Nepal - Himalayan Trek by Bridget Keevil

I decided to commemorate moving into another decade by challenging myself to trek to Annapurna Base Camp in the Himalayas. Amazingly, my husband decided to come too!
After six months of training (seemed adequate at the time), we left the UK late October for Nepal. We started with a wonderful three night stay in Kathmandu, and a two night stay in the tented camp in Chitwan National Park.

We then moved on to Pokhara, and the start of our two week trek. Words cannot explain how hard we actually found it in the beginning, and how much our muscles ached. Michael Palin mentioned none of the above in his book! We had a fantastic guide and porter, and with their patient help and guidance we eventually made it to 4130 metres and the Annapurna Base Camp. The sense of achievement I felt at making it was overwhelming, and well worth the pain endured to get there. The views from here are spectacular – we are in the middle of a bowl with mountains all around.

The people we met on the way up and down were all so friendly. We had a well earned few days rest when we got back to Pokhara again. It was a holiday with a difference – it really made me appreciate what we have and how we live.

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Georgia & South Carolina, USA by Madeleine Carter

We flew to Atlanta to begin our visit to Georgia & South Carolina. We were
looking forward to experiencing some of the history of this part of the USA and seeing some of the great plantations for which this area is well known.

Refreshed after a night in Atlanta an easy 4 hour drive brought us to Savannah. The largest National Historic Landmark District in the United States, Savannah contains more than twenty city squares filled with museums, monuments, antebellum mansions, magnificent churches, and famous forts of the Revolutionary & Civil War eras. Staying in the centre of the historic district enabled us to make the most of our 3 nights and after taking the Old Town Trolley tour it was easy to explore on foot. From Savannah we drove north to Charleston a charming city steeped in history and beautifully preserved. A genteel horse-drawn carriage ride was a great start to our visit and we followed this with visits to The Charleston Tea Plantation, the only place tea is grown in North America and Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens which is approached through two stunning rows of oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. With a beautiful house and restored slave cabins it was fascinating to hear a presentation given by a descendant of one of the slaves and experience a glimpse of the lives of those who lived there.

After a week of culture & history we headed north again to Myrtle Beach to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather and miles of sand of this Atlantic resort.

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Dominican Republic by Anne Fisk

I was fortunate to be offered the chance of a four night visit to the Dominican Republic staying at the fully refurbished Club Med Resort. We flew into Punta Cana and arrived at the resort only eight minutes after leaving the airport. Considering the very short transfer time the aircraft noise in the resort is minimal. The resort itself is situated on a private 600 metre beach with excellent facilities for children ranging from flying trapeze lessons to windsurfing and sailing down at the water’s edge. There is a range of rooms from the Club to Deluxe, with the best being the 5* luxury suites facing the ocean with their own private pool area and concierge service. There is a beautiful spa at the very peaceful far end of the resort where we sampled Swedish massages and relaxed by the clear blue Caribbean Sea.

I went on two excursions whilst there, one being an Outback Safari in the Dominican jungle which included zip wiring, kayaking, a buggy tour round the sugar cane fields. Secondly, we set off on a Sunset Cruise in a catamaran along the coast towards Cap Cana currently being developed into a very upmarket area. It was lovely to relax and enjoy the twilight returning to Punta Cana just before the sun set into the sea.

Although there is nowhere within walking distance of the resort, the excellent facilities make up for this and there are plenty of excursions on offer.

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