All Aboard for Svalbard

Trivia Question: Where is the world’s most northerly permanent settlement? Answer: Ny Ålesund in the North West of the island of Spitbergen - 78.9°N
Just 600 miles from the North Pole lies the island group of Svalbard, of which Spitsbergen is the largest. Variously occupied and exploited by the Dutch, Russians and Norwegians, in 1920 it was decided by treaty that the Norwegians should administer it and the capitol, Longyearbyen, flies the Norwegian tricolour.

The archipelago, named and first mapped by the famous Dutch explorer, Willem Barents, in 1596 became a whaling station, a coal mining centre, a
launching point for famous arctic expeditions and more recently, a mecca for naturalists, polar researchers and eco-tourists.
Despite Svalbard’s extreme northerly location, the warm North Atlantic current keeps the surrounding seas ice-free almost year round. Temperatures average -16C in winter and 6C in summer. 200mm of precipitation is a normal year.
During the so-called heroic age of polar exploration, men set forth into the extremities of the earth in search of all sorts of things, not the least of which was fame, glory and national pride. Spitsbergen, because of its high latitude, was an ideal point for ‘jumping off’ into the artic in search of the North Pole.

In 1897, the Swedish scientist and intrepid balloonist, Salomon August Andrée, launched himself and two co-pilots on a journey to the North Pole from Danes Island and were never seen again. Well, not alive anyway. Their bodies, remnants of their balloon and a camera were accidentally found thirty years later on White Island in the far east of Svalbard. Andrée’s balloon crashed and the survivors had made it back to White Island before dying from Vitamin A poisoning (trichinosis) thanks to eating polar bear liver.

Balloons were back on Spitsbergen in 1926 with the Italian, Umberto Nobile, along with Roald Amundsen and rich American Lincoln Ellsworth. Their voyage over the pole in the airship Norge (Norway), is the first creditable expedition to the North Pole even though many would argue that Cmdr Richard Byrd, who took off and landed in a nearby paddock a couple of days prior with his Fokker Tri-Motor, Josephine Ford, was the first. That is – if you discount both Peary and Cook!

The vain little Italian Nobile, wounded by the fame wrested from him by Amundsen and Ellsworth, was back at Ny Ålesund again in 1928. This time his airship, suitably named Italia, would be an all-Italian triumph. Or so he thought. Instead he crashed in poor weather out on the ice pack and became the famous subject of the 1969 movie, “The Red Tent” and was played by Oscar winner, Peter Finch.

Today Svalbard is visited by tourists looking to experience one of the most remarkable and accessible artic locations thanks to the warming effects of the North Atlantic Current. Polar Bears, Reindeer, Arctic Foxes and countless species of birds inhabit the islands. Marine mammals are abundant and seals, walrus, narwhals, orcas, belugas, bowhead and minke whales and all inhabit Spitsbergen's coastal waters.

Join one of the popular expedition vessels for a cruise of between one and  three weeks around the islands visiting the various historic sites as well as the abundant wildlife. June, July and August are the best months to visit.

Ode to Billy

Dear Aaron,

It is with great sadness that I must report to you the imminent passing of Billy. In truth I have been expecting this sad day for some time, yet I continue to encourage one last adventure from him.

Our journeys began in the Indian Himalayas where we scoffed at the donkey option and made the 30 kilometre round trip to the temple at 3000 metres on foot!

Next were the jungles of Madagascar in search of rare lemurs, the head-spinning mountains of Reunion, the precipitous trails of North Korea, tramping the thousands of (bloody!) stairs at Cambodia’s famous Angkor Wat, the still smouldering lava flows of Hawaii’s Kilauea (notorious for destroying mere sneakers), Cape York, the steamy Amazon, the rocky Galapagos and finally, thinking that Billy’s best days were behind him, we forged into the Siberian Arctic just last month. At one stage, Billy was rescued from beneath several feet of quicksand when we strayed off the path!

Never have I had a more reliable travelling companion, such an uncomplaining escort despite my own tirade of woes. Here’s to you Billy because without you I’d never have made the journeys alone. You tread where others fear to go, keep me out of trouble and strife and comfort me during those arduous treks.

Aaron, I challenge Betts and Dakota to produce another product to match Billy. All the comfort of a favourite pair of slippers, the durability of a de Castella with strength and toughness of T-34 tank. Go on, I dare you!

Cheers

Rod Eime

Travel Writer and Photographer

www.travography.com

Up the Wild Stikine

Beyond the well-trafficked sea lanes and cruise ship haunts of the Inside Passage lies the true Alaska. Still a wild frontier where, if you stroll in the woods, you take a .303 and a cut lunch.

Tasmanian UNESCO World Heritage: Cruise Gordon River

It’s 1982 and the idyllic little seaside village of Strahan in South Western Tasmania is the front line in a vigorous campaign to blockade the construction of the Franklin River dam. This ‘peaceful protest’ is turning decidedly hostile.

Tasmanian UNESCO World Heritage: Cruise Gordon River

U Rite There?

I simply detest bad service and I make no apologies for it.

I’m just back from a couple of weeks in New Zealand where I toured the countryside sampling a variety of businesses, small and large, from Wellington to Christchurch. The experience drove home to me why our Kiwi cousins are sky-rocketing in the world tourism stakes. As far as down-home, friendly service, New Zealanders leave us for dead.

Taking my two primary school-age kids for a meal at a popular hamburger restaurant reminded me of the depths of our service ineptitude. Gone are the smiles, the cheery greetings and the genuine effort to give the customer a positive experience. Instead I got a surly glaze, a convincing rendition of that most hair-raising greeting; “U Rite?” - and a free long wait.

And it’s not just poorly trained teenage drop-outs in tacky takeaways that goad my ire. Dining at a half-decent seafood restaurant recently, I drew the manager’s attention to a crab with an unhealthy aroma of toilet cleaner. “I’ve checked with the cook sir, and he says it’s fine,” was the condescending response. Since when does a cook season crustaceans with Harpic?

Now I’m the first to admit not all customers are deserving of one’s best service effort. But I contend that when faced with a difficult and unyielding client, your skills in customer service are quickly exposed.

Contempt for the customer’s money is a sure-fire recipe for financial failure, yet some Aussies clearly resent the intrusion of cash-wielding customers eating into their leisure time behind the counter.

So what am I really complaining about? The key is training: training for managers and training for staff. There simply is no excuse for poor service in a climate of high business failure, troubling unemployment and increased competitiveness. Staff can’t answer phones properly, can’t greet customers, can’t spell and sometimes can’t even talk. Who hires these people?!

I call upon customers – and that’s all of us – to revolt against shoddy service. Commend that waiter or staff-member for good service and remind others that their standards do not meet your expectations!

So when next challenged with, “You right there?” respond in a loud, confident tone;
“Of course I’m right, I’m the customer!”

In Search of Exiled Emperors, Exquisite Pelagics and Forgotten Outposts.

Adventure Associates announces a rare and remarkable ocean voyage to places even we had to look up!

Named for the fabled lost civilisation of Atlantis, the huge expanse of water separating the giant continents of the Americas and Africa and Europe is the embodiment of conquest, adventure and exploration. A path to discovery, riches and often tragedy, the mighty Atlantic has lured dreamers for millenia.

The ancient Greeks, the Vikings and the vast armadas of the great European sea-faring nations have all plied these historic waters. The Concorde used to jet across "the pond" between Paris and New York in around three and a half hours at 1500 km/h. Columbus took one month and rowers do it in two or three. Such are the extremes we go to to subdue its mythos.

Now an extremely rare opportunity exists for the intrepid adventure-seeker who wants to emulate the early Atlantic wayfarers or just embark on a true, modern-day voyage of discovery.

"Here at Adventure Associates, we are renown for unusual shipboard adventures and regularly send passengers to the furthest extremes of navigation imaginable," says Dennis Collaton, chairman and Managing Director of Adventure Associates who will be aboard for this most infrequent voyage,

Following this pioneering tradition established over more than 30 years, we are excited to announce another truly landmark voyage for the adventure hungry traveller - The Atlantic Odyssey.

"This very unusual expedition will attract naturalists, modern-day adventurers, bird-watchers, scientists and regular travellers on the lookout for something different. It's a rare chance to see some extremely remote and seldom-visited locations," continues Dennis, "but the limited spaces are already filling fast, so please do not delay."

To call it a cruise would not do it justice. For 36 leisurely days, our vessel, the oceanographic ice-class research vessel, Professor Molchanov, sails between Ushuaia (at the very tip of South America) and the Cape Verde Islands (off the west coast of sub-Saharan Africa) stopping at some of the most isolated and inaccessible locations on the planet.

From embarkation we set a course due south to the Antarctic Peninsula for a truly remote experience amongst the icebergs, penguins and pelagic birds of The Great Southern Land. Then slowly, we make our way northward via the enigmatic and wildly beautiful islands of South Georgia where landings will be made to explore and observe this historic and wildlife rich location.

From these southerly extremes, we approach warmer climes and sail around the incredibly remote Gough Island, home to a fantastic variety of seabirds. Beyond Gough is the tiny settlement of Tristan da Cunha, whose reclusive British inhabitants see 'outsiders' only a few times a year - if that! What they do see plenty of is magnificent seabirds in abundance - like Yellow-nosed Albatrosses and Brown Noddies.

Beyond Tristan da Cunha lies another remote settlement - St Helena - legendary as he home of the exiled Napoleon Bonaparte from 1815 to 1821. Steeped in history, passengers disembark for a rare, yet comprehensive excursion in this tiny, 500 year old community.

This remarkable voyage continues to the volcanic island of Ascension, where the RAF operates a mid-Atlantic airfield. It's possible to leave the cruise at this point as the Molchanov sails on to its final destination of Sal, amongst the Cape Verde group where a final exploration will take place before the journey's official end.

Prices start at US$6260 (twin-share to Ascension, 29 days), while the full 36-day voyage (to Sal) is just US$6990.00. Places are STRICTLY LIMITED, so please call today to reserve your space.

Diamonds, Sand Castles and Curious Blooms

A new exciting expedition to Namibia, Namaqualand and South Africa’s Cape Province

The vast continent of Africa has spawned some of the greatest adventure and exploration stories of all time. Here at Adventure Associates, we embrace lands and regions that don't always appear on the cover of glossy travel magazines. Thirty-two years ago we pioneered group travel to South America for Australians, then Antarctica and the Arctic, laying a trail now followed by almost every major travel company here.

When the opportunity to create a new adventure possibility in the vast, sand-swept former German colony of South West Africa arose, we were immediately interested. When combined with the seldom visited, luxuriant Atlantic coast of South Africa, we knew we had a winner.

Adventure Associates' chairman, Dennis Collaton, has painstakingly researched this exclusive exploration and will lead it into the mysterious realms of the diamond-rich, sand kingdom of Namibia and then onto the springtime splendour of South Africa, Namaqualand and the lush Cape Province.

"Our tour will be a combination of desert, dunes, veldt, vlei, mountains, green valleys, gentle lagoons, wild coastal scenery, country villages, townships and vibrant cities," says Dennis, "all in relaxed comfort and carefully selected accommodation."

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About the time Columbus was seeking out new lands in the Americas, the vanguard of European explorers, the Portuguese, were sailing up and down the west coast of Africa en route to their new conquests in the East Indies.

As their little vessels groped at the desolate shores looking for a way around the horn of Africa, they stopped to leave navigational markers, usually huge stone crosses, on the rocky promontories jutting out from the world's oldest desert, the Namib. So totally inhospitable and forlorn was this region, that the Portuguese almost completely ignored it.

Toward the end of the 19th century, the Germans annexed the region as part of an unseemly European colony snatch and stuck it out until they lost the lot after WW1. One hundred years ago, a lowly rail worker delighted the Kaiser when he stumbled on a few loose diamonds in the sand and unwittingly uncovered one of the richest diamond fields in the world.

Today Namibia is a modern independent republic, finally free of colonial influences. With a delightfully anachronistic German hangover, the vast, sparse country is home to a dozen varied ethnic groups with such evocative and colourful names as the Kavango, Herero, Himba, Damara, Nama and Basters.

The natural environment of Namibia is so stark and foreboding it is the ideal location for a "Creatures That Time Forgot" remake, yet naturalists and ecologists find a great deal to get excited about. The enormous dunes of the Namib, the world's highest and oldest, date back 80 million years and strike the visitor with their sublime, sculpted shapes and majestic, apparently endless ranges. Dig amongst the sand and rocks and strange flora emerges. The giant Welwitschia, a living fossil, plus lichens, lithops, acacias, camelthorns, the bizarre succulent Hoodia and extraordinary Kokerboom are just part of Namibia's unique floral catalogue rooted in Africa's most diverse natural habitat.

As one travels south towards the tantalisingly named, Namaqualand, the landscape melts seemlessly from the apparent rocky desolation of the great Namib to the lush and bountiful Cape Province, where vineyards and blossoming gardens herald a whole new Africa to explore.

Southern Africa's cosmopolitan gem and so-called, Mother City, is Cape Town. Founded in 1647 as a refreshment, relaxation and replenishment port by the Dutch East India Company, the city is blessed with dramatic scenery and a mild climate that makes it one of the most beautiful in the world. Kaapstad (as the Afrikaners call it) and the seaside town of Port Elizabeth some 700 kilometres hence, enclose one of the most scenic and botanically abundant regions of Africa, known to tourists as The Garden Route.

Favoured by holiday-makers and drive-trippers, the Garden Route begins in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cape Floral Region Protected Areas and winds through one panoramic ocean vista after another, then into and across cavernous ravines, interspersed with idyllic villages like Mossel Bay and Kynsna. Here the sun-scorched plains of Namibia seem another world away, yet are an inescapable element of the wonderful tapestry of Southern Africa.