds the people of Mosul could probably have heard the sigh of relief! That was definitely a close enough view of the 'real' Iraq!

From Mar Metti we drove north into an area of lovely hills covered in olive trees and grape vines to a place called Lalish, which is the holiest place in the world for followers of the Yazidi faith. There were several pyramid shaped temples here and a number of cave like chambers below them. As there are only 500,000 Yazidis in the world and it wasn't a holy day there were few people around but a nice man showed us around and explained how we could make a wish come true by tying a knot in a sheet. I think we all wished not to have drive back the way we came! Our wishes came true because it was a simple drive from there back to calm and collected Dohuk!

Taking the high road in Iraq

Think Iraq is all desert and sand dunes? Think again. The last couple of days have been spent up in the Zagros mountains bordering Iran and Turkey and you’re more likely to see a snowman up here than a camel. Actually, if the truth be known we didn’t see any snowmen or camels but we did see big wheels. Lots of them. Take any beauty spot and you can be certain than an Iraqi will have tried to improve on nature by building some monsterous hotel or theme park. Of slightly more interest to most western tourists we did see a ski resort they were in the process of building – though they did seem to have picked the rockiest and most snow free mountain slope around on which to build it. Away from the tack though the scenery was truly beautiful; huge snowy mountains and deep valleys and gorges. In another time and place this could be a major trekking and winter sports holiday destination.

As public transport is limited up in the mountains we hired a taxi and driver for three days – the driver is a funny guy who has taken great pleasure in playing practical jokes on us like pretending to take the wrong road and drive into Mosul (which would be very, very bad) and other such hilarious antics – this proved a wise decision when we couldn’t find anywhere to stay in the mountains and so were able to carry on last night to the city of Dohuk. The city had something of a surprise for us this morning (and no, it wasn’t yet another kebab – well ok we did only have kebabs but that wasn’t the surprise) - an art gallery. Now I don’t want to sterotype but I wouldn’t imagine a place like Iraq to have art galleries. Even bad ones. But Dohuk had an art gallery that wasn’t just not bad, it was really good. And it’s not just Dohuk. In Sulyamaniya the other day we visited another almost equally good gallery. Yes another unexpected side to Iraq.

After the human art we went off in search of more natural art. Back into the mountains we drove into scenery that was possibly more stunning than yesterdays. Huge mountains seperated by a wide fertile valley in the middle of which the small town of Amadiya was perched atop a table top shaped mountain rising out of the valley floor. The weather was gorgeous, we sat in a restaurant in the sun and had a big lunch (kebabs - again....) looking out a stunning mountain vista. Who would imagine that Iraq could actually feel like a holiday destination? I’m surprised to say it but I’m really enjoying this place!

Park Life Iraqi Style

Another great day here in Iraq. We returned to the regional capital Erbil and being a Friday, which is a holiday here we did what Iraqis do on a Friday and went to the park. When I say park I don’t mean a grotty little bit of grass with some trees and a few people kicking a ball about (though there was that as well). Oh no, I mean a park that has a train to get about on, lakes with dancing, multi-coloured fountains, fake caves filled with Mona Lisas’ (I rather suspect these were fake too), the biggest and best childrens playground I’ve ever seen (yes, better than any in Europe), a cable car that must be a kilometre or so long, a skate/BMX park (seriously!) and zillions of very noisy and very colourful wedding parties most of whom wanted us to come and join in (and if we’d hung about any longer we may have been expected to marry a relative or two). Yes, no matter how you look at it, not just are the Iraqi’s amazingly friendly (the amount of times people ‘forget’ to make us pay is amazing), but it’s also the tackiest place I have ever been – and that’s just great with me!!

Iraq day three

Today something amazing happened! The sun came out! Oh yes, you think Iraq is all sun baked desert well not so. Up here in the north it rains, and it rains and then it rains again. So taking advantage of this rare glimmer of sunshine we started the day with a walk around Sulamaniya’s souk where we saw cute fluffy bunny rabbits about to be be-headed, chickens being cooked with flame throwers and posters of Adolf Hitler next to ones of Che Guevara which frankly was a little strange. We also found a fantastic tea shop with pictures of Kurdish freedom fighters all over the walls and about a hundred old men playing dominoes and backgammon and Marion, the only girl in the vicinity, wishing she was a man.

A cheery afternoon was spent in prison looking at people being tortured and gassed. The Amna Suraka is an old Saddam era prison/interrogation centre/torture chamber. The current authorities have left it much as it was the day they over ran it and took control of it over the Bathists. The huge complex was littered in bullet holes and inside were very graphic pictures and models of the results of Saddams gassing of Kurdish villages and people being tortured. The odd thing was the reaction of the visiting Kurds and Arab Iraqis who presumably all know people killed in the Saddam era and yet treated it all like a big jolly carnival. Oh, we’re in a torture chamber where people I knew may have died ho ho ho, let’s take some photos, joke about and lock ourselves in the prison cells and climb on the tanks! What family friendly fun all this is!

In the prison café (with Wifi may I point out) afterwards we met a big group of Iraqis from across the country who were in town for a conference on blogging and media freedom in Iraq. We had no shortage of invites to Baghdad, Kirkuk, Mosul and Najaf amongst others and they said we could bring friends so if anyone wants a lovely (but possibly quite short) holiday in Mosul do let me know and I’ll pass on your details.

Then we went for a walk in a park and got married! Well, ok that’s an exaggeration but we did get an invite to join in a Kurdish wedding celebration in the children’s playground. All I can say about that is thank god only the women were dancing as I’m not totally sure Iraq is quite ready for my caterpillar dance yet….

Iraq diary

Today we drove east from Erbil to Sulamaniyah via the very small town of Koya. The driver of our share taxi obviously thought we looked bored so tried to liven things up by killing us all with his crazy driving and then giggling to himself at every near miss. Who said it wasn’t dangerous here?! The driving meant we didn’t have much time to watch the scenery which was possibly a plus because it couldn’t have been any more grey and bleak. It started as gentle hills and then got more and more rugged and through the rain and grey you could see huge snow capped mountains in the distance. Koya was just a small town with an interesting souk and an old castle. Some woman from the council was dragged out of her office because she spoke English and made to give us a tour of the town. She looked really happy about this. She did get quite excited when it came to showing us the museum but unfortunately it had been so long since anyone had asked to see it that all the locks had ceased up and nobody could open the door. Frankly this was something of a relief.

Sulamaniyah, when it came, was a surprise. For a start it’s huge and really spread out with massive four lane highways that are impossible to cross, shopping malls by the dozen and lots of stuff that may once have been buildings but are now just crumbling wreaks. Basically a typical Middle Eastern city. We asked someone what the best thing was to do in Sulaymaniyah. They said to go bowling so that’s what we did. Yes, Iraq is not exactly how I imagined it!

Iraq

Wow, what a day! Finally after many, many adventures with Air France strikes (they really are a crap airline!) and snow we finally made it to Iraq!

I’m in Erbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, and have therefore naturally spent the day ice-skating! Oh yes, the zillion year old citadel was interesting, the museums were, well actually they were quite dull, the souks were, well like souks anywhere else in the Middle East and so I went to the Family Mall, a huge shopping complex with everything you’d expect to find in Iraq – coffee shops, wireless internet, Mango, Adidas and other chain shops, a fun fair complete with roller coasters and big wheels and a 5D cinema (that’s 3D plus movement and water spraying over you) where I watched a ‘horror’ movie and a 9D cinema – though I have no real idea what the other 4D’s are, an amusement arcade full of Iraqi children playing shoot, kill, death computer games, a large train chugging children about and, of course, an ice-skating rink. Now if only all shopping malls were such fun

Tomorrow I scoot eastwards to Sulamaniya for a day or two before returning to Erbil for a couple more days.

Off to Iraq!

Well I never thought I'd find myself halfway to Iraq and actually be looking forward to it! But, for the next 10 days I'll be travelling around Iraqi Kurdistan partially for Lonely Planet and partially for some photographic projects and my own mere interest. Ok, so to most people the word Iraq means guns, desert, death and other nice stuff but Iraqi Kurdistan, in the far north of the country on the border with Turkey, Iran and Syria is something of a different face of Iraq. The area is largelly autonomus from the rest of the country and has been since a UN No-fly zone was imposed 20 years ago after the first Gulf War. Today it has it's own government, security and police force, borders. visas, flag and everything else that makes up a seperate country - except that it still remains a part of a greater Iraq. It's also safe (compared to the rest of Iraq anyway) and has seen very little of the violence that has engulfed the rest of the country. And not just does it act differently to the rest of Iraq but it looks different. It's got mountains. The Zagros mountains and they're really, really big mountains and it's got rivers, lakes, snow, water, forests and everything else that doesn't look like a desert.

I'm going to be flying into the Iraqi Kurdistan 'capital', Erbil, very late tomorrow night and will spend 8 days travelling around the main cities and through the mountains both updating the Iraqi Kurdistan chapter of the Lonely Planet Middle East guide and just seeing what Iraq is like - very exciting!

However, first I have to get there and that isn't going well. I should have been in Istanbul tonight but am instead in a hotel in Paris after snow in the south of France grounded my first flight and meant I missed the connection (hey there was almost a centimetre of snow you know!). With luck I now fly onto Istanbul and then Iraq in the morning but a four day air traffic strike begins in France tomorrow and nobody can tell me if my flight will actually leave. All going well though I will try my best to update this blog with words and photos  each day whilst I'm away. On the other hand you might just hear about my train ride back home when tomorrows flights are cancelled!

Sumatra & Java Research Trip

                                          Photo: Mt Bromo, Java, Indonesia - photo S.Butler

I recently came back from a couple of fantastic months on the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. I was there for Lonely Planet in order to update the relevant chapters of their legendry Southeast Asia on a Shoestring guide, but of course whilst I was there I got to do quite a lot of surfing (in fact that was one of the reasons why Lonely Planet chose to send me there to do the job!). I mainly concentrated on Java, partially because there wasn’t time to spend weeks trudging out to all the offshore Sumatran islands and partially because I’d never surfed in Java before and it seems to be the one island that, aside from G-Land, most surfers skip completely. As you’ll see I scored a few pretty good days up and down the Javan coast. What I enjoyed about this trip was that I was actually forced to head inland and visit all the big tourist towns, cities and sights which is something that most surfers miss out on. It was time away from the waves well spent and Java in particular was simply wonderful. I don’t think I have ever been anywhere quite so artistic, refined and cultured as Java - everybody seems to be a musician, artist or dancer. The countryside itself, with its spine of volcanoes and bright green rice paddies, is also utterly spectacular. I was lucky enough to be there when Mt Bromo was erupting and walking around the surrounding villages or the plains below the volcano with an umbrella up to protect from the ash and sand falling like snow out of the sky was quite memorable. The highlight of the trip though was the Ijen Plateau where I followed a group of miners deep into the belly of a live volcano to photograph them as they mined sulphur from the edge of the acidic lake that sits inside the crater. It was the toughest environment I have ever been in and even with three face masks on everytime the sulphur clouds enveloped me my eyes would stream and I’d start retching! Most of the miners work with nothing more than a cloth over their face. The cloud was so noxious that in the space of a couple of hours it had literally corroded away and destroyed one camera lens and one flash unit! When a BBC film crew went there to film the Human Planet series they said it was the toughest place they’d ever filmed!

I have put a selection of photographs from the Indonesia trip up online

Slideshow of photos -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25936994@N00/sets/72157627167620591/show/

Photos with a description - http://www.flickr.com/photos/25936994@N00/sets/72157627167620591/

I have also put a selection of images of the Ijen sulphur miners online as well as some more information on them.

Slide show of images - http://www.flickr.com/photos/25936994@N00/sets/72157627207641045/show/

Photos with description –

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25936994@N00/sets/72157627207641045/

Sri Lanka: National Park Closures

  I can't see any elephants anywhere because there's something stuck to the windscreen - photo Stuart Butler

Over the weekend of August 11th-13th all national parks in Sri Lanka will be closed to visitors as the island conducts its first ever countrywide elephant census. Prior to this cenusus nobody has ever really had anything more than a hazy idea about the number of elephants found in Sri Lanka. If you want to help out on the census the excellent Ecotours Sri Lanka are offering five volunteers the chance to get involved. See http://www.srilankaecotourism.com/ for more.

If you're visiting Sri Lanka in the next few weeks remember that many of the parks are in fact closed anyway due to the monsoon making the dirt roads in the parks unuseable.

South Sudan: Hours to go!!!

It's now only a matter of hours until the worlds newest country is born. On Saturday July 9th Sudan will split into two and the new nation of South Sudan will be born. Oil rich but yet one of the poorest and least developed regions on Earth the new country (and the suddenly smaller country of Sudan) will face huge problems. For a brief rundown of everything to do with independence for South Sudan see this link to the BBC's special South Sudan feature. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12070034

Sri Lanka Travel News Updates

                           School girl and wall mural outside school northeast Sri Lanka - photo S.Butler


Three bits of good news from the Sri Lankan tourist industry in the last couple of weeks. The first is that all travel restrictions to the far north of Sri Lanka are to be lifted (this came into force straight away). Foreign and domestic tourists are now free to travel wherever and whenever they want in the whole northern part of the country. This is the area that was for many years out of bounds due to the conflict btween the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) and government forces. This conflict came to an end in 2009 but restrictions on visitors has meant that much of the area has been very difficult for casual tourists to visit. This easing of restrictions now essentially opens the doors for travellers to explore one of the least known regions of southern Asia. For the full details see this Sri Lankan government link http://www.news.lk/home/18388-travel-restrictions-to-north-by-foreign-passport-holders-lifted-

The second bit of good news inolves the opening of a rebranded and redefined Hikkadawa Marine Park. This morning I recieved this email from the good people at Ecoteam Sri Lanka.

 “The Marine National Park at Hikkaduwa was declared open on the 29^th of June marking yet another step towards boosting tourism in srilanka. The national park covers an area of 101 hectares including a snorkeling and diving zone and also a bathing zone catering to the diverse needs of both local and foreign adventure seekers.”

However according to the newly-structured ticketing scheme, the entrance fee for a local  tourist will be Rs. 5 and for a foreigner Rs. 30. A MOU has been signed by the wildlife department and the boat service providers of the area, assuring that more reliable and consistent prices would be charged from tourists rather than continuously fluctuating individual rates.

For the local media report into the park see this http://www.ft.lk/2011/07/01/hikkaduwa-marine-national-park-opens/  It's also worth noting that the official government approved boat price for foreign tourists is now Rp1,750.

Finally, even the crocodiles are getting a bit of love in Sri Lanka now with the establishment of a new protected area for crocs near Negombo. See this link for more http://www.ft.lk/2011/06/23/sri-lanka-to-establish-crocodile-park-in-negombo/

                                            Photo: Monasterio de Yuso by S.Butler

BBC Travel are currently featuring a min travel guide to the La Rioja region of Spain. The edited down feature comes from the original text I wrote for the Lonely Planet Spain guidebook. Here is a link to the feature - http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20110616-mini-guide-to-la-rioja-spain/1

And here is the article in full.

Mini guide to La Rioja, Spain

Photo: Architect Santiago Calatrava’s winery, Bodega Ysios, shimmers in the Spanish sun. (BBC)

The tiny province of La Rioja is distinguished by its ochre-coloured earth and bright blue skies, and by its famous wine (the official wine region also includes small parts of the neighbouring Basque Country and Navarre).

Vineyards line the banks of the Río Ebro, while hilltop towns such as Haro and Logroño straddle the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail.

See
The hamlet of San Millán, situated in a deep green valley, is the location of two Unesco-listed monasteries. The most extravagant is the Monasterio de Yuso. To visit, you’ll need to take a guided tour (monasteriodeyuso.org; 10am-1.30pm and 4pm- 6.30pm Tue-Sun Easter-Oct; £4.40).

Santo Domingo de la Calzada is small town Spain at its best. A large number of inhabitants still live in the partially walled old quarter, a labyrinth of medieval streets where the past is alive and the sense of community strong. Santiago-bound pilgrims still make up the majority of visitors.

The small village of Briones offers commanding views over the surrounding vineyards. Here you’ll find the space-age wine museum Dinastía Vivanco, which explores the history of viticulture over several floors (dinastiavivanco. com; 10am-6pm Tue-Thur and Sun, Fri-Sat 10am-8pm; £6.50).

Bodega Ysios is La Rioja’s answer to the Bilbao Guggenheim. The winery’s aluminium and cedar roof seems to match the flow of the mountains that frame it. Tours are by appointment (ysios.com; Camino de la Hoya s/n, Laguardia; 11am-4pm Mon-Fri, 11am and 1pm Sat and Sun; £5.30).

One hundred and twenty million years ago, the village of Enciso was at the heart of dinosaur territory. Spend a peaceful day searching the slopes for dinosaur footprints. Get a map from the Centro Paleontológico de Enciso (dinosaurios-larioja.org; £2.50).

Eat and drink
Pintxo are the Basque version of tapas and La Taberna de Baco has a cracking list of around forty different plates. It also serves regional casseroles and salads (00 34 941 213544; Calle de San Agustín 10, Logroño; lunch and dinner; plates from £2).

At Bodega la Petra you have the chance to dine inside one of the cave houses (homes built in natural caves) burrowed into the gorges around Arnedillo and Enciso. The restaurant serves a selection of vegetarian dishes and their speciality, roasted cuts of meat (00 34 941 394023; Avenida de los Cidacos, Arnedillo; lunch and dinner; mains from £8).

Dine in the 17th-century vaulted cellars of Los Calaos de Briones. Aside from the atmospheric setting, the regional menu is exceptional and features locally produced hams and sausages (00 34 941 322131; loscalaosdebriones.com; Calle San Juan 13, Briones; lunch and dinner; mains from £10).

Haro’s best restaurant, Beethoven, is actually a group of three next to each other. All offer good regional food such as stuffed sole and wild pheasant (restaurantebeethoven.com; Calle de Santo Tomás 5; lunch and dinner Wed-Sun, lunch Mon; mains from £13).

Posada Mayor de Migueloa, in the former Viana Palace, offers twists on local cuisine such as venison with honey and grapefruit jus (00 34 945 621175; mayordemigueloa.com; Mayor de Migueloa 20, Laguardia; lunch and dinner; mains from £15).

Sleep
In the small village of Briñas is Casa de Legarda, a guesthouse that dates back to 1634. Areas for guests’ use are furnished with typical antiques but some rooms are contemporary and painted in bright colours such as cerise and turquoise (00 34 605 600646; casadelegarda.com; Calle Real 11, Briñas; from £35).

Casa Rural Legado de Ugarte mixes tradition with boutique styling. The townhouse has been renovated preserving its stone walls and beams. However rooms are eclectic and colourful, with candy-striped wallpapers and velvet wingback armchairs (00 34 945 600114; legadodeugarte.com; Calle Mayor 17, Laguardia; from £65).

From the driftwood art in the communal spaces to the lollipops and red pouffes in the rooms, a huge amount of thought has gone into the Hotel Marqués de Vallejo. It also has a prime location in the heart of Logroño’s historic quarter (00 34 941 248333; hotelmarquesdevallejo. com; Calle del Marqués de Vallejo 8, Logroño; from £85).

History hangs in the air at Los Agustinos, which was originally founded as a convent in 1373. Now the 62-room hotel offers Haro’s most luxurious accommodation in spacious rooms furnished with antiques and floral-print décor (00 34 941 311308; hotellosagustinos.com; San Augustín 2, Haro; from £115).

Occupying a former monastery in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, the Parador Santo Domingo Bernardo de Fresneda offers by far the best value among the region’s paradores – Spain’s luxurious state-owned hotels in historic buildings (00 34 941 341150; parador.es; Plaza de San Francisco 1; from £120).

When to go
Early summer is the ideal time to enjoy the warm weather and good hiking in the fertile valleys and dramatic mountains. Or plan your trip to coincide with the grape harvest in September and October.

Getting around
Regular trains connect Haro with Logroño (£11) and Logroño with Bilbao (£19; renfe.com); there is also a local bus network (autobusesjimenez.com). The best way to get around the region is to hire a car at Bilbao airport (from £20 per day; europcar.com).

How to go
Bilbao is the closest airport. International and budget carriers such as British Airways, Iberia and easyJet fly to Bilbao from London Stansted (from £75; easyjet.com) and Edinburgh (from £230; ba.com). A bus connects Bilbao airport with the city centre and car hire is available at the airport.

Back in Kenya

                                                         Photo: Tanzanian secret spot

I've just arrived back in Kenya at the start of a a couple of months research for the next edition of the Lonely Planet Kenya guide. For this edition I'll be checking out the beaches (and fruit juices!) of the Kenyan coastline and then returning to my old stomping grounds in northern Kenya. I flew into Mombasa today from Nairobi and have just enjoyed a very tasty curry at the excellent (though slightly pricey) Shehani Restaurant in the city centre. I'll update this blog frequently whilst I'm away with news and views of how things have changed on the Kenyan coast since the last edition.

A few years ago I did a magazine surf trip to the Tanzanian coast where we scored unexpectedly fantastic waves. I'm carting a board around with me at the moment (so if you see someone struggling around with a board and far too much baggage come and say hi!) in the hope of getting a few waves similar waves in Kenya somewhere. I'd also love to meet up with some of the local or expat surfers in Kenya if any of you happen to read this!

Europes 50 Best Beaches

Basil Fawlty; the man who made Torquay great.

The Independent newspaper in the UK recently asked me to be a panellist alongside Simon Calder (the Independents travel guru) and Emma Gregg (Rough Guide author to various African and European destinations - and here I'm going to deviate somewhat and recall how a couple of years ago Emma and I met by chance in a small port in the beautiful Cape Verde Islands. We were both working on guidebooks to the islands at the time and both needed to catch a ferry from one island to another the next day. The problem was the ferry was full and no tickets were available  - unless that was you were willing to go dodgy, in which case a man in a cowboy hat could magically conjure up some fake, black market tickets. One of us was honest and didn't want to do the government out of some money. One of us wasn't honest but did sail away into the sunset on a ferry... I will leave you to guess who was the dishonest one!). Anyway, I digress. I was asked to be a panellist for the Independent for a feature about Europe’s 50 Best Beaches and beach resorts which came out a couple of days ago (25^th June 2011). I should make clear that not all the places I nominated were included in the list. In fact my top two beach destinations; Moliets on the coast of Les Landes in southwest France and San Sebastian in the Spanish Basque country, didn't make the list (although Torquay in the UK did which just goes to show that you shouldn't believe everything you read!! Sorry, only joking Torquay; you're great really!).

Anyway here is a link to the online version of the feature and when my brain gets big enough to work out how to do it I'll post up the pdfs of the complete feature. http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-50-best-european-beach-breaks-2301463.html

Spanish Basque Country Travel Guide for Independent Newspaper

If you're in the UK then get hold of a copy of todays (18/6/11) Independent newspaper which contains a major feature/supplement on the Spanish Basque country which was co-written by me. For those not in the UK my original text is below (note that the final printed version may differ). If you want to read about Bilbao, Vitoria and inland areas then you'll need to get the paper which contains the other writers features although i shall try and scan a copy up here when I can.

Decathlon: San Sebastián

(1) Sample the sands

The glorious coastal city of San Sebastian is both glamorous and supremely playful – and its beaches are the envy of coastal cities across Europe. There are three to choose from. Playa de Gros (Playa de la Zurriola) in the east is the most popular with locals and its exposure to Atlantic swells also makes it a great surfers’ hangout. But it’s Playa de la Concha, and its western extension Playa de Ondarreta, that is the real heartbeat of San Sebastián’s quest for fun in the sun. This perfect curve of sand, lapped by gentle waves, gets many people’s vote as the most attractive urban beach in Europe and throughout the long summer months a youthful party atmosphere prevails. From June to September you can take a five minute boat ride (or you can swim!) out to the rocky islet of Santa Clara, which sits in the middle of the bay. Boats depart roughly every hour from the harbour.

(2) Get a flavour of the old town

San Sebastián’s old town, which is centred on both the 16^th Century Gothic Iglesia de San Vicente (church of San Vicente) and the Plaza de la Constitución which once doubled up as a bullring, is rumoured to contain more bars per square metre than anywhere else on Earth and in almost every single one of these the bar top is overflowing with tiny pintxo (the Basque name for tapas). There are also plenty of small, independent boutiques and quirky back street shops to delve into. With its funky and funny designs Kukuxumusu (www.kukuxumusu.com; tel-00 34 943 421184; Calle Major 15) is probably the best known local clothes designer.

(3) Fish for compliments

Drop by the city’s superb aquarium (www.aquariumss.com; tel-00 34 943 440099; adult/child €12/6) just beside the harbour and get to know the fishy denizens of the deep in a little more depth. Highlights are the vast open ocean pool with its sharks, rays and turtles, the tropical reef exhibits and the collection of slippery, flippery things hailing from the Bay of Biscay. The aquarium also houses exhibits relating to San Sebastián’s maritime culture and past.

(4) Aim high

For great views of the city, take a walk to the summit of Monte Urgull and the statue of Christ which overlooks the old town. However, for an even more spectacular viewpoint head to Monte Igueldo (www.monteigueldo.es; admission €1.80, rides extra) at the far western end of Playa de la Concha and Ondarreta. From the base of the hill you can ride the funicular railway (adult/child €2.60/1.90) up to the summit where you’ll be greeted not just by a breathtaking view over the entire San Sebastián bay, but also by a small rollercoaster, a house of horrors and various other amusement park attractions.

(5) Tour for some top tastes

The chefs of San Sebastián are a competitive bunch who endlessly push each other in the creation of ever more sublime pintxos. Few would doubt that the hidden-away La Cuchara de San Telmo (www. lacucharadesantelmo.com; Calle de 31 Agosto 28 is not one of the finest. Unlike in many bars the pintxos are not displayed on the bar top and you need to order from the list chalked up on the board.

Penetrating the complex culture behind San Sebastián pintxos is no easy task, but Jon Warren is one of the few foreigners to really know his stuff and his company, San Sebastián Food (www.sansebastianfood.com; 00 34 634 759503), offers highly regarded guided tours of the city’s finest pintxo bars (Guided tour €85 per person) as well as a range of cookery courses (Cooking course €145 per person).

(6) Get surfing

Playa de Gros, with its (comparatively) mellow waves is one of the better beaches in the region on which to learn how to surf. The surf lessons organised by the Pukas Surf Shop (www.pukassurf.com; from €53 for 3 hours) will have you hanging ten in no time. If you already know how to surf you’ll find the eastern end of the beach, which gathers the most swell and tends to have the best quality waves, the most rewarding part of the beach.

(7) Kursaal

Overlooking Playa de Gros, the double cube shaped Kursaal (www.kursaal.org; 00 34 943 00 30 00; Avenida de Zurriola 1) is easily the most eye-catching building in San Sebastián. Designed by Rafael Moneo, this award winning, translucent congress centre and exhibition space was designed to look like two beached rocks. Numerous events, including live music, film festivals and dance shows, are held here. Over the last half of July this year the centre will play host to numerous live jazz gigs as a part of the International Jazz Festival (www.heinekenjazzaldia.com). Hour long guided tours of the building run Friday to Sunday at 12.30pm.

(8) Take a walk on the wild side

The three-hour hike along the coastal cliffs between San Sebastián and Pasajes takes in wild seascapes and a deserted beach or two. The walk starts at the eastern end of Playa de Gros and is clearly way-marked. Once in the pretty port town Pasajes (which involves taking a small ferry boat over a narrow channel) treat yourself in one of the superb seafood restaurants, such as Casa Camara (tel-00 34 943 523699; San Juan 79) which is renowned for its crab and lobster dishes. A full meal will cost around €40 excluding wine. It’s closed Sunday night and all day Monday.

(9) Museo Naval

With a maritime past awash in tales of pirates, whales and far flung expeditions (some say the Basques were quietly slipping off to the cod fishing grounds off America long before Columbus even knew what a compass was) it’s natural for San Sebastián to be home to an excellent naval museum (http://um.gipuzkoakultura.net; tel-00 34 943 430051; Calle Muelle 24; adult/child €1.20/free). Sadly signage is mostly in Spanish or Basque.

(10) Dine out in style

San Sebastián is one of the best cities in Europe in which to eat – and it’s safe to say that gastronomy will be the enduring memory of anyone’s visit here. There are also a huge number of Michelin stars being hoarded here. One of San Sebastián’s greatest chefs is Juan Mari Arzak, whose three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Arzak (www.arzak.info; tel-00 34 943 278465; Avendia Alcalde Jose Elosegui 273)  is widely considered one of the best eating experiences in Spain. Expect to spend around €160 per person on a meal and reservations, months in advance, are essential.

Where to Stay

Pensión Amaiur Ostatua (www.pensionamaiur.com; 00 34 943 429654; Calle de 31 de Agosto 44; doubles from €50 Breakfast not included) This budget hotel in the old town, with its crazy mix of decoration styles, stands head and shoulders above the rest. The best rooms have miniature flower bedecked balconies overlooking the street.

Pensión Bellas Artes (www.pension-bellasartes.com; 00 34 943 474905; Calle de Urbieta 64; double from €99 Breakfast not included) With its spacious rooms (some with glassed-in balconies), exposed stone walls and excellent bathrooms this is easily one of the best value hotels in town. It’s also the friendliest and the staff take genuine delight in helping their guests explore the city.

Hotel María Cristina (www.starwoodhotels.com; 00 34 943 437600; Paseo de la República Argentina 4; double from €275 with breakfast) When the glitzy and glamorous  hit town for San Sebastián’s film festival (www.sansebastianfestival.com) in September this decadent hotel is where they will stay.

More information: The city’s helpful tourist office (www.sansebastianturismo.com; tel-00 33 943 481166; Boulevard 8) is open Mon-Thu 9am-1.30pm & 3.30-7pm, Fri-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun and holidays 10am-2pm. In July and August it’s open Mon-Sat 9am-8pm & 10am-7pm Sun and holidays.

Park and Hike

Santuario de Arantzazu

The hills of the central Basque country make for impressive hiking country, and Oñati, roughly equidistant from both Bilbao and San Sebastián, is at the heart of this region. The town itself contains some memorable architecture, but it’s in the lush green surrounding hills that the real interest is to be found. The drive from Oñati to the love it or loath it pilgrimage site of Santuario de Arantzazu is a stunning wobble up and down mountain roads. From the Santuario itself numerous hiking trails fan out. Oñati’s tourist office at 14 San Juan  (00 34 943 783 453) offers comprehensive information on walking routes.

Parque Natural de Gorbeia

Inland of Bilbao the great rolling massif of Gorbeia (www.bizkaia.net/Nekazaritza/gorbeia) forms part of the largest natural park in the Basque country. From Bilbao take the N240 to the small village of Areatza and then follow road signs to Pagomakurre, which is little more than a picnic area under the shade of beech trees. From here a fantastic walk leads to the Ojo de Atxular (eye of Atxular), a huge window-like stone arch. You could content yourself with the views from here or complete a five-hour loop through twisted limestone landscapes, dense forests and open pastures. There’s a park information centre in Areatza (Plaza Gudarien s/n; tel-00 34 946 739279) open 10am-2pm & 4-6pm.

Parque Natural de Urkiola

Driving the A8 motorway between Bilbao and San Sebastián there’s no missing the massive hulk of the Anboto mountain, mythical dwelling place of the Basque goddess Mari. Anboto sits inside the Parque Natural de Urkiola (www.bizkaia.net/Nekazaritza/urkiola), which is best accessed from the Puerto de Urkiola halfway along the BI623 which runs between Durango and Vitoria. From the Puerto de Urkiola the most popular hike is the five-hour ascent of Anboto itself, which starts off as a gentle ramble over the pastures before climbing steeply through forest toward the summit. However, be warned that the final part is only for those with a serious head for heights. There’s a park information centre at the Puerto de Urkiola (Tel-00 34 946 814155) open 10am-2pm & 4-6pm.

Oma Forest

One of the more unusual walks in the region is the easy stroll in the Omo forest. Local artist Agustín Ibarrola has enhanced nature’s natural art by painting the trunks of all the trees in rainbow colours and surreal swirls and bands. The forest is several kilometres north of the small market town of Guernica and all the trails around it are family-friendly. See http://www.spain.info/en/reportajes/el_bosque_encantado_de_oma_un_cuadro_en_la_naturaleza.html for further information.

Lakes of Laguardia

A little less challenging than the previous hikes, this gentle stroll around the protected wetlands below the wine town of Laguardia is nevertheless a rewarding way to walk off all those boozy meals. The wetlands here, which are a protected RAMSAR site, are home to over a hundred bird species including great-creasted grebes, white storks and rails. There are bird-watching hides and a disabled accessible walkway of 2.5km. the best time for bird watching is September to March. Laguardia tourist office (Tel-00 34 945 600845; Plaza de San Juan s/n) can provide more information on the lakes. It’s open Mon-Fri 10am-2pm & 4-7pm, Sat 10am-2pm & 5-7pm, Sun 10.45am-2pm.

Basque Culture

The Basques are different. How different they really are though is open to interpretation and subject to political manipulation. The Basque’s claim to be the oldest Europeans and to speak a language unrelated to any other European language. Whilst there is no doubt that the Basques have inhabited their western corner of the Pyrenees almost forever, almost everything else about Basque origin and identity is open to interpretation and no one theory has been fully proven. One thing is clear however, the Basque language (known as Euskara) is the most important aspect of Basque cultural identity. In fact, so important is it that the Basque name for the Basque Country is Euskal Herria, which translates as Land of the Basque speakers. After many years of suppression the Basque language is enjoying resurgence and has become the language of choice amongst young Basques.

The Basque Coast – Five Great Stops

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe

The tiny island and hermitage of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe overlooks some of the wildest and most impressive coastal scenery in the Basque country. The hermitage (which is often closed) dates from the 10th Century and, according to local legend, was once visited by St John the Baptist. On 24 June, 31 July and 29 August the island, which is accessed via a pretty bridge (and far too many steps), is the focal point of large processions. The island sits between the small towns of Bermeo and Bakio.

Mundaka

The Basque coast is serious surfing country and below the pretty little town of Mundaka can be found a wave that is regarded as one of the best surf spots in Europe. On its day, it offers a 500m-long, heart-in-the-mouth sprint over a shallow sandbar. The town itself has resisted becoming an international surf ghetto and retains a distinctly Basque fishing culture. Beginners shouldn’t attempt to surf Mundaka at any size, but the Mundaka Surf Shop (www.mundakasurfshop.com; tel-00 34 946 876721; €50 per person for 4 hrs) at Txorrokopunta Ibiltokia 8 will get you in the surf somewhere suitable to get to grips with it all. While in the area don’t miss the chance to explore the beautiful Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve (www.tourism.euskadi.net).

Elantxobe

One of the most attractive villages along the coast, the tiny hamlet of Elantxobe clings to the edge of such a steep cliff face that it’s likely to give vertigo sufferers fluttering hearts. Its precarious position, as well as the lack of a beach (the locals dive in to the water off the harbour walls) has meant that tourist development is minimal. The waters here are always calm thanks to the shelter provided by the surrounding cliffs and headland. There are no hotels here but you will find a couple of simple bars selling seafood pintxos down by the waterfront.

Lekeitio

With an old quarter filled with wonderful Belle-Époque buildings, an overstated 16th Century Gothic church (the gold plated alter piece is one of the largest in the country), lots of fantastic seafood and two stunning beaches (the one just east of the river and the town, with a small rocky mound of an island just offshore, is the prettier of the two), bustling Lekeitio is the highlight of the central Basque coast. The tourist office is on (www.lekeitio.com; tel-00 34 946 844017; Plaza de la Independencia).

Hondarribia

Largely overlooked in Spain-France border crossing, graceful Hondarribia consists of a wedge of colourful, old town streets surmounted by a castle turned luxury hotel, the Parador de Hondarribia (www.parador.es; tel-00 34 943 645500). It was built by Navarran King Sancho Abarca in the 10^th Century and is as regal as you’d expect.  San Sebastián locals flock here at weekends in order to enjoy the unusually calm, sandy town beach and tuck into some of the most delicious seafood and pintxos in the whole region. While you’re here don’t miss walking out to the Higuer lighthouse to watch the sunset over Spain and France at the same time.