In the south of Switzerland lies the Jungfrau region one of the most stunning parts of the alps. Here is the Eiger, which climbers will know is one of the most difficult peaks to climb in Europe to the backdrop of the Eiger, the Schilthorn and the Jungfrau lies one of the largest ski areas in Europe. The Jungfrau region is split into three resorts: Grindelwald, Wengen and Murren. We stayed in Grindelwald which is the most rounded of the three resorts as has easy access to two ski areas.


The First (pronounced Fi-erst) region can only be accessed from Grindelwald and offers fantastic offpiste and a great snow park. This region is normally very uncrowded and boasts over 40 km of piste with challenging black runs. My favourite was a run that ran all the way down to Grindelwald village which was over 10 kms long. This was a fantastic descent through wooded paths although cross country skiing is required toward the end of the piste.

The other ski area we visited was the famous Kleine-Scheiddegg ski area which has over 100km of piste and is probably better than First. We normally took the rustic old mountain train to the Kleine-Scheiddegg station and then skiied for the whole day up there. This area is more challenging and boasts the famous Lauberhorn run which is featured in the world cup circuit. Another highlight was skiing down to Brandegg and having apfelcuflen (warm apple donuts) in the jolly swiss cafe.

The scenery up there was incredible. I was constantly skiing in the backdrop of the stunning North Face of the Eiger. Almost every time we stopped I was tempted to get out my camera. This resort had the sense of skiing tradition rather than a man-made monster such as la plagne. Despite this tradition the ski lifts were first class with the exception of the slow Mannlichen lift which goes from Grindelwald to one of the peaks of Kleine Scheidegg.

Grindelwald itself felt like a village set in a time long ago. The locals were out in force and all the wooden buildings made it feel like a chocolate box town. Chocolate was one thing the village was not short on with chocolate shops every hundred yards or so. The locals were very friendly and everyone we met seemed delighted to serve us. If you are planning on getting the train from Grindelwald to Keline Scheiddegg make sure you are punctual because the Swiss will not let their railway get one second behind schedule. The trains leave at 17 past and 47 past on the dot every day from 8.00.

By Ben Lacaille

To see all the photos visit
http://benstravels.com

Sri Lanka, the teardrop of India, is a relatively small country but is full of contrast from the green tea plantations to flat paddy fields and luxurious beaches which are comparable to Phuket.

Nisala Arana was the first place we stayed in Sri Lanka and is situated near the glorious Bentota beach and cinnamon and rubber plantations inland. Nisala Arana has spectacular tropical gardens and is full of colourful bird life. From the our first breakfast there, where we had papaya, mango and pineapple, I knew we had found somewhere very special. It is set about ten minutes away from the beach so there is tranquility during the day instead of the hot bustle in the centre of Bentota.

Bentota beach is the best beach I have ever visited it simply ticks all the boxes. The warm Indian ocean laps at the golden sands and one can simply stay in the tropical heated waters for hours. When sunbathing a nice breeze cools you from the extreme heat. This is not the Costa del Sol, Oman or Cape Town where people competitively fight for space on the beach. Here the whole beach is wide open for tourists and is incredibly uncrowded. In the ocean live various tropical fish and one day we went snorkelling to explore this hidden kingdom beneath the ocean.

The once tranquil lagoon of Bentota now plays host to many different types of watersports including banana boating, water-skiing and many others. Although this increase in sports does cause a more busy lagoon the upside is that many tourists come and the infrastructure of the water sport clubs is very good. I really wanted to learn how to water ski and this seemed like a perfect opportunity. For $25 (2500 rupees) I learned how to water ski and I believe anyone who tried could master the basics at the Sunshine Watersports Center.

As it was almost christmas we went to the Bentota market to buy a few last minute presents. Our family were the only tourists in the market and my brother got mobbed by friendly salesmen. One of these salesmen said 'call me uncle' to my brother. Although eventually these following salesmen became irritating everyone was very friendly and smiling at the look of tourists in the local market.

Nisala Arana offered several excursions and one of these was a trip to the historic fort of Galle in the south of Sri Lanka. This fort was first built by the Dutch and adopted by the British empire. The walls are incredibly strong and withstood the tsunami (2004) whilst the rest of Galle was badly damaged. Inside the strong walls are houses, shops and hotels typical of a normal town. There are also historic buildings inside the fort such as the old dutch church and a Lloyds building which still retains the board tracking ships which Lloyds had lent money to. All in all it is a very nice place to walk around and it is very empty.

On Christmas morning we rented a boat to take us up the river. After around a mile of going upstream the houses fade away and both sides of the river are rainforest. Our guide spotted many iguanas, crocodiles and many birds (including the majestic kingfisher). As we cruised up the river away from Bentota I felt how it must fell cruising up the Amazon river. Toward the end of our trip our guide took us through the dark and shady mangroves where branches constantly almost knocked me off our boat. This cruise was a real insight into what much of Sri Lanka is: rainforest.

After 11 sun filled and relaxing days at Nisala Arana we drove up to Paradise Farm, which is situated high up in the tea plantations near Kitulgala. Paradise Farm is a working farm which specializes in green tea and peppercorns but features almost all tropical fruit trees and a spectacular 100 ft waterfall in the middle of the jungle above the tea plantations. Whilst living up in the tea hills it felt like we were living with nature as frogs, bats and even a snake lived alongside our bungalow. It was especially interesting learning about different tropical plants and how mangoes and papayas are grown. The food here is the best that I had in Sri Lanka and the staff were some of the most friendly people  have ever met. The view from the bungalow is simply incredible with cloudy mountains of tea plantations and forests in every direction. In the night the sunset is awe inspiring and the normal tranquility of the hills becomes dominated by the sound of croaking frogs and squawking birds.

Near Paradise Farm in Kitulgala is the river where 'The Bridge over the River Kwai' was filmed. In this river are some white water rapids ideally suited for white water rafting so under the recommendation of our cheerful driver we set out to 'Rafters Retreat' where we borrowed a raft and two expert rafters. None of our family except for my dad had ever rafted before so we were very nervous but one of the guides insisted that his children had rafted it so our entire family including a five year old set out upon the river. The river is very calm and tranquil surrounded by steep mountains dominated by overgrown forest. However, all the tranquility disappears when you suddenly hear the gushing sound of the vicious rapids. The rafting lasted around forty minutes and took us around 7 kilometres down stream through 7 rapids of varying degrees of difficulty. We were particularly alarmed when the guide said that 70% of boats tipped over on the 'killer fall' but luckily we escaped that fate and continued floating downstream. This is a fantastic opportunity for rafters of all levels of ability and is better than the scariest roller coaster.

Following two blissful nights at Paradise Farm we departed to Ellerton Bungalow which is also in the hills but is situated near Kandy, the cultural capital of Sri Lanka. Ellerton is in the style of an old colonial bungalow which would be owned by a British tea planter. It has spectacular views over the valley and there are may nice walks in the local countryside.

On our first full day we decided to visit Kandy and in particular the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth. This temple houses the tooth of the Buddha, which was stolen before he was cremated and smuggled to Sri Lanka. This temple is in a idyllic setting on the lake of Kandy and the white building style is very beautiful. Inside the temple there are elaborate wood carvings and a small room where the tooth is housed which you are allowed to glimpse into for about 10-15 seconds before you get shunted on by the guards. Photographs do not do this temple justice and I would strongly recommend visiting this sacred monument. This temple has a fantastic atmosphere with thousands of Buddhists visiting the temple every day and this atmosphere makes this temple seem even more special and holy to visitors.

It was extremely hot in Kandy and with no breeze the heat became very dry and sticky so we decided to go to the Royal Botanical Gardens on the outskirts of Kandy for lunch. This is the equivalent of Central Park in New York or Kew Gardens in London where everyone is having picnics in shady spots under rare and incredible trees and plants. The highlights were the rare fig tree which spread itself a huge are and the Coco di Mer or double coconut tree in which the coconuts are double the size of normal coconuts.

The only problem with Ellerton Bungalow is that it is a long distance from the ancient cities. In fact so long that our driver laughed when we first said we wanted to go to Sigiriya and Dambulla. However, we were insistent that we wanted to go and climb Sigiriya so our driver took us to it.

Sigiriya is a geological and historical phenomenon. It is a huge rock which is 200 metres high and has a beautiful orange tint to it. When you first see it in the distance it simply takes your breath away. What is even more amazing is that it used to be a monastery and then a palace to the king after he was kicked out of Anuradhpura. There are still some spectacular frescoes which are in remarkably good condition considering that they have been abandoned for a thousand years. I'm not going to lie to you climbing the rock is tough but it is worth when you see the view from the top and it feels quite an achievement when you finish climbing it.

In the afternoon we went to see the cave temples of Dambulla some of which are over a thousand years old. These caves are very practical as they are very cool in the heat. The largest cave is around 40 metres long and is filled with golden buddhas and the ceiling decorated like a mosaic. What is amazing about these caves is the commitment it must have taken to build all of the buddhas and paint the ceilings.When we visited the caves it was quiet and cool inside the caves and even non-buddhists like myself can realise why these caves is a perfect place to reflect.

By Ben Lacaille

To see all the photos visit
http://benstravels.com

For most people and resorts the skiing season starts at Christmas and ends at Easter but not Hintertux Glacier. The top of Hintertux is at 3250m and when me and my friend skied there in October you could ski all the way down to 2660m. I find it amazing that there is this resort in the peaks of the mountains where you can ski all year round even if it is 20 degrees in the valley below.

It is an amazingly picturesque resort where on sunny days you can look along the long valley of green grass along with cows and wooden chalets. From the valley you get amazing views up to the glacier this is the most amazing part when there is no snow at the bottom yet amazing snow at the top.

Intermediate-expert skiers will love this resort because there are virtually no beginners because of the harsh winter (-20 degrees at 3250m in February), most runs are red and there are not too many ski schools. This makes for a much better skiing experience because there are no beginners falling over you the whole time.

Hintertux is simply a skiers paradise: the pistes and setting is stunning, the snow is always good because of the glacier and it''s relatively easy to get to. I can almost guarantee you that you will not be disappointed by this scenic, picturesque resort.

Here comes the gritty info. It has 10-20 pistes in October and the best place to stay is in the valley because there are no chalets in the mountains and it is easy to get to the to via three cable car lifts. I am told the best place to ski in Hintertux is either in October-November or Easter because the snow is good but it is not too cold. We got there by flying to Munich and then renting a car and driving to Finkenburg (a town in the valley that we stayed in) which took about 2/3 hours.

By Ben Lacaille
http://benstravels.com

Many people think that Rome is boring to go to for a teenager''s point of view as most of the attractions are old buildings etc. I am a teenager and I found it fascinating. One can''t help but stand in awe at the size of the Colloseum or the magnitude of St Peters.

Italy in general is great because of the amazing food and the laid back life style and Rome is no exception to the rule. What ever you do in Rome you have to see the forum, which is quite interesting and the formidable Colloseum. I think that there is no structure, which can beat the Colloseum in terms of size and architectural style. It is like a football stadium only much older and it wasn''t used for football.

The Pantheon is another must see. It is older than the colloseum as it was an old traditional worship place for Roman gods but was converted into a church. It has one huge circular room which houses the remains of many saints. It really is amazing and is in my opinion the second thing to see in Rome after the Colloseum.

St Peters is one of the largest churches in the world and also, in my opinion, the most beautiful. The exterior of the church is as amazing as the interior. As a normal teenager I have to say that these three attractions amazed and enthralled me. The rest of Rome is beautiful too especially the countless churches and cathedrals.

Just walking around Rome you can find wonderful churches, bridges and buildings and one should spend a leisurely afternoon walking around Rome. I have to confess that I didn''t go to the next biggest attraction the Trevi fountains because we only had three nights in Rome.

In terms of accommodation I stayed at a nice hotel to the East of the Vatican but I can''t remember the name. Most Italian restaurants in Rome are excellent and the further you stray away from the tourist attractions the cheaper the prices.

By Ben Lacaille

http://benstravels.com

I went to Jamaica with my family in 2002 and stayed there for 10 days. We spent all our time on the private beach of our all inclusive hotel. The hotel was called Beaches Boscobel and is part of the Sandals chain, it is aimed at families and has everything from pools to sailing to snorkeling.

Beaches is great for kids or adults, who want to sail etc and also for parents who just want to sit on a beach relaxing. I spent most of the week going on banana boat rides, bouncing on the floating trampoline and learning how to sail. For those parents who have adventurous kids but are not so adventurous themselves the hotel has a great kids club, which lets the children choose which activity they want to do.

There are around five restaurants which includes a great italian restaurant, a mexican restaurant and a french restaurant. The food is really nice and the breakfast is supreme (it has eggs, pancakes, bacon, continental etc). I think that seven days is the perfect time to stay at Beaches because you can do all the activities in that amount of time and you most certainly won''t get bored.

The actual beach, which is around a mile and a half long is sandy and is filled with coconut trees. The sea (like any other caribbean country) is exceptionally warm and is not very deep no matter how far you sail out.

There are more than one Beaches resorts in Jamaica but the one we stayed at was called Beaches Boscobel. This one is better than others because it has a coral reef so you can dive and an arcade stocked with XBOXs. I would recommend staying in one of the rooms nearest to the sea because you get the best views from your room.

In terms of getting there, there are overnight flights from Heathrow to Kingston (capital) via BA and Jamaican Air and Beaches will send a man to pick you up when you arrive. I seem to remember that it is not a very long drive from the airport to the resort and when you arrive you can lie down on the beach. IMPORTANT BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU BOOK BECAUSE HURRICANES DO HIT JAMAICA IN CERTAIN SEASONS. Although Beaches will give you a full refund if one hits when you stay there.

By Ben Lacaille
Please see my blog for more pictures of Jamaica and other destinations.  http://benstravels.com