TiggerTours

Yak, yak, yak

2007-08-24T07:17:00.000Z

Dear friends,

We last updated you on the eve of our departure from China. Our 30-hour train journey sped us from Beijing through towering mountain valleys towards the Mongolian border...

...for a uncomfortably long wait (with locked toilets) while they changed all the train's wheels to a fractionally larger size.

We awoke the next morning to a very different landscape. The vast, empty steppe stretched out for miles in every direction, punctuated only by the occasional nomad camp.

And it was in these ger (felt tent) camps that we spent many nights huddled around the central stove. As much as half of the country's population still live in these gers.

The terrain proved to be far more varied than we expected, with mountains and rocky outcrops dotted amongst the pastel-coloured grasslands. It's not hard to believe that Mongolia is the least densely populated independent country in the world.

While at one ger camp we were treated to a performance of local horse-head fiddle music, unsettling contortion and the national "long songs".

A long drive took us to the Erdene Zuu monastery at Kharkorum, its outer wall decorated with 108 giant stupa (a sacred number in Buddhism).

Within the walls were monks aplently, quite a few temples, and children practising their archery...

...and countless nomads in traditional dress at the end of their pilgrimage.

And atop a nearby hill an ovoo (sacred pile of stones) has become a shrine to horses; nomads place the skulls of their fastest steeds here after death to bring them closer to the sky.

The nomadic lifestyle is one of keeping livestock. Herds of sheep, goats, cows, horses and yaks like this one roam the plains happily chewing the cud all day long.

All roads outside the capital city Ulaanbaatar were a little sketchy, and our tour almost came to a halt a couple of times.

But luckily we always made it home in time for a warm mug of airag (fermented mare's milk), as modelled by our driver.

We stayed a night by the beautiful Lake Ogii for a little twilight horse riding, and to feed the local clouds of midges...

...and maybe also for a photo op for Tigs with our guide Otgoo and our driver Kolai.

On our final tour day we bumped into a very modern nomad...

...and had an encounter with the wild Prejevalsky horses in a mountain nature reserve where they are being reintroduced. Smaller, sturdier and quite genetically different from our horses, there are only 300 of these native horses in Mongolia.

Back on the Trans-Siberian Railway we crossed the border into Russia and passed the enormous Lake Baikal, so vast and deep that it holds one-fifth of the all fresh water in the entire world.

Continuing our lap of the nations liquids, we all found time to tuck into some local beers...

...all of which made our learning of the Cyrillic alphabet a little more difficult. This train station is Novosibirsk, apparently.

For the last three days of the 6400km journey to our final destination Moscow, we passed through the seemingly endless birch and fir trees of the Taiga forests. The Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome, containing one third of all trees on the planet.

As we emerge from the forest, our TiggerTour draws to a close. With a little over 55,000km under our belts it's probably time to plant a few trees ourselves. Time for a little reflection...

For now, that's all from us but we'll be back for many more (although somewhat shorter) TiggerTours in the future.

Thank you all for reading, and remember - if you've had half as much fun reading this as we have doing it, then we've had twice as much fun as you.

Much love,
Team Tiger
xx

Hello China

2007-08-09T06:38:00.000Z

Hi there,

Now that we're out of China, where it felt like about 90% of websites were censored or blocked (including TiggerTours!), we can let you know what the place was really like...

We landed in Shanghai, a good city to get ourselves used to the shocking heat and figure out how to spend our 23 days in the country. An evening stroll along The Bund gave views of the bright skyline, and where roughly twenty million people asked if they could take a photo of Janine.

After our first encounter with the railway network, we spent an afternoon walking around the Longmen Caves (near Luoyang, 15 hours from Shanghai). Hundreds of thousands of Bhuddist sculptures were carved into the cliffs here...

...some of which were surprisingly large...

Then just another 10 hours or so on a train and we were in Xi'an, home of the Terracotta Army.

More than 7,000 larger-than-life-size warriors were buried here in 210 BC, astonishingly every single one with a different face.

As the site was only discovered 30 years ago, all three archeological pits are still being excavated. The slow process of piecing the soldiers back together continues...

However, one lucky tiger was able to get a moment alone with a restored soldier.

Another "hard sleeper" overnight train delivered us to the ancient walled town of Pingyao, with cobbled roads aplenty and red lanterns swinging from every rooftop.

With nothing to do during our stay but explore, we discovered many temples and a brighly coloured Nine Dragon Screen (only one dragon shown here).

Onto the smoggy Beijing, we embraced the flag-waving at Tiananmen...

...and stumbled across a fan dancing practice session outside of a metro station.

We spent an evening in a teahouse where we enjoyed a cultural variety show, including some superb shadow play...

...and some visually stunning (although not so good for the eardrums) Beijing opera.

An afternoon visit to the Yonghegong (Lama Temple), the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world (outside of Tibet obviously), where huge stone lions stand guard...

...and prayer flags flap gently in the breeze.

And what visit to China would be complete without a walk on the Great Wall?

The wall is over 4,000 miles long (of which we managed around 3 miles) and in places is incredibly steep. In the heat the walk can be very tiring...

...although one team member got away with being carried the whole way.

We hope you've enjoyed the update! We'll be back soon with news from our next stop - Mongolia.

Love,
Team Tiger
x

Malaysia Delayed

2007-08-09T01:39:00.001Z

Dear Tigger fans,

We apologise for the break in service. Due to unforseen circumstances TiggerTours has been deemed subversive, and cannot be updated from our current location.

But (thanks to the power of the internet) Rich has simply emailed the photos and words to his lovely sister Jen, who has kindly performed the update for us!

We last left you before our short stay in Brunei, close to the stunning Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque.

Then a short hop back to Peninsular Malaysia, to patiently await our guests for two weeks in Malaysia.

Introducing the extended Team Tiger, sporting numerous Visit Malaysia items - [left to right] Neen, Janette (Neen's mum), Tigger Williams, Rich, Poppy (Neen's sister), and of course Tigger Lee.

We took in a little sightseeing in Kuala Lumpur, including the Petronas Towers...

...and a beautiful butterfly garden...

...naturally mingled with an appropriate amount of shopping, in South-East Asia's largest mall.

Then, abandoning all comfort, we launched ourselves head-first into the jungle of Taman Negara.

A long riverboat ride through thick rainforest with monkeys and otters (and possibly a croc?) watching us from the sides.

Bravely we shuffled across the Canopy Walkway, a rickety system of planks and ropes suspended 120 feet above the jungle floor...

...whilst back in our huts, an army of giant ants carried away all of our precious snacks.

From there we travelled over rail, road and sea to the clear waters and white beaches of Pulau Perhentian Besar (translation - island which is big and a good place to stop).

And during our snorkelling excursions, we found Nemo.

Back on the mainland we took in a cultural performance in Kota Bharu, with coconut drummers pounding out mesmerising rhythms...

...and Rich making a total fool of himself in a traditional dance display.

With our guests heading back to rainy Wales, we spent our last week in Malaysia in the city of Melaka, where the pristine preservation of the colonial buildings contrasts with the crumbling shophouses of Chinatown.

And Tigger made good friends with Carl, our bicycle-rickshaw driver and guide.

That about wraps it up for our time in Malaysia, but (pending internet restrictions) we will update from China as often as we can.

Loads of love,
Team Tiger.
x

MonkeyMania!

2007-06-15T04:32:00.000Z

Dear all,

Our time in New Zealand has come to an end, and we bid farewell to our feathered friends down under.

We finally managed to get a snap of the endangered hihi (only 1000 left), a nectar-eating bird which Janine has been mostly taking care of for the last three months...

...and a dinosaur-like weka stalking our shoelaces.

So with one giant leap (and about 32 hours of travelling), we land in the hot and humid Malaysian Borneo.

Stilt-villages on the banks of rivers and colourful streets aplenty in Kuching...

...and a beautiful painted wooden naga (dragon) in the impressive Sarawak Museum.

We thought we should also share with you the view from our dinner table last Sunday.

We took an exhausting day-trip to the Bako National Park, where mangroves fringe the peninsula.

A steep climb through the rainforest brought back distant memories for one team member.

And at the highest point in the park we dragged ourselves along in the sweltering kerangas (a unique ecosystem on limestone soil)...

..but our efforts were rewarded with a stunning beach to ourselves...

...alongside a rocky forested inlet.

As suggested by the name of this update, Borneo has proved to be rather monkeytastic.

The mischievous macaques around the park tried to steal Rich's hat when he wasn't looking.

But some primates where a little more shy, such as this silver leaf monkey (langur) skulking away through the mangrove pneumatophores...

...and the rare proboscis monkeys, which watched us from the tops of the trees.

Although we were thankful that some of the animals kept their distance, like this pit-viper.

Further south in the region we had an excellent orang-u-tan viewing, with the apes swinging through the trees to catch fruit...

...pausing only to throw the occasional coconut at passers-by.

That's it for our first update back on the road, but we hope to thrill you with more photos soon from Brunei and Peninsular Malaysia.

Love,
Team Tiger.

xx

Volcano-based fun

2007-04-29T23:48:00.000Z

Hiiiiii,

It's been a quiet month here in Wellington, mostly spent working hard and trying to save up some cash. Still, we did manage to get away for one weekend, and we have a few photos to share with you. Oddly none of them involving tigers...

Here's the view from our tiny flat, of a moonrise over Mount Victoria.

And this seabird was spotted posing on a sculpture by the city waterfront...

We spent a weekend in the Tongariro National Park in the middle of the North Island, near to the spectacular Mount Ruapehu (good for skiing apparently).

And on the Saturday we took a 17 km hike over the top of the active volcano Tongairiro. Climbing to nearly 2000 metres we had great views of nearby Ngauruhoe, which starred as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies...

The Tongariro walk is recognised as the best one-day walk in New Zealand, and is sprinkled liberally with reminders of its volcanic nature such as these red cliffs...

...and emerald pools with nearby steaming vents.

However, there were some peaceful and non-scary parts of the walk...

...with the descent gifting us views which stretched for miles and miles...

...and taking us past a very picturesque waterfall in dense bush.

Back in Wellington, Griff has been volunteering her time at the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. Her duties include monitoring the feeding stations for endangered birds such as this Kaka:

Although thankfully she doesn't have to get too close to these huge Cave Weta, which properly freaked out Rich in an abandoned gold mine at the sanctuary.

And, job done and bucket in hand, she starts the long walk back to the bus stop.

Also, here's a really big carrot.

That's all for now, but we'll post more in the coming weeks!

Love
Rich, Neen, Tigs, M. Lapin & Justin
xx

New Zealand Roadtrip Maps

2007-03-29T05:00:00.000Z

Dear loyal readers,

With the roadtrip completed it's high time we showed you where we've been for the last four months, and exactly how we managed to rack up 8,500kms...

We finally got around to making our routemaps public, so now you can make sense of the pictures and placenames we've been bombarding you with.

North Island route: [click to enlarge]

South Island route: [click to enlarge]

Love,
Team Tiger
xx

Back in the real world...

2007-03-28T07:12:00.000Z

Hello friends,

It's been a while (yet again) since we filled you in on our goings-on. Our NZ road trip is over and we've settled into a flat in Wellington and found jobs. End of fun weblog, you say? Not so! We've still got plenty of stuff to show you...

We continue our story somewhere in the South Island, by a lake named Tekapo.

A small church beside electric blue waters, with the stunning backdrop of the Southern Alps.

Quite an impressive view from the altar too.

Further up the east coast, we stopped in Kaikoura where the South Pacific teems with dolphins and whales (of which we saw none).

Still, rather pretty there. And we had a mean fish sandwich.

Leaping across the Cook Straight to the North Island, we saw the mighty volcano Taranaki.

Which was en route to Auckland to sell Billy the Van (sob). By which time Rich's beard and hair were this big:

Tigs passed on the baton of van ownership to a fine young insectivore called Hedgey...

...and Hedgey's chauffeurs Ellie and Jon.

Tigger struck up a friendship with a blue penguin (imaginatively) named Bluey.

He was also caught napping with a young holiday-maker in Wellington, baby Beth...

...although Beth's buddy Donkey got on considerably better with M. Lapin (similar ears, perhaps).

Onto the wildlife update -

This month we have mostly been charmed with (then kept awake by) the strange song of the Bellbird in the Peel Forest.

In Akaroa, near Christchurch, we took an afternoon's swim with dozens of Hector's Dolphins (the world's smallest and rarest).

And we finally caught up with the nation's favourite, a Spotted Kiwi.

Last but not least, and fulfilling the plant section of the flora and fauna section, we would like to introduce our new team member and flatmate Justin.

That's all for the moment but keep your eyes peeled for exciting pictures of our flat, and maybe even our new offices (ooooh!).

Love
Rich, Neen, Tigs, M. Lapin & Justin
xx

South Island Fun

2007-02-01T23:33:00.000Z

Hello friends of Tigger,

Thanks for waiting so patiently for the latest installment of TiggerTours. Rest assured we have been very busy in the South Island, and have lots of photos to show you.

Just before Christmas we spent a couple of nights in the Nelson Lakes National Park, being eaten alive by insects.

But returned to meet friends for a very happy New Year's Eve. Tigger showed everyone some new dance moves to a bit of Kylie.

A couple of days later Team Tiger hit the road again in proper. Some bizarre rock formations at the Pancake Rocks of Punakaiki, on the west coast.

A little further south we came across the Franz Joseph glacier, where we took an afternoon heli-hike.

Rich (sporting his new holiday beard) attempting some innovative ice-climbing techniques.

Some startlingly blue ice caves...

...which became rather claustrophobic on closer inspection.

Then onto the comfort of Lake Wanaka to defrost, beside the Mount Aspiring National Park.

Next stop Fiordland, for a scenic encounter cruise in Milford Sound.

And a short nature walk to Lake Gunn, on the way home.

Across to Dunedin on the east coast, where Tigger played barman in the Speight's brewery (yum yum.)

Inland to Mount Cook, where a momentary respite from the constant monsoon provided a glimpse of the mountain at sunrise.

Back en route to the east coast, we passed the startling light-blue waters of Lake Pukaki.

More on the travel side of things in the next update.

Now, however, we would like to introduce some of the new friends of Team Tiger.

Firstly, we caught up with Tigger's relatives Marion and Mike at their home in Ruby Bay.

Our friends Maria and Fritz from across the pond, who recently emigrated to NZ.

Jane (previously seen on a Napier wine tour), trying to get Tigger drunk for a New Year's Eve snog.

Sue, who so kindly took us into her home at Christmas.

Mags and Gav in Nelson (also from our Napier wine tour)...

...and their new travel mascot Mini-Rich, who in turn got on rather well with Tigs.

We've seen an abundance of exotic animals so far in the South Island, so there's a bumper wildlife section this time.

An endangered Tuatara, a kind of reptile found only in NZ.

We met a very friendly New Zealand robin near Lake Gunn.

Plenty of New Zealand Fur Seals in the Abel Tasman National Park, and in Milford Sound.

Some very inquisitive car-eating Kea (alpine parrots).

On the Otago Peninsula we met a young Yellow-Eyed Penguin (rather endangered too)...

...and also a fully grown adult with its very hungry (noisy) chick.

We also spied this Royal Albatross coming in to land.

Two pods of Bottlenose Dolphins swam alongside our boat on Milford Sound.

Finally, and possibly the rarest of all, a Pygmy Tiger Antelope.

Hope you've enjoyed the update, and more from us in a couple of weeks

Tigger, Neen, Rich and M. Lapin
xx

A Special Christmas Message

2006-12-24T23:40:00.000Z

We would just like to take this opportunity to wish all the friends of Tigger a very very Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year.

Love from
Tigger, Rich, Neen and M. Lapin.
xx

PS We have many new friends of Team Tiger, so keep your eyes peeled for photos of the newbies...

North Island Update Bonanza

2006-12-14T01:19:00.000Z

Hello Tigger friends,

We've had a busy few weeks since we last posted, so here is an update bonanza for your procrastination pleasure.

A roadside view en route to Coromandel town, on the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula...

Easy to find given the local signage...

And the magnificent Cathedral Cove on the east side of the peninsula...

Then onto Lake Rotorua, for a Maori concert and for Tigger to make friends with the locals...

And amazing (but somewhat stinking) thermal pools at Waiotapu...

We've seen waterfalls - some small...

...some big...

Onto the east coast in Napier where Monsieur Lapin enjoyed a wine tasting session...

And Tigger made some new friends...

We have enjoyed the spectacular views of Hawkes Bay from Te Mata Point...

But Billy (the Van) had to see the doctor a couple of times...

Onto Wellington, some impressive Maori artefacts and artwork at the Te Papa museum...

And Griff refined her impression of a Brown Kiwi...

Tigger and friend Erika enjoy some quality time together at Mount Victoria in Wellington...

Then onto the Wellington-Picton car ferry for our journey to the South Island, via the Marlborough Sounds...

And for the exciting species and wildlife update - a California Quail...

...and a Stilt...

That's all for now, but we'll update soon with pictures from the South Island. Also watch this space for a very special Christmas message from a very special tiger...

Tigs, Neen & Rich
xx

First Update - Northland

2006-11-20T03:22:00.000Z

Well hello there!

Thanks for waiting so patiently for our first update. We've been struggling to get internet since arriving here and battling against outrageous pricing, old machines which can't take memory sticks, and a constant lack of internet cafes.

Less of that, and more about what's been going on.

First stop on the TiggerTour was Kuala Lumpur for our one-night stopover.
Stunning views over the city and the Petronas Towers were to be had from the KL tower.

We saw some mighty scary clouds from the plane...

And then onto Auckland, for volcano-spotting, and mushroom sitting.

And we would like to introduce you to Billy The Van, our beautiful (albeit small) home for the next 4 months.

First stop in our new mobile home was SheepWorld (Griff missing home a little) in Warkworth.

And onto the deserted beaches and clear night skies of Tawharanui Scenic Reserve...

...then the Bay of Islands, another rather pretty coastal spot.

We have been seeing all sorts of exotic wildlife...

...including the oldest Kauri tree in NZ (an impressive 2000 years).

Our tour of the Northland area of the North Island complete, we have now just landed in the Coromandel Peninsula.

Next update soon...

Love from Tigs, Neen and Rich.
xx

TiggerTours rules OK

2006-10-16T12:33:00.000Z

Hello Tigger fans.

Here is my new blog. I hope you enjoy hearing about my travels with Rich and Neen. We will update you with our amazing TiggerTour as often as we can, but remember we want to hear about your amazing adventures home and away as well.

Watch this space for new updates!

Tigs xxx

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