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Category: Travel talk

06/04/201806/04/2018sarahnicho

The Porter adds Portland charm …

02/04/201807/04/2018sarahnicho

Refresh for Alice Springs address …

27/03/201827/03/2018sarahnicho

Byron Bay YHA update …

23/03/201824/03/2018sarahnicho

Qantas unveils new Perth lounge …

22/03/201823/03/2018sarahnicho

Inle Lake for Myanmar Sofitel …

20/03/201823/03/2018sarahnicho

Freycinet’s new Coastal Pavilions …

16/03/201816/03/2018sarahnicho

Chef Luke Nguyen moves up …

14/03/201814/03/2018sarahnicho

Holiday Inn Melbourne on Flinders refurb …

07/03/201807/03/2018sarahnicho

Trains emerging as Europe favourite …

03/03/201803/03/2018sarahnicho

New Laos luxury in Luang Prabang …

01/03/201805/04/2018sarahnicho

Crafting Qantas’ new long-haul menu …

20/02/201809/03/2018sarahnicho

AVANI unveils new hotel brand …

31/01/201810/03/2018sarahnicho

The Academy ready for April unveiling …

01/12/201701/12/2017sarahnicho

Melbourne’s Adina update …

29/11/201729/11/2017sarahnicho

Putting on the Ritz in Thailand …

22/11/201710/03/2018sarahnicho

AVANI new for Thailand’s Hua Hin …

20/11/201709/02/2018sarahnicho

Celebrity bound for the Galapagos …

17/11/201709/02/2018sarahnicho

Emirates 777 cabin update …

16/11/201716/11/2017sarahnicho

Crowne Plaza to open big in Fiji …

02/11/201714/11/2017sarahnicho

Singapore’s A380 cabin upgrade …

13/10/201729/10/2017sarahnicho

Anantara Angkor’s new super suites …

08/10/201729/10/2017sarahnicho

Tourism booming in 2017 …

06/10/201722/11/2017sarahnicho

Sydney’s swanky new Sofitel …

08/09/201729/10/2017sarahnicho

Maldives new Mercure …

04/09/201729/10/2017sarahnicho

Sydney’s Sheraton receives refit …

16/08/201709/02/2018sarahnicho

Curio Collection comes to Rome …

15/08/201712/11/2017sarahnicho

Making a sleep-friendly suite …

31/07/201729/10/2017sarahnicho

Bali best in August …

19/07/201703/03/2018sarahnicho

Accommodation for Adelaide Airport …

15/07/201729/10/2017sarahnicho

AVANI coming to Queensland …

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About me …

My name is Sarah and I’m a travel journalist writing features and news for a swag of Australian newspapers, magazines and websites.

This is my website, the place I post words and pictures gathered as I gallivant around the globe.

So enjoy the news, reviews, updates, random thinking and regular snapping – photos, that is – assembled here.

And hopefully you will find inspiration for your next trip far, near or here …

© Sarah Nicholson 2018

Recent Posts

… China’s Yangtze River …
Top address for Zhangjiajie stay …
Exploring royal quirks in England …
The Porter adds Portland charm …
No-plastic hotel for Bangkok …

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What's new on Instagram ...

... this delightful creation is simply shaved ice with a heavy helping of flavouring but it is the most magnificent treat on a roasting Japanese day. Shaved ice is a specialty of the Nikko region, made from the famously perfect water. Locals tell me the “real thing” is produced from chunks of ice collected from frozen streams during winter and kept cold until summer arrives. While I doubt the roadside stalls and tourists attractions are going to such great lengths to create something that costs a couple of dollars they are delicious and the Nikko tap water is doing the job. In one day I try strawberry, lime, raspberry and pineapple and not only is my thirst quenched on each occasion but I am on a sugar high for hours. It’s worth riding the Tobu Railway to Nikko just to try these. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau #toburailway || @tobu_japan_trip

... a little time on the water while exploring Kinugawa. This waterway has long been served by boatmen who lets the current carry them downstream but relied on teams of men with long ropes to haul the vessels back upstream. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau #toburailway || @tobu_japan_trip

... happy faces on Nikko’s historic SL Taiju which is the historic steam loco that now rattles between Shimoimaichi and Kinugawa in the mountains a couple of hours from Tokyo. The loco dates back to the 1930 and was recently restored and relaunched to carry tourists to the Onsen town that boasts beautiful ryokan-style hotels, a river for boat journeys, and yummy shaved ice desserts to keep hydrated on hot days. Stayed tuned for details on what there is to do in Kinugawa. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau #toburailway || @tobu_japan_trip

... Okunikko’s Kegon Falls. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau #toburailway || @tobu_japan_trip

... might be wet and cloudy at Lake Chuzenji but it’s still delightfully warm. The lake high in Nikko’s mountains was formed when lava from multiple volcanic eruptions blocked the valley and turned the river into a pond that drops to 163m at its deepest point. I’m told it warms up to an agreeable 23C during summer - swim anyone? - and drops to below zero when winter sets in and sections close to the bank freeze over. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau

... Butterfly spotting in Okunikko’s wild Odashirogahara Moor. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau

... and the Italian Embassy Villa on the edge of Okunikko’s Lake Chuzenji. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau

... The view from one of the upstairs rooms at Okunikko’s British Embassy Villa. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau

The view across Lake Chuzenji from the first floor of the British Embassy Villa. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau

... admiring architecture on the edge of Lake Chuzenji. This is the British Embassy Villa which was built in 1892 - and recently renovated - by the UK’s chief diplomat at the time. Lake Chuzenji served as Tokyo’s hill station with the British, French, Belgian and Italian embassies building holiday homes for staff lto escape Tokyo’s summer heat. Today travellers can explore the house and pause in the first-floor dining room enjoying scones - prepared to a recipe provided by the current chef at the British Embassy in Tokyo - while gazing across the lake. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau #toburailway || @tobu_japan_trip

... starting the day with a cruise around Lake Chuzenji in Okunikko. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau #toburailway || @tobu_japan_trip

... A little video of my sightseeing around Nikko City. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau #toburailway || @tobu_japan_trip

... Japan is famous for its big, bustling cities but there are also some delightful wilderness areas including the mountains surrounding Nikko which is a two-hour journey by train from Tokyo. This is the Kanmangafuchi Abyss, a section of the river that flows through Nikko with rapids, waterfalls, and plunge pools. Tobu Railway run regular passenger services to Nikko City - as well as the other settlements in this peaceful corner of the country - and then it was a 10-minute walk to the Abyss. #toburailway || @tobu_japan_trip #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau

Walking to the Kanmangafuchi Abyss - which appears to be a series of waterfalls and rapids in the river that runs through Nikko - and there are lots of jolly little statues to mark the waterside path. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau

... Roof tiles as art in Nikko. #japanrevealed || @visitjapanau

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