Socotra Island – Isolated Splendor

In the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa lies a small archipelago of four islands and islets. Although closer to Africa, the islands are part of the Republic of Yemen. The archipelago consists of the main island of Socotra and three smaller islands known collectively as The Brothers Abd al Kuri, Samhah and Darsa.

The islands were separated from the mainland so long ago that much of their flora and fauna has evolved here, making the islands of great ecological importance. Due to their geographical isolation, the islanders have also had little outside influence, and arriving on Socotra is like stepping back in time.

The culture on Socotra is very different from the ways of the modern world. Until the airport was built in 1999, the only way to get here was by boat, and during the monsoon season the strong winds and high seas made the island inaccessible.

Most Socotris still live without electricity, running water or a paved road. Until 1990 the island still had a barter economy, and even today most people in the mountainous areas still live in caves. The main island is a little over 130 km (80 mi) long and around 35 km (21 mi) wide.

Socotra is a place of contrasting landscapes, with the turquoise lagoon at Qalansiya and the white sand dunes at Ras Moroi, the flower-filled alpine meadows of the Haghier Mountains and the desolate cave-riddled plateau of the interior. Rising to over 1,500 m (4,921 ft), the Haghier Mountains loom over Hadibo, the island’s capital, and dominate the skyline.

The red granite peaks are peppered with silver lichens which grow thickly on the bare rocks above the tree line. Streams bubble down from the misty heights, teeming with lively fish and freshwater crabs. Limestone plateau spread east and west, providing alkaline soils for the iconic Dragon’s Blood Tree for which the islands are famous. The locals collect the blood-red resin, known as cinnabar, from the tree by making incisions in the bark.

In the ancient world, it was used to enhance the colour of precious stones and glass, and as a pigment in paints, and had various medicinal qualities. The long isolation of the Socotra archipelago and its fierce heat and drought have combined to create a unique endemic flora and fauna.

There are no fewer than 300 plant species, 113 insect species, 24 reptile species and six bird species that can be found nowhere else in the world. Botanists rank the flora of Socotra among the ten most endangered island flora in the world, and steps are being taken by the government to protect this unique and spectacular habitat.

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The Island of New Guinea

New Guinea is the world’s second largest island, and is also one of the world’s last, vast and remote wildernesses. With a complex political history, this great island is divided. The western half, is now referred to as Papua, a region of Indonesia, while the eastern half, Papua New Guinea or PNG, has been an independent country since 1975.

New Guinea is step in the Pacific Ring of Fire, and endures sporadic volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and occasional tsunamis. A mountain range rises across the length of New Guinea and deep rainforest is all enveloping.

The island contains an astonishing wealth of natural features, some protected by National Parks and UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserves, but huge swathes of it are unmapped and virtually unreachable. The principle cities of both countries are, naturally, on the coast, but there is little in the way of roads or infrastructure. Travel is mainly by boat. Rivers criss-cross the whole region or you can travel on foot, or by plane

New Guinea is inhabited by about 1,000 different tribes, speaking a similar number of languages. Tourists are few, mainly visiting the extraordinary Dani culture, in Papua’s beautiful Baliem Valley. Despite being nominally Christians, the Dani live traditionally.

Men wear penis sheaths, ladies wear short skirts, made of orchid fibres, worn beneath the buttocks. This high valley, surrounded by mountain peaks, is a vision of incredibly fertile cultivated fields. The Baliem River provides fish, and pigs are essential, being consumed at every ceremony.

In PNG the major attraction is the tribal hunter-gatherers who live along the banks of the island’s longest river, the Sepik. This culture is intrinsically entwined with crocodiles, and the men’s extensive scarification reflects the animal’s scales.

Living in communal longhouses, Sepik River people are famous for their wood-carvings. Varying in style from village to village, most of these find their way into the truly great museums of the world.

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Sri Lanka Country Profile

The Pearl of the Indian Ocean lies only 31 km (19 ml) off India’s south coast. Its modern name is taken from the Sanskrit ancient Indian epics Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and means resplendent land.

Sri Lanka’s chief characteristic is intensity …of colour, of beauty, of religious belief, of sectarian commitment, and of affection it inspires in everyone who goes there. The first to stay became the stuff of legend: the 2,500 year-old Mahawamsa chronicle describes the arrival of the ‘Sinhala’ (lion race), and the island’s history since has been a series of shifting kingdoms, each leaving a treasury of ruins and literature, and a tangle of relationships that are still being decoded in its modern political life.

When you go to Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Dambullal Sigiriya, you see the architectural glories of the past, but they are living history. They are active religious sites, not floodlit movie sets.

The island has the perfect set-up. At any time of year you can lounge on immaculate beaches, and cool off in the hills when you get hot. Colombo, the capital, is a chaotic modem city, and an appropriate synthesis both of Sri Lanka’s indigenous cultures and its Portuguese, Dutch and British influences.

Tropical beaches stretch north to the bustle of Negambo, a characteristic fishing community; and south in a chain of pink and white arcs, past turtle hatcheries (Indurwa), masked carvers (Ambalangoda), and the coral reefs of Hikkaduwa.

Go to Yala West National Park, a teeming rainforest of elephants, leopards, buffaloes, monkeys, crocodiles, deer, sloth bears and a galaxy of birds, on your way to the lush, lakeside hill resort of Kandy.

It’s Sri Lanka’s exotic spiritual centre, and its spectacular parades of frenetic dancers, firewalkers and pounding drummers are, in fact, often a signal to prayer.

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North Stradbroke Island – Profile

Often known as Straddie by the locals, North Stradbroke Island is the classic beach holiday. A little more than 30 km (19 miles) southeast of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, it languishes at the southern end of Moreton Bay. At 30 km (19 mile) long, it is one of the worlds sand islands, boasting pristine beaches, a rugged coast and inland freshwater streams.

It lost its native name of Minijerribah in 1827, when Captain H. J. Rous, or Viscount Dunwich, Commander of the HMS Rainbow, named the haven after his father the Earl of Stradbroke, the main town after his own title, and Rainbow Beach after his ship.

A cluster of three picturesque villages — Dunwich, Amity Point and Point Lookout — act as pleasant bases for many of the islands local and international visitors.

Dunwich was once a penal colony and quarantine station, and, as is often the case, its cemetery is a telling record of the islands interesting past. At Point Lookout, the aptly named Whale Rock is the best spot from which to scan the vast oceans in search of migrating humpback whales, dolphins and turtles.

In the 1960s, sand mining operations began to change on the fragile island environment, but by the 1990s environmental issues came to the fore and half of the island became a national park. Mining is still very active on the island, but mainly away in the restricted southern end.

Point Lookout on the eastern surf side of the island is a natural draw-card. Spreading across Straddies single rocky headland it overlooks a set of bleached beaches. The western side enjoys the calmer waters of the bay and is safer for swimming. The island is famous for its fishing — with the annual Straddie Classic every August being one of Australias richest and best-known fishing contests.

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