Category: Adventure

A lot of the enjoyment of travel comes down to trust. We trust transport to get us to places, we trust accommodation to provide what’s described on their website, we trust bloggers and writers to accurately depict a destination. On my journey into the Brazilian Amazon I had to trust my guide when he said that a particular section of river wasn’t infested with piranha.

A sublime swimming pool

I’ve always been fascinated by piranha, but not to the extent that I want to be in the water with them. Having been on a fishing expedition to find these toothy fish my caution felt justified. Using small pieces of meat the fish were attracted to our boat and I could feel – rather than see – their powerful jaws sawing away at the meal at the end of my line. It was when, at the end of the day, my guide assured us that it was safe to swim in the water that my trust of him really kicked in

It was explained to us that piranha only swim in certain types of water, the murky green water where we’d found them rather than the tannin-rich dark water around our floating lodge. Thus reassured, I dived in.

I really enjoy swimming and this tributary of the Amazon River was the perfect pool. Flat, warm and with no-one else around I swam until sunset every evening, sharing the brackish water with tiny un-bitey fish and pink river dolphin.

Caution

Experiences such as these demonstrate the value of having a guide or speaking with knowledgeable locals. Having swum in various other Amazon tributaries it helps to know what to look out for, and how each section of river can have different risks and rewards.

I recently read someone describe piranha as “delicious” and with a delicate flavour. It really is not, at least not the one that I tried and which we caught earlier that day. It has a strong flavour and we had it served to us intact, massive teeth and all – not particularly appetising, but a good reminder of why I wouldn’t want to be swimming anywhere near these fish.

When you begin and end a freighter travel trip it’s likely that you’ll find yourself in insalubrious surroundings. Port Klang was just such a place. It’s Malaysia’s main port and one of the busiest container ports in the world. The passengers on the train there from Kuala Lumpur seemed confused about why two backpackers were on this unlikely route.

We were confused, too, when we arrived, until we saw someone holding a sign with my name on. First we were taken to get our passport departure stamps, and then by car across the immense port to our ship. M/V Tiger Breeze (now called the Hong Yuan 02) was a 188m-long freighter that travelled back and forth across the Bay of Bengal.

Dressed in his white uniform, the captain greeted us at the top of the rickety gangway. We were shown to our cabin and told that someone would be along shortly to show us around.

Cabin and tour

Freighter cabins tend to be massive. At some point in our cabin someone clearly got bored of trying to fill the space with furniture, but it had a sofa, desk and double bed. It also had a spacious but basic bathroom (no tub). Two of the freighter crew had the non-stop work of helping in the kitchen and keeping all rooms clean and tidy, which ours certainly was. Although comfortable, the rest of the ship was more interesting.

The captain introduced us to a tall, thin man who was bearded, balding, and had unreadable eyes. Peter (not his real name) was the ship’s bosun and therefore responsible for deck operations, supplies and deckhands. Originally from Georgia, he was the only one out of the senior crew not from the UK or Ireland.

Peter took us along the side of the ship to the bow where we could stare straight down into the clear blue Andaman Sea. He told us what to do in case pirates attacked. Of course, we didn’t take this seriously until he then showed us the cages around the outside door designed to foil unwanted boarders. Apparently these busy waters are popular with pirates and, although surrounding nations have taken strong action, shipboard defence methods are still recommended.

Being in Peter’s presence was, however, reassuring. After he had shown us the noisy engine room he took us to his cabin for a friendly chat. He had once been in the KGB but, having been blown up, decided on a career change after he was discharged from hospital many months later. Dressmaking was his next chosen occupation, which he enjoyed until deciding to join the merchant navy. To say that this man was full of captivating tales would be an understatement.

Food and fun

By the time we boarded Tiger Breeze we had been travelling through Russia, Mongolia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia for several months. Having mainly British and Irish officers, the food served in the officer’s mess was very much designed for our bland palates (with the exception of delicious borscht). It was a much-welcome taste of home.

Sadly I wasn’t able to enjoy the food on day two. The ship had sailed out into open waters and there was now a very steady, constant roll. Cruise ships have stabilisers to reduce the motion of the ocean, freighter ships do not have this luxury and, much to the hilarity of the crew, I was suffering as a result.

I was able to maintain my sea legs for long enough to visit the ship’s bar. Yes, despite only having about 20 crew, the Tiger breeze had its own lounge area complete with TV room and bar – fair enough, I suppose, if you spend your life at sea. This was a great opportunity to better get to know the crew, although they all mainly seemed interested in our travels so far. It seemed as though they only occasionally met passengers who had arrived here via the road less travelled.

At the stern, beneath the lifeboat, was a pool. It was a small pool, with not particularly warm water, and nowhere to rest your pina colada. It was also mainly occupied by the two people who cleaned our room and who did not seem to care for company outside of work hours. Anyone who expects freighter travel to be like a cruise ship will be sorely disappointed.

Unconventional booking

Purchasing a cabin on a freighter ship isn’t a case of picking a route and clicking a button. The general expectation is that you’ll be on board for weeks at a time. However, the few agents that handle freighter travel bookings are expert at what they do and can usually get you on whatever section you’re hoping to experience. These are, in my opinion, the best freighter travel agents out there:

• The Cruise People (I booked with this UK-based agency)
• Maris Freighter Cruises (offices in Canada and the USA)
• Langsamreisen (based in Germany)
• Freighter Travel (based in New Zealand)

Although the freighter travel prices aren’t particularly cheap, remember that you get transport, accommodation and food for that price.

Reluctant arrival

After living in pampered comfort for five days, we weren’t quite ready to step off into Chennai just yet. The captain graciously allowed us to stay on board one more night and so we watched as the derricks swung the massive containers off of, and then on to Tiger Breeze’s deck.

The following morning we were more than ready to continue the adventure. Thanking the friendly and welcoming crew, we disembarked and made our unconventional arrival into India. This had been an important part of the plan to travel from London to Nepal without flying and it had worked perfectly.

Here’s a short video of our Malaysia to India freighter journey:

Flights to Malaysia >
Flights to India >

This 3-day hike through the heart of the Cairngorms began at Blair Atholl station, after a sleepless night on the overpriced Caledonian Sleeper train. On our backs was lightweight camping equipment (see review here), food, plenty to keep us warm, and a carrier for Bounty the dog, should his little legs get tired. Our target was Aviemore where, if we timed it right, we’d arrive before the sleeper train back to London.

Arriving before dawn, we donned headtorches and set off. After a short jaunt along a road we were on a forest track that followed the River Tilt, raging in the canyon below. The first day’s walk was around 18 miles long and took us through valleys and past waterfalls. The calls of rutting stags echoed off the slopes of mountains.

Amazingly we only passed one other person that first day. We were going to camp by the ruins of Bynack Lodge, but after a very cold barefoot crossing of a river we were invited to set up our tent beside the Red House bothy, which was being restored and should re-open soon.

The older man who had invited us was staying at the bothy, despite it being a building site. He was waiting to be housed and so was living in bothies until he once again had his own roof over his head. He was also very generous with his beer and whisky.

Images from day 1

There had been a pretty strong wind overnight and so we didn’t get much sleep. I had also made the mistake of quenching my previous day’s thirst with whisky. Hungover, I helped Anna pack up camp before we trudged off along the track to the River Dee. After crossing this we turned left up a path through the heather and began the climb into the mountains. Soon after, the weather worsened considerably.

The gusts were so strong that, at one point, Anna was knocked off her feet. Fortunately our waterproof clothing held out and we were able to enjoy the experience of being amidst gloomy mountains. We were even happier to see Corrour bothy in the distance.

Nestled beneath the imposing Devil’s Point, Corrour bothy is perhaps one of Scotland’s best known. Like all other bothies it had a fireplace, a wood floor to sleep on, and not much more. Despite being basic, it was a welcome refuge against the storm.

Two Belgian men, and two intrepid Scottish women were at the bothy when we arrived. Despite the inclement weather the women marched out to bag a munro (a munro is a peak over 1,000 metres, Scotland has 282 munros), leaving us to chat with the lovely Belgians. Having bagged the munro, the women returned at dusk but then decided to continue on back to Braemar, many miles away. Just before the four of us turned in I noticed three lights in the darkness. 20 minutes later 4 people stumbled in – amazingly they’d walked all the way from Blair Atholl in one day, but were now exhausted, drenched, and possibly on the verge of hypothermia. One hot meal later and they, too, were ready for sleep in the cosy – and somewhat cramped – bothy.

Images from day 2

What a glorious day to wake to. Blue skies and snow on the peaks. Having heated up an energising breakfast (I’d pre-mixed oats, sugar, cinnamon, raisins and powdered milk) we set off from Corrour bothy and up towards Lairig Ghru pass. Despite a constant upwards slope, this was a much easier walk than the one we’d endured the day before through a storm. And hangover.

It took us a few hours to reach the Pools of Dee at the pass. Just over the other side we stopped for lunch. Although still far away, Aviemore was now in view. From here it was a constant descent, first through a large heathland at the edge of a deep canyon, and then into a serene pine forest.

Eventually we found ourselves at a track and, 6 hours into the walk, we passed the first people we’d seen since setting out. The walk out through the forest near Colyumbridge seemed to go on forever.

Eventually, though, we got to the road and, 30 minutes later, we were in Aviemore. Our equipment had held out through storms and freezing conditions, our legs were aching but had carried us here, and Bounty the dog had, all along, bounced along beside us. If we had wanted to catch the sleeper train back to London we would have arrived into Aviemore with at least 5 hours to eat, drink and relax before the train departed.

Images from day 3