Taken as we stepped ashore on the island of Elba.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Italy and the Rivieras: November 2007
On 7th November I set off for a cruise of the Mediterranean with my Mum, my sister-in-law Andrea and her mother, Lil. Andy and Lil travelled to the airport on a bus leaving Bristol at 1 o’clock in the morning and Mum and I were fortunate to be driven there by Colin. We had been instructed to check in at 4 o’clock for our 7 o’clock flight. We met Andy and Lil at the check-in desk at 3.30 and were disappointed to learn that the Al-Italya airline check-in desks were dealing with two other flights before ours and we could not check in until 5 o’clock. Quite a disappointment when we had strived to get there so early!
About 4.15 we decided to join the check in queue which was so long we thought it might be 5 o’clock before we reached the desk. Unfortunately with several desks open the queue moved forward quickly and before we were halfway there an official asked us where we were going and when we said Rome he said to leave the queue and wait and he would fetch us when we could join it again! About twenty to five we decided to join the queue again and were proceeding nicely towards the desks when the same official spotted us and said ‘I thought I told you to wait until I called you!’ He said to wait and that he would definitely call us forward. At five to five we joined the queue again and yes, you guessed it, he saw us again! But luckily he was in a good mood, and escorted us out of the queue to an adjacent check-in desk just opening so we were the first to go through. Unfortunately the long wait to check in meant there was no time to have a snack before boarding but at least we could pass the time until then by looking in the duty free shops. We had brought two different currencies with us for the cruise - dollars which was the currency used on board the ship and euros to spend whenever visiting ashore.
Once on board I checked the in-flight magazine to see if we could order food and was disappointed to find there was none available! So it was a pleasant surprise a bit later to be offered coffee and soft drinks accompanied by an Italian pastry as by this time we were all quite peckish. The flight was a pleasant one and lasted about two and a half hours, landing in Rome about 10.30. From there we were transported to the Marco Polo by bus which was about an hour and a half drive away, so we made sure to look out of the windows as this was our only chance to see a bit of Rome. It was a lovely sunny day with blue skies and we were lucky to have such weather during the whole of our cruise. Finally just after noon we were able to board the ship and were soon checking into our cabins. We discovered we had been allocated different tables for dining each day so we left the two Mums in our cabin whilst we went to change this. We changed them for a window table for four in the second sitting each evening and discovered we could go and have lunch right then - so went back to the Mums who had been grumbling how hungry they were and their faces lit up for joy when we said we could go and have lunch straightaway. I don’t remember ever seeing my Mum move so fast, as she said ‘What are we waiting for’!
We were very impressed with the beautiful dining room - The Seven Seas Restaurant on deck 6 - where we proceeded to enjoy a 5-course lunch which was really excellent. Afterwards we went up on deck and found chairs to relax in on the sunny side of the ship and stayed there about three hours until the sun went down, most of us taking a short nap in the process, having hardly slept more than 3 hours the evening before. We were just around the corner from the front deck with swimming pool and discovered they were serving afternoon tea so enjoyed a cuppa each before going off to our cabins to change for dinner, agreeing to meet up on the front deck just before 8 pm when the ship was due to sail. This was great watching the ship leave Civitavecchia port and gain the open sea. We stayed on deck watching this until it was time to go down to dinner at 8.30 pm.
7th November was Mum’s birthday which we had all celebrated in advance of travelling. Mum had received all her presents earlier, and the ones from Colin and me the evening before. We thoroughly enjoyed our splendid dinner (with me looking out the curtains until no further lights of the shore could be seen). All the crew and staff on board were from the Philippines and really lovely guys. Our waiter and bus boy were Austin and Roadan, who both looked after us beautifully. Then towards the end of dinner we could hear singing and a guitar playing, approaching our table, and it was the restaurant manager, head waiter and our waiter who came with a birthday cake and to sing Happy Birthday to Mum, which was a lovely surprise for her and us as we had not told anyone it was her birthday. Afterwards we went to Charlston Lounge on Deck 8 to listen to the band and enjoy a cocktail, but we were soon falling asleep in our seats and had to retire early to our cabins after such a long exhausting day.
On Thursday morning we woke up and the ship had already docked at Portoferraio on the Island of Elba. We first had a fantastic breakfast in Raffles restaurant on deck 8 where the choices on offer were amazing, all served buffet style. We enjoyed croissants, fresh fruit, yoghurts and coffee and for those really hungry there was a huge variety of hot cooked breakfast items, including a chef out on the deck cooking omelettes with six fillings. Whilst dining Mum saw a rowing boat nearby and asked if we had to go ashore on that!!!! I was happy to inform her that we would be boarding something a fair bit bigger! We finished breakfast in time to get on the ship’s tender which was ferrying those passengers ashore who had not booked themselves onto shore excursions (who had priority). Mum was a bit worried about boarding the tender but it wasn’t too bad. We climbed down a metal set of steps from a door opening out of deck 6, to a metal platform from whence we could climb aboard the tender. All this was suspended by steel hawsers from a higher deck and looked sturdy enough and beneath the steps was an inflatable boat, I guess in case of anyone falling in the sea! There were guys helping people aboard who had difficulties. The ship had three of these tenders operating each day ferrying people backwards and forwards from ship to shore and back to ship again, each capable of holding 150 passengers. I enjoyed the trips on the tender the most out of the four of us - Andy and Lil being more susceptible to sea sickness than we were, and Mum worrying about getting on and off it.
Once ashore on Elba we walked out of the port and then followed a route around the Medicean harbour stopping at little shops on the way. It looked so pretty with the colourful buildings, the yachts in the harbour and above us the imposing Renaissance fortifications that wind their way about the high rocky promontory. The basin of water is protected by the Della Linguela Fort at one end and the Torre del Martello at the other, with the village protected at the back by two further forts, Falcone and Stella, and at the front by the fringed Medicean bastions of Bernardo Buontalenti. Even Admiral Nelson had to admit it was “the safest port in the world.” See below for a short potted history of this island. We bought some lovely jewellry in some of the shops in the harbour, all beautiful craftmanship using semi precious stones, which Mum and I can never resist when we see it on sale! We sat on seats enjoying the sunshine and harbour views and later ventured to shops behind the marina front but we didn’t venture too far because it was very hilly, and Mum couldn’t walk too far due to her painful knee for which she is awaiting an operation very soon. We ended up enjoying beers on the outdoor terrace of a cafe before venturing back to catch a tender that would get us back to the ship in time for lunch.
After lunch I left the three of them relaxing on board and took a tender back to the island. They did not want to go back because of having to go by tender whereas I did not mind a bit. Once ashore I climbed the hillside which zigzagged backwards and forwards as it climbed, plus I climbed a flight of about 100 steps until I was high above the harbour and was able to take pictures over the rooftops of the boat moored outside it. It was quite a long walk but eventually I arrived at the house where Napoleon lived during his exile on Elba, which is now a museum, situated in the highest part of the township. This is close to Fort Stella, a position from which he could dominate the township, the port and the open sea. I really enjoyed my visit throughout the house, especially looking at the paintings on the walls which depicted Elba as it was during his time there, eg, the ships of the British Armada in the harbour and countless other scenes. Walking back to the harbour afterwards was a lot quicker as it was all downhill and I made it back to the ship in time to join the others for afternoon tea on the open deck. Later we returned to our cabins in order to get ready as this night was the first of the semi formal evenings which meant dressing up. Our Norwegian Captain Aage Hoddevik was holding a welcome reception for all guests. This was great as each person was greeted by him and had a photo taken with him, and there were liberal supplies of champagne and canapes circulated to everyone during the reception. The Gennadi Orchestra were playing whilst this was going on, a brilliant band of grand piano, drums, bass guitar and three musicians playing brass instruments. Afterwards the captain gave a speech welcoming us aboard and introducing the managers of all the different aspects of the cruise management which was very enjoyable as he was so humorous in his presentation. After this we went down to the Seven Seas and had yet another fantastic dinner in the restaurant, and then cocktails in the polo lounge after that.
Portoferraio, Elba - a Potted History
According to Greek mythology it was the port of call of the Argonauts. The Romans and Etruscans used the port, calling it Fabricia, for their mining activities and as testimony to their passage there are the remains of two splendid Roman villas, one on the promontory and the other next to the Forte della Linguella. The Museum of Archaeology houses important remains which tell the story of the ancient navigators. But the true birth of Portoferraio is linked to Cosimo 1 de Medici who decided to transform it into the main port for his fleet against the Saracen pirates. In 1548 with the name of Cosmopolis the new township was founded and its layout decided.
It was to be a true model of military urbanism. Contained within the village are the main churches. Inside the Duomo is dedicated to the nativity of the Madonna a Visitazione of Passignano. A painting of Sagrestani completes the refined decoration of the church of Santissimo Sacramento. The art gallery Foresiana built inside the Franciscan convent of San Salvatore houses important Italian paintings of the 800s. The Napoleonic chapter from 1814 and 1815 pushed Elba and its capital Portoferraio into the centre of international attention.
The Napoleonic Palace is a simple construction in keeping with Tuscan style which the Emperor left relatively unchanged. The central part was heightened and a ball room created. A nearby building was transformed into a small theatre. To this day several objects d’art, furniture and documents relating to the Napoleonic period are preserved in the palace – one of the most important being Elba’s first flag and the emperor’s personal library, donated to him by the township - and in the nearby church of Reverenda Misericordia a service is held every year on 5th May in suffrage to Napoleon.
Portoferraio has many important beaches and a diverse coastline that ranges from rocky
promontories and inlets of sand to smooth white pebble beaches.
On Friday we woke up in Livorno, Italy. From here it was possible to visit either Florence or Pisa but we soon discarded any idea of taking the shore excursions which were quite expensive – 175 dollars each if visiting Florence. Once ashore we enquired the cost of taxis to Florence and these were horrendously expensive too, 240 euros for a round trip in a taxi which translated to around £60 each for sharing the cost and therefore not much cheaper than taking the shore excursion. We instead decided to avail ourselves of the special bus service laid on between ship and the nearby town of Livorno and this worked out fine. A short time later we were dropped near the shopping centre of Livorno and told there would be buses every half an hour taking people back to the ship. We really enjoyed our time in Livorno and visited many shops and we all bought several things, mostly presents to give people for Christmas and later on discovered a market where we spent the last of the money we had allocated ourselves for that day. Going back to catch the bus later I was walking on ahead and after a while realised I had gone wrong on the directions and the other three were nowhere to be seen. I realised when I eventually found my way back to the correct bus stop that I had gone seriously out of my way and that the others had caught an earlier bus. When a bus finally came there was a message for me saying they were on board. By the time this later bus got back I was very disappointed to arrive at the restaurant and find it had closed! Luckily they were still serving lunches for another half an hour at Raffles restaurant so I was able to eat there and that is where Andrea found me, saying they had boarded the crowded bus thinking I had already got on it and did not realise I wasn’t until it had already pulled away.
We spent a good part of the afternoon out on deck playing Scrabble until tea time and afterwards we played more games in one of the lounges whilst being entertained by a pianist. Then after another excellent dinner in the restaurant we watched a comedy show in the Ambassador’s lounge on deck 8 at the back of the ship. Whilst being entertained we could feel the ship rolling and this made Andrea and Lil feel rather unwell so we all retired to our cabins by about 11 pm.
On Saturday we woke up in the harbour at Villefranche in the French Riviera from where we could visit either Monaco or Nice. The harbour looked very pretty as we enjoyed breakfast on board and then we caught the tender to get ashore. We had decided to visit Nice as it was closer and upon enquiring the cost of a taxi it was 30 euros for the 2.4 mile journey – expensive by English standards but welcome after the 240 euro charge from Livorno to Florence! I asked the taxi driver where he suggested we went and he took us to a Provencal market taking place just behind the promenade and sea front and we were delighted with his suggestion. There were countless stalls of Provencal produce including handicrafts and we had a lot of fun browsing the stalls, buying herbes de provence, lavender sachets, local honey, handicrafts, ceramics and toiletries all typical of Provence. Walking through the flower selling area we were overwhelmed with the beautiful scents of the flowers and were truly regretful that we were not allowed to take anything like that back to the ship. After leaving this market behind and exploring a couple of the streets beyond it we came across another market selling mainly handicrafts in a square next to a church where there were lots of jewellry stalls as well. My best purchase of the day was a beautiful amethyst and amazonite necklace to add to my growing collection of silver and semi precious stone jewellry which I started on my visits to Peru and have since added to during several visits to Tunisia and now France.
After leaving the market behind we walked to the seafront and rested a while on the promenade, enjoying the sea and the glorious weather. We had no idea how to get a taxi back and started walking along the promenade, keeping an eye out for a passing taxi and after 15 minutes were able to flag one down who took us back to Villefranche. When we got back there the others decided to stay on shore and have lunch there, not wanting to go on the tender more than the trip back to ship later. Having missed the brilliant restaurant lunch the day before I decided to go back and have lunch and we agreed to meet up again at 3 pm. Zipping back and forth on the tender was a real pleasure for me and I made it back in plenty of time to meet them at the agreed time and place. By this time they had had enough of walking so we waited and got on the mini train that wended its way along the harbour front and through the town and in this way saw a bit of Villefranche - see a little bit of its potted history below. We then caught the tender back to the ship and as we approached we had to wait while another tender got out of the way. Then something went wrong as we came alongside. Instead of sliding into position as we normally did, the tender kept bouncing off the life-raft and surging up and down and no matter what the guys did they could not stop this bouncing and surging so that one minute there was a two foot height difference between tender and platform and next instant a metre or more gap to step across. As I carry a foldable stool everywhere to enable Mum to climb anything but the shallowest of steps I was wondering how on earth I would ever be able to get her from tender to platform without mishap. Fortunately there were guys on both platform and tender to help her and it was such a relief when the levels met that they were able to help her step across. Split timing was of the essence. And of course all the bouncing and surging meant the platform was in continual movement too but luckily a man descended from the ship and helped her climb the steps. Poor Mum was really shook up by the experience and no one could blame her. Others waiting to get off seeing her ordeal must have felt quite apprehensive too. This disastrous misadventure was soon the talk of the ship .... Fortunately a couple of cups of tea and some delicious cakes later Mum had calmed down considerably.
That evening after another delicious dinner we watched a Magic Show from Moscow which was really amazing, all sleight of hand stuff that was so incredibly well done that it had everyone really entertained and spellbound. The ship was rolling from side to side as the show progressed so that by the time we all left it was really difficult to walk properly, so we decided to retire for the night and not go looking for further entainment.
Villefranche - a Potted History
Villefranche is the port city to Nice and Monaco and is a village hidden among wooded slopes above the crystalline waters of the Cote d’Azur and one of the most picturesque fishing ports. Brightly coloured buildings rise beside the narrow streets and stairways from the harbour. At the harbour you can see the fishing boats and yachts that are moored alongside boutiques and cafes that look out to sea. Medieval chapels along with the impressive hilltop fortress are a part of Villefranche history. Over 7000 people call Villefranche home. The moderate climate, sandy beaches and ambiance of its Old Town make it a popular tourist stop. Currently real estate prices are so high that property there is only affordable by the very wealthy. Villefranche is indeed the start of the South of France, part of the Cote d’Azur with a romantic, historic feel. This village is very walkable and compact. Summers here are hot and humid with winters that bring rain and an occasional chill. On the coast, sea breezes keep temperatures cool enough to need a light jacket on summer evenings.
On Sunday we woke up in Cannes. We went ashore knowing that being Sunday all the shops would be closed which was something of a disappointment. We had to travel by tender again but as it was the last time Mum was able to bear the thought, knowing yesterday’s disastrous return was just a one off unfortunate event. Once ashore we were able to walk from the port, along past the harbour which was a forest of masts, admiring the beautiful boats and yachts moored there. We came across a bus waiting at a stop and got on it, asking the driver if it would show us part of the town and he said yes. It turned out that by staying on the bus we would come back to where we had started out from so this proved interesting and enabled us to see a bit more than was possible just walking. When we got back we doubled back to a market we had seen and spent some time there but without buying anything as prices were much higher than at Nice. Then at a nearby Exposition we decided to have one of the fruit smoothies on offer which could be made to order from a variety of fresh fruits. We chose them made with raspberry, kiwi, pear, passionfruit and peach, and it was while enjoying these that I felt unwell for the first time, perhaps from the highly concentrated combination. Fortunately the feeling passed after a short while and we were able to walk back to catch the tender back to the ship, this time without any problems.
We got back to the ship in time for lunch, and spent the afternoon up on deck and had afternoon tea as usual. After dinner in the evening there was a magnificent Phillipino Folkloric show which for everyone was the highlight of the week. This hour long show was dancing and singing performed by the guys and girls working on board and was truly amazing with colourful costumes and brilliant dexterity in the complicated dances and rituals. While this was going on the sea was getting rough again. We’d managed to get front row seats for this show and as everyone left afterwards they were reeling and rolling past us which was a source of amusement to everyone concerned. We all made our way back to our cabins but en route Mum and I still managed to pay a visit to the shop on the way and buy some of the bargain price watches that were on offer for just that day.
Cannes - a potted history
Cannes is a city which ranks second in France for conventions after Paris. Located just a
few kilometers from the Nice Cote d’Azur international airport, Cannes is also accessible from the airport of Cannes Mandelieu, the second busiest in France for private aircraft. Thus, the Festival Hall, the bridgehead of the tourist economy in Cannes, hosts nearly 150 events each year – conventions, festivals and international markets. And for holiday tourism, Cannes, the world’s most famous city due to its International Film Festival, has never lost its power of attraction on its French and foreign clientele. Such intense tourist activity benefits fully to the hyper developed hotel and restaurant business and luxury boutiques, offering the most prestigious luxury showcase in France, between the sea and sun. Cannes is also home base to large private yachts in the Mediterranean, so the city has long been positioned as a major nautical activity centre. Tourists jostle with conference goers, outnumbering business travellers only in the summer months. Their interests lie in the long, curvaceous, sandy beaches of La Croisette, its expanding Old Port, its palatial hotels, the designer shops lining the famous promenade and the luminosity and gastronomy of the Cote d’Azur itself.
Monday we woke up in Toulon. Again after an excellent breakfast we went ashore, this time walking down the gangway much to the delight of my three travel companions. There were ample shore excursions going to St Tropez but Toulon being a major port and city in its own right, we were quite happy to explore on our own. We were able to catch a mini train which took us on a tour of the promenades, parks and gardens and then dropped us in a central position on the marina front, from where we could also catch the train back at 30 minute intervals. As with Cannes, we soon discovered that Mondays are closing day in the shops. We were so disappointed to see all those interesting shops and none of them open! Also every day except Monday there is a huge Provencal market which we were also sorry to have missed. For this reason our visit to Toulon was something of a disappointment and when we heard later that those who went on the expensive shore excursion to St Tropez found the shops closed there as well, we were jolly glad we hadn’t gone on it. After a while we did find a shopping centre open and although not as interesting as the little shops we did buy a few things. Again I managed to lose the others when we failed to meet up again at the agreed time after I whizzed off to look for more presents leaving the others resting in a cafe. After waiting 15 minutes beyond the agreed time I made my way back to the harbour and got on the next train back to the ship .... only to find that this time I had got back before them. I waited for them up on the sunny deck and two trains later I could see them getting off and I went down to meet them and get Mum’s card swiped to prove she was back on board. This and the fact that we had to disinfect our hands every time we boarded ship, after checking our things in the X-ray machine and whenever we entered any of the restaurants were good practice, to evade passing on any illnesses or be left behind when the ship sailed!!! Toulon is France’s major naval centre on its Mediterranean coast and the French Mediterranean Fleet is based there; it is also the most beautiful European natural harbour. It is where Provence and the French Riviera meet and is a sunny city, the capital of Provence and has 2000 years of history.
After tea the ship set sail on its longest leg of the journey yet with 308 miles to cover until arrival in Palma, Majorca next day. This meant sailing 3 hours earlier and we would not dock in Palma until late morning on Tuesday. It also meant we were sailing faster than usual and it wasn’t long before the ship was rolling and poor Andrea and Lil were looking distinctly queasy. It ended up with them retiring to their cabins and not venturing out again until the following day. Ship personnel left sick bags everywhere for any passengers feeling unwell. We all missed the Captain’s farewell party at 7.30 because of this. Even Mum and I felt the affects but were able to go down to dinner at 8.30 as with ample lifts and my help Mum managed to make it to the restaurant okay, where we found that two-thirds of the passengers were absent. Mum and I managed dinner okay but when I looked out of the window and saw the towering waves and pointed them out to Mum, she promptly lost her appetite and couldn’t eat any more! We managed to make it back to our cabin without mishap afterwards and retired to bed early, as lying down the feeling was quite pleasant. I was soon asleep and by the time I woke up next morning the conditions had eased. Andrea and Lil joined us for breakfast and then we played scrabble on deck until the ship docked in Palma late morning. We sailed into the harbour to Spanish classical guitar music which was very pleasant. We then had an early lunch and went ashore afterwards. Buses were laid on for those not booked on shore excursions and we were soon dropped near the cathedral, on the promenade from where we could catch the bus back whenever we were ready. We really enjoyed our time in Palma. The shops were open and prices were very reasonable. In no time I had bought comfortable leather shoes and a very unusual design sweater and later some souvenirs and more gifts. We lingered in a pavement cafe enjoying San Miguel beers and got back to the bus and then the ship in time for afternoon tea. We felt quite sad that it was our last night. We handed out our gratuities to waiter, busboy, Mario our cabin boy and the restaurant manager, and after dinner went to Charlston Lounge and listened to the band until they had finished for the night. Mario was brilliant - he transformed towels into rabbits, an elephant and a monkey and always turned down our bed each night and left a chocolate on the pillow. Also on that last night we paid one last visit to the shop and I bought a Marco Polo T-shirt and baseball cap and Mum bought two sweaters and a blouse. Andy and Lil bought perfume, cosmetics and souvenirs.
The following morning we arrived in Barcelona after covering a total of 919 miles throughout that week. We got up early to settle our accounts with the purser, had time for a leisurely breakfast and a couple of games of scrabble in one of the lounges and then made our departure from the ship at 10 o’clock. It wasn’t until the night before that we learned we did not have a transfer from dock to airport but this wasn’t a problem. At the dock we were able to get a large taxi which was able to transport all four of us to the airport with our luggage. The downside was feeling unable to do any visiting in Barcelona, lumbered as we were with so many things. By the time we reached the airport we had about six hours to kill. After two hours we were able to check in early and spent the rest of the time going round the airport shops and had a late lunch until our plane finally departed at 5.30 pm. We had a smooth flight home and Colin met us at Heathrow and we were home in Bath by about 8.30. The worst shock of being home was the difference in temperatures as we had a hard frost that night. After the sunshine and blue skies in the Mediterranean this took some getting used to. We later learned that temperatures at home had been good too until the night of our arrival home when they suddenly plummetted.
Mum and I were very sad to be leaving the ship, Our week on board was just a part of what was a long voyage which was continuing across the Atlantic and then down to South America and finally it would continue to the Antarctic - a further 81 days in total. Many of the people befriended on board were continuing to the Antarctic and one lady who we didn’t meet has lived on the ship for the past 20 years and been all over the world several times. All those who had regularly cruised on the Marco Polo were very sad that Orient Lines had sold it and the new owners would take possession of it in spring of next year. Many were going on a last cruise in March lasting several weeks. Mum and I may have been tempted to go on that last cruise had it not been for the fact that Mum will be having a second operation sometime next year and I have to save like mad for my next overseas jaunt. Andrea and Lil enjoyed the cruise while the weather and sea conditions were good. Unfortunately when the boat was rolling in high seas they suffered terribly with sea sickness, even constantly taking tablets, so I don’t think they would be tempted to go on another cruise in the future. Although Mum and I cannot go on Marco Polo’s last cruise before it goes to new owners, we are planning a three week Caribbean cruise which sails from Southampton, probably in the autumn of 2009.
I now look forward to my next adventure which is Ecuador and the Galapagos followed by Peru in Summer 2008. A friend from work is joining me for the three weeks in Ecuador, after which I will continue to Trujillo, Ilo and Cusco in Peru. I will definitely be travelling light for that trip. Being in the beautiful city of Barcelona and unable to go visiting due to luggage encumberment made me realise how important it will be to travel light on my next South American adventure. especially as I will be constantly on the move all those weeks.
About 4.15 we decided to join the check in queue which was so long we thought it might be 5 o’clock before we reached the desk. Unfortunately with several desks open the queue moved forward quickly and before we were halfway there an official asked us where we were going and when we said Rome he said to leave the queue and wait and he would fetch us when we could join it again! About twenty to five we decided to join the queue again and were proceeding nicely towards the desks when the same official spotted us and said ‘I thought I told you to wait until I called you!’ He said to wait and that he would definitely call us forward. At five to five we joined the queue again and yes, you guessed it, he saw us again! But luckily he was in a good mood, and escorted us out of the queue to an adjacent check-in desk just opening so we were the first to go through. Unfortunately the long wait to check in meant there was no time to have a snack before boarding but at least we could pass the time until then by looking in the duty free shops. We had brought two different currencies with us for the cruise - dollars which was the currency used on board the ship and euros to spend whenever visiting ashore.
Once on board I checked the in-flight magazine to see if we could order food and was disappointed to find there was none available! So it was a pleasant surprise a bit later to be offered coffee and soft drinks accompanied by an Italian pastry as by this time we were all quite peckish. The flight was a pleasant one and lasted about two and a half hours, landing in Rome about 10.30. From there we were transported to the Marco Polo by bus which was about an hour and a half drive away, so we made sure to look out of the windows as this was our only chance to see a bit of Rome. It was a lovely sunny day with blue skies and we were lucky to have such weather during the whole of our cruise. Finally just after noon we were able to board the ship and were soon checking into our cabins. We discovered we had been allocated different tables for dining each day so we left the two Mums in our cabin whilst we went to change this. We changed them for a window table for four in the second sitting each evening and discovered we could go and have lunch right then - so went back to the Mums who had been grumbling how hungry they were and their faces lit up for joy when we said we could go and have lunch straightaway. I don’t remember ever seeing my Mum move so fast, as she said ‘What are we waiting for’!
We were very impressed with the beautiful dining room - The Seven Seas Restaurant on deck 6 - where we proceeded to enjoy a 5-course lunch which was really excellent. Afterwards we went up on deck and found chairs to relax in on the sunny side of the ship and stayed there about three hours until the sun went down, most of us taking a short nap in the process, having hardly slept more than 3 hours the evening before. We were just around the corner from the front deck with swimming pool and discovered they were serving afternoon tea so enjoyed a cuppa each before going off to our cabins to change for dinner, agreeing to meet up on the front deck just before 8 pm when the ship was due to sail. This was great watching the ship leave Civitavecchia port and gain the open sea. We stayed on deck watching this until it was time to go down to dinner at 8.30 pm.
7th November was Mum’s birthday which we had all celebrated in advance of travelling. Mum had received all her presents earlier, and the ones from Colin and me the evening before. We thoroughly enjoyed our splendid dinner (with me looking out the curtains until no further lights of the shore could be seen). All the crew and staff on board were from the Philippines and really lovely guys. Our waiter and bus boy were Austin and Roadan, who both looked after us beautifully. Then towards the end of dinner we could hear singing and a guitar playing, approaching our table, and it was the restaurant manager, head waiter and our waiter who came with a birthday cake and to sing Happy Birthday to Mum, which was a lovely surprise for her and us as we had not told anyone it was her birthday. Afterwards we went to Charlston Lounge on Deck 8 to listen to the band and enjoy a cocktail, but we were soon falling asleep in our seats and had to retire early to our cabins after such a long exhausting day.
On Thursday morning we woke up and the ship had already docked at Portoferraio on the Island of Elba. We first had a fantastic breakfast in Raffles restaurant on deck 8 where the choices on offer were amazing, all served buffet style. We enjoyed croissants, fresh fruit, yoghurts and coffee and for those really hungry there was a huge variety of hot cooked breakfast items, including a chef out on the deck cooking omelettes with six fillings. Whilst dining Mum saw a rowing boat nearby and asked if we had to go ashore on that!!!! I was happy to inform her that we would be boarding something a fair bit bigger! We finished breakfast in time to get on the ship’s tender which was ferrying those passengers ashore who had not booked themselves onto shore excursions (who had priority). Mum was a bit worried about boarding the tender but it wasn’t too bad. We climbed down a metal set of steps from a door opening out of deck 6, to a metal platform from whence we could climb aboard the tender. All this was suspended by steel hawsers from a higher deck and looked sturdy enough and beneath the steps was an inflatable boat, I guess in case of anyone falling in the sea! There were guys helping people aboard who had difficulties. The ship had three of these tenders operating each day ferrying people backwards and forwards from ship to shore and back to ship again, each capable of holding 150 passengers. I enjoyed the trips on the tender the most out of the four of us - Andy and Lil being more susceptible to sea sickness than we were, and Mum worrying about getting on and off it.
Once ashore on Elba we walked out of the port and then followed a route around the Medicean harbour stopping at little shops on the way. It looked so pretty with the colourful buildings, the yachts in the harbour and above us the imposing Renaissance fortifications that wind their way about the high rocky promontory. The basin of water is protected by the Della Linguela Fort at one end and the Torre del Martello at the other, with the village protected at the back by two further forts, Falcone and Stella, and at the front by the fringed Medicean bastions of Bernardo Buontalenti. Even Admiral Nelson had to admit it was “the safest port in the world.” See below for a short potted history of this island. We bought some lovely jewellry in some of the shops in the harbour, all beautiful craftmanship using semi precious stones, which Mum and I can never resist when we see it on sale! We sat on seats enjoying the sunshine and harbour views and later ventured to shops behind the marina front but we didn’t venture too far because it was very hilly, and Mum couldn’t walk too far due to her painful knee for which she is awaiting an operation very soon. We ended up enjoying beers on the outdoor terrace of a cafe before venturing back to catch a tender that would get us back to the ship in time for lunch.
After lunch I left the three of them relaxing on board and took a tender back to the island. They did not want to go back because of having to go by tender whereas I did not mind a bit. Once ashore I climbed the hillside which zigzagged backwards and forwards as it climbed, plus I climbed a flight of about 100 steps until I was high above the harbour and was able to take pictures over the rooftops of the boat moored outside it. It was quite a long walk but eventually I arrived at the house where Napoleon lived during his exile on Elba, which is now a museum, situated in the highest part of the township. This is close to Fort Stella, a position from which he could dominate the township, the port and the open sea. I really enjoyed my visit throughout the house, especially looking at the paintings on the walls which depicted Elba as it was during his time there, eg, the ships of the British Armada in the harbour and countless other scenes. Walking back to the harbour afterwards was a lot quicker as it was all downhill and I made it back to the ship in time to join the others for afternoon tea on the open deck. Later we returned to our cabins in order to get ready as this night was the first of the semi formal evenings which meant dressing up. Our Norwegian Captain Aage Hoddevik was holding a welcome reception for all guests. This was great as each person was greeted by him and had a photo taken with him, and there were liberal supplies of champagne and canapes circulated to everyone during the reception. The Gennadi Orchestra were playing whilst this was going on, a brilliant band of grand piano, drums, bass guitar and three musicians playing brass instruments. Afterwards the captain gave a speech welcoming us aboard and introducing the managers of all the different aspects of the cruise management which was very enjoyable as he was so humorous in his presentation. After this we went down to the Seven Seas and had yet another fantastic dinner in the restaurant, and then cocktails in the polo lounge after that.
Portoferraio, Elba - a Potted History
According to Greek mythology it was the port of call of the Argonauts. The Romans and Etruscans used the port, calling it Fabricia, for their mining activities and as testimony to their passage there are the remains of two splendid Roman villas, one on the promontory and the other next to the Forte della Linguella. The Museum of Archaeology houses important remains which tell the story of the ancient navigators. But the true birth of Portoferraio is linked to Cosimo 1 de Medici who decided to transform it into the main port for his fleet against the Saracen pirates. In 1548 with the name of Cosmopolis the new township was founded and its layout decided.
It was to be a true model of military urbanism. Contained within the village are the main churches. Inside the Duomo is dedicated to the nativity of the Madonna a Visitazione of Passignano. A painting of Sagrestani completes the refined decoration of the church of Santissimo Sacramento. The art gallery Foresiana built inside the Franciscan convent of San Salvatore houses important Italian paintings of the 800s. The Napoleonic chapter from 1814 and 1815 pushed Elba and its capital Portoferraio into the centre of international attention.
The Napoleonic Palace is a simple construction in keeping with Tuscan style which the Emperor left relatively unchanged. The central part was heightened and a ball room created. A nearby building was transformed into a small theatre. To this day several objects d’art, furniture and documents relating to the Napoleonic period are preserved in the palace – one of the most important being Elba’s first flag and the emperor’s personal library, donated to him by the township - and in the nearby church of Reverenda Misericordia a service is held every year on 5th May in suffrage to Napoleon.
Portoferraio has many important beaches and a diverse coastline that ranges from rocky
promontories and inlets of sand to smooth white pebble beaches.
On Friday we woke up in Livorno, Italy. From here it was possible to visit either Florence or Pisa but we soon discarded any idea of taking the shore excursions which were quite expensive – 175 dollars each if visiting Florence. Once ashore we enquired the cost of taxis to Florence and these were horrendously expensive too, 240 euros for a round trip in a taxi which translated to around £60 each for sharing the cost and therefore not much cheaper than taking the shore excursion. We instead decided to avail ourselves of the special bus service laid on between ship and the nearby town of Livorno and this worked out fine. A short time later we were dropped near the shopping centre of Livorno and told there would be buses every half an hour taking people back to the ship. We really enjoyed our time in Livorno and visited many shops and we all bought several things, mostly presents to give people for Christmas and later on discovered a market where we spent the last of the money we had allocated ourselves for that day. Going back to catch the bus later I was walking on ahead and after a while realised I had gone wrong on the directions and the other three were nowhere to be seen. I realised when I eventually found my way back to the correct bus stop that I had gone seriously out of my way and that the others had caught an earlier bus. When a bus finally came there was a message for me saying they were on board. By the time this later bus got back I was very disappointed to arrive at the restaurant and find it had closed! Luckily they were still serving lunches for another half an hour at Raffles restaurant so I was able to eat there and that is where Andrea found me, saying they had boarded the crowded bus thinking I had already got on it and did not realise I wasn’t until it had already pulled away.
We spent a good part of the afternoon out on deck playing Scrabble until tea time and afterwards we played more games in one of the lounges whilst being entertained by a pianist. Then after another excellent dinner in the restaurant we watched a comedy show in the Ambassador’s lounge on deck 8 at the back of the ship. Whilst being entertained we could feel the ship rolling and this made Andrea and Lil feel rather unwell so we all retired to our cabins by about 11 pm.
On Saturday we woke up in the harbour at Villefranche in the French Riviera from where we could visit either Monaco or Nice. The harbour looked very pretty as we enjoyed breakfast on board and then we caught the tender to get ashore. We had decided to visit Nice as it was closer and upon enquiring the cost of a taxi it was 30 euros for the 2.4 mile journey – expensive by English standards but welcome after the 240 euro charge from Livorno to Florence! I asked the taxi driver where he suggested we went and he took us to a Provencal market taking place just behind the promenade and sea front and we were delighted with his suggestion. There were countless stalls of Provencal produce including handicrafts and we had a lot of fun browsing the stalls, buying herbes de provence, lavender sachets, local honey, handicrafts, ceramics and toiletries all typical of Provence. Walking through the flower selling area we were overwhelmed with the beautiful scents of the flowers and were truly regretful that we were not allowed to take anything like that back to the ship. After leaving this market behind and exploring a couple of the streets beyond it we came across another market selling mainly handicrafts in a square next to a church where there were lots of jewellry stalls as well. My best purchase of the day was a beautiful amethyst and amazonite necklace to add to my growing collection of silver and semi precious stone jewellry which I started on my visits to Peru and have since added to during several visits to Tunisia and now France.
After leaving the market behind we walked to the seafront and rested a while on the promenade, enjoying the sea and the glorious weather. We had no idea how to get a taxi back and started walking along the promenade, keeping an eye out for a passing taxi and after 15 minutes were able to flag one down who took us back to Villefranche. When we got back there the others decided to stay on shore and have lunch there, not wanting to go on the tender more than the trip back to ship later. Having missed the brilliant restaurant lunch the day before I decided to go back and have lunch and we agreed to meet up again at 3 pm. Zipping back and forth on the tender was a real pleasure for me and I made it back in plenty of time to meet them at the agreed time and place. By this time they had had enough of walking so we waited and got on the mini train that wended its way along the harbour front and through the town and in this way saw a bit of Villefranche - see a little bit of its potted history below. We then caught the tender back to the ship and as we approached we had to wait while another tender got out of the way. Then something went wrong as we came alongside. Instead of sliding into position as we normally did, the tender kept bouncing off the life-raft and surging up and down and no matter what the guys did they could not stop this bouncing and surging so that one minute there was a two foot height difference between tender and platform and next instant a metre or more gap to step across. As I carry a foldable stool everywhere to enable Mum to climb anything but the shallowest of steps I was wondering how on earth I would ever be able to get her from tender to platform without mishap. Fortunately there were guys on both platform and tender to help her and it was such a relief when the levels met that they were able to help her step across. Split timing was of the essence. And of course all the bouncing and surging meant the platform was in continual movement too but luckily a man descended from the ship and helped her climb the steps. Poor Mum was really shook up by the experience and no one could blame her. Others waiting to get off seeing her ordeal must have felt quite apprehensive too. This disastrous misadventure was soon the talk of the ship .... Fortunately a couple of cups of tea and some delicious cakes later Mum had calmed down considerably.
That evening after another delicious dinner we watched a Magic Show from Moscow which was really amazing, all sleight of hand stuff that was so incredibly well done that it had everyone really entertained and spellbound. The ship was rolling from side to side as the show progressed so that by the time we all left it was really difficult to walk properly, so we decided to retire for the night and not go looking for further entainment.
Villefranche - a Potted History
Villefranche is the port city to Nice and Monaco and is a village hidden among wooded slopes above the crystalline waters of the Cote d’Azur and one of the most picturesque fishing ports. Brightly coloured buildings rise beside the narrow streets and stairways from the harbour. At the harbour you can see the fishing boats and yachts that are moored alongside boutiques and cafes that look out to sea. Medieval chapels along with the impressive hilltop fortress are a part of Villefranche history. Over 7000 people call Villefranche home. The moderate climate, sandy beaches and ambiance of its Old Town make it a popular tourist stop. Currently real estate prices are so high that property there is only affordable by the very wealthy. Villefranche is indeed the start of the South of France, part of the Cote d’Azur with a romantic, historic feel. This village is very walkable and compact. Summers here are hot and humid with winters that bring rain and an occasional chill. On the coast, sea breezes keep temperatures cool enough to need a light jacket on summer evenings.
On Sunday we woke up in Cannes. We went ashore knowing that being Sunday all the shops would be closed which was something of a disappointment. We had to travel by tender again but as it was the last time Mum was able to bear the thought, knowing yesterday’s disastrous return was just a one off unfortunate event. Once ashore we were able to walk from the port, along past the harbour which was a forest of masts, admiring the beautiful boats and yachts moored there. We came across a bus waiting at a stop and got on it, asking the driver if it would show us part of the town and he said yes. It turned out that by staying on the bus we would come back to where we had started out from so this proved interesting and enabled us to see a bit more than was possible just walking. When we got back we doubled back to a market we had seen and spent some time there but without buying anything as prices were much higher than at Nice. Then at a nearby Exposition we decided to have one of the fruit smoothies on offer which could be made to order from a variety of fresh fruits. We chose them made with raspberry, kiwi, pear, passionfruit and peach, and it was while enjoying these that I felt unwell for the first time, perhaps from the highly concentrated combination. Fortunately the feeling passed after a short while and we were able to walk back to catch the tender back to the ship, this time without any problems.
We got back to the ship in time for lunch, and spent the afternoon up on deck and had afternoon tea as usual. After dinner in the evening there was a magnificent Phillipino Folkloric show which for everyone was the highlight of the week. This hour long show was dancing and singing performed by the guys and girls working on board and was truly amazing with colourful costumes and brilliant dexterity in the complicated dances and rituals. While this was going on the sea was getting rough again. We’d managed to get front row seats for this show and as everyone left afterwards they were reeling and rolling past us which was a source of amusement to everyone concerned. We all made our way back to our cabins but en route Mum and I still managed to pay a visit to the shop on the way and buy some of the bargain price watches that were on offer for just that day.
Cannes - a potted history
Cannes is a city which ranks second in France for conventions after Paris. Located just a
few kilometers from the Nice Cote d’Azur international airport, Cannes is also accessible from the airport of Cannes Mandelieu, the second busiest in France for private aircraft. Thus, the Festival Hall, the bridgehead of the tourist economy in Cannes, hosts nearly 150 events each year – conventions, festivals and international markets. And for holiday tourism, Cannes, the world’s most famous city due to its International Film Festival, has never lost its power of attraction on its French and foreign clientele. Such intense tourist activity benefits fully to the hyper developed hotel and restaurant business and luxury boutiques, offering the most prestigious luxury showcase in France, between the sea and sun. Cannes is also home base to large private yachts in the Mediterranean, so the city has long been positioned as a major nautical activity centre. Tourists jostle with conference goers, outnumbering business travellers only in the summer months. Their interests lie in the long, curvaceous, sandy beaches of La Croisette, its expanding Old Port, its palatial hotels, the designer shops lining the famous promenade and the luminosity and gastronomy of the Cote d’Azur itself.
Monday we woke up in Toulon. Again after an excellent breakfast we went ashore, this time walking down the gangway much to the delight of my three travel companions. There were ample shore excursions going to St Tropez but Toulon being a major port and city in its own right, we were quite happy to explore on our own. We were able to catch a mini train which took us on a tour of the promenades, parks and gardens and then dropped us in a central position on the marina front, from where we could also catch the train back at 30 minute intervals. As with Cannes, we soon discovered that Mondays are closing day in the shops. We were so disappointed to see all those interesting shops and none of them open! Also every day except Monday there is a huge Provencal market which we were also sorry to have missed. For this reason our visit to Toulon was something of a disappointment and when we heard later that those who went on the expensive shore excursion to St Tropez found the shops closed there as well, we were jolly glad we hadn’t gone on it. After a while we did find a shopping centre open and although not as interesting as the little shops we did buy a few things. Again I managed to lose the others when we failed to meet up again at the agreed time after I whizzed off to look for more presents leaving the others resting in a cafe. After waiting 15 minutes beyond the agreed time I made my way back to the harbour and got on the next train back to the ship .... only to find that this time I had got back before them. I waited for them up on the sunny deck and two trains later I could see them getting off and I went down to meet them and get Mum’s card swiped to prove she was back on board. This and the fact that we had to disinfect our hands every time we boarded ship, after checking our things in the X-ray machine and whenever we entered any of the restaurants were good practice, to evade passing on any illnesses or be left behind when the ship sailed!!! Toulon is France’s major naval centre on its Mediterranean coast and the French Mediterranean Fleet is based there; it is also the most beautiful European natural harbour. It is where Provence and the French Riviera meet and is a sunny city, the capital of Provence and has 2000 years of history.
After tea the ship set sail on its longest leg of the journey yet with 308 miles to cover until arrival in Palma, Majorca next day. This meant sailing 3 hours earlier and we would not dock in Palma until late morning on Tuesday. It also meant we were sailing faster than usual and it wasn’t long before the ship was rolling and poor Andrea and Lil were looking distinctly queasy. It ended up with them retiring to their cabins and not venturing out again until the following day. Ship personnel left sick bags everywhere for any passengers feeling unwell. We all missed the Captain’s farewell party at 7.30 because of this. Even Mum and I felt the affects but were able to go down to dinner at 8.30 as with ample lifts and my help Mum managed to make it to the restaurant okay, where we found that two-thirds of the passengers were absent. Mum and I managed dinner okay but when I looked out of the window and saw the towering waves and pointed them out to Mum, she promptly lost her appetite and couldn’t eat any more! We managed to make it back to our cabin without mishap afterwards and retired to bed early, as lying down the feeling was quite pleasant. I was soon asleep and by the time I woke up next morning the conditions had eased. Andrea and Lil joined us for breakfast and then we played scrabble on deck until the ship docked in Palma late morning. We sailed into the harbour to Spanish classical guitar music which was very pleasant. We then had an early lunch and went ashore afterwards. Buses were laid on for those not booked on shore excursions and we were soon dropped near the cathedral, on the promenade from where we could catch the bus back whenever we were ready. We really enjoyed our time in Palma. The shops were open and prices were very reasonable. In no time I had bought comfortable leather shoes and a very unusual design sweater and later some souvenirs and more gifts. We lingered in a pavement cafe enjoying San Miguel beers and got back to the bus and then the ship in time for afternoon tea. We felt quite sad that it was our last night. We handed out our gratuities to waiter, busboy, Mario our cabin boy and the restaurant manager, and after dinner went to Charlston Lounge and listened to the band until they had finished for the night. Mario was brilliant - he transformed towels into rabbits, an elephant and a monkey and always turned down our bed each night and left a chocolate on the pillow. Also on that last night we paid one last visit to the shop and I bought a Marco Polo T-shirt and baseball cap and Mum bought two sweaters and a blouse. Andy and Lil bought perfume, cosmetics and souvenirs.
The following morning we arrived in Barcelona after covering a total of 919 miles throughout that week. We got up early to settle our accounts with the purser, had time for a leisurely breakfast and a couple of games of scrabble in one of the lounges and then made our departure from the ship at 10 o’clock. It wasn’t until the night before that we learned we did not have a transfer from dock to airport but this wasn’t a problem. At the dock we were able to get a large taxi which was able to transport all four of us to the airport with our luggage. The downside was feeling unable to do any visiting in Barcelona, lumbered as we were with so many things. By the time we reached the airport we had about six hours to kill. After two hours we were able to check in early and spent the rest of the time going round the airport shops and had a late lunch until our plane finally departed at 5.30 pm. We had a smooth flight home and Colin met us at Heathrow and we were home in Bath by about 8.30. The worst shock of being home was the difference in temperatures as we had a hard frost that night. After the sunshine and blue skies in the Mediterranean this took some getting used to. We later learned that temperatures at home had been good too until the night of our arrival home when they suddenly plummetted.
Mum and I were very sad to be leaving the ship, Our week on board was just a part of what was a long voyage which was continuing across the Atlantic and then down to South America and finally it would continue to the Antarctic - a further 81 days in total. Many of the people befriended on board were continuing to the Antarctic and one lady who we didn’t meet has lived on the ship for the past 20 years and been all over the world several times. All those who had regularly cruised on the Marco Polo were very sad that Orient Lines had sold it and the new owners would take possession of it in spring of next year. Many were going on a last cruise in March lasting several weeks. Mum and I may have been tempted to go on that last cruise had it not been for the fact that Mum will be having a second operation sometime next year and I have to save like mad for my next overseas jaunt. Andrea and Lil enjoyed the cruise while the weather and sea conditions were good. Unfortunately when the boat was rolling in high seas they suffered terribly with sea sickness, even constantly taking tablets, so I don’t think they would be tempted to go on another cruise in the future. Although Mum and I cannot go on Marco Polo’s last cruise before it goes to new owners, we are planning a three week Caribbean cruise which sails from Southampton, probably in the autumn of 2009.
I now look forward to my next adventure which is Ecuador and the Galapagos followed by Peru in Summer 2008. A friend from work is joining me for the three weeks in Ecuador, after which I will continue to Trujillo, Ilo and Cusco in Peru. I will definitely be travelling light for that trip. Being in the beautiful city of Barcelona and unable to go visiting due to luggage encumberment made me realise how important it will be to travel light on my next South American adventure. especially as I will be constantly on the move all those weeks.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Dante on panpipes
Dante playing with Antara on Saturdy 27 October at El Aguajal restaurant in Islington, London.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Jalal's smoothies
The waiters and staff at Marhaba Beach Hotel are really friendly and nice. Mum and I really enjoyed Jalal's happy smile whenever he appeared on the beach with his strawberry and lemon smoothies.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
kantouai harbour
Port Al Kantouai is really beautiful, a blend of moorish architecture in the buildings and a harbour full of beautiful yachts.
Tunisia 0708
This was taken on one of the theme evenings when we had dinner outside by the pool rather than in the restaurant.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Tunisia in August 2007
Mum and I were recently in Tunisia again and had a very enjoyable two weeks in the same hotel as our last visit, the Marhaba Beach in Sousse. We had a pleasant flight from Bristol as usual and arrived at Monastir quite late, getting on for midnight. We were amazed that the temperature even that time of night was 35 degrees. Sometime later when the coach transferring us all to various hotels was filled we were on our way and just 30 minutes later we arrived at our hotel around 1 in the morning.
Next day after a good night’s sleep we woke fairly early and were thrilled with the view from our balcony which was even better than last time, looking down on the beach and sea and even at that time there were lots of people swimming in the sea, others jogging along the beach at the water’s edge. Downstairs we were greeted left and right by hotel personnel who recognised us from our last visit and we were especially delighted on arrival in the restaurant to find that Mohamed had remembered and allocated us the same table as last time, under his excellent care. It was the only table near the buffet next to a pillar, which meant we did not have to share it with strangers. We were also delighted to realise that Yori and Karim were on a table real close to us so that we could chat whilst dining. Yori hails from Germany and regularly stays at Marhaba Beach Hotel with her Tunisian boyfriend Karim.
After breakfast we made our way to the beach and were fortunate to be given sunbeds under a parasol close to the sea. We needed to stay under that parasol too because as the morning wore on it got hotter and hotter and it would have been madness to sunbathe directly beneath the sun’s rays. The sea looked inviting, a beautiful aquamarine colour, with lots of people bathing, so we soon made our way in too, which was the best way to cool off even though it was like walking into a warm bath.
The hotel was a lot busier than at Easter but we soon realised that tipping the life guard would ensure the position of our choice on the beach as long as we got down there after breakfast. If arriving later in the day we would have to take pot luck but fortunately there was always a parasol available for us. Mornings were quite busy on the beach with loud music playing and either tai-chi, the club dance or aqua aerobics taking place. Fortunately the sea was marked off with buoys because in addition to loads of people swimming, there were jet skis, speed boats going past towing inflatable sofas loaded with people bouncing on the waves, other boats towing the parascenders into the sky, constant streams of pedlars going by selling all kinds of things from mini palm trees, rugs, large shells, jewelry, cigarettes, clothing, fruit etc. The guy selling the water sports trips was a berber with an excellent sense of humour and he came over for a chat nearly every day and made us laugh. If he was around whenever Mum and I went into the sea, he would insert her walking stick upright into the sand so that she could easily grab it when we came out again. We also befriended a young boy selling shells and Mum promised to buy one before the end of the holiday.
That first week we found the intense heat a bit difficult to endure. Only the cool breezes off the sea made the heat bearable. It reached a peak of around 45 degrees about 8 days into our visit and that day we just could not cool down other than frequent dips into the sea. The air conditioning in our bedroom at night wasn’t strong enough to cool us down so we slept with the sliding door to the balcony open all night too as we could still feel the sea breezes even there. Yori and I would stroll outside to a special sandwich shop some lunch-times but this proved so gruelling after 3 days that I had to decline accompanying her, even though it was an excellent opportunity to stock up on large bottles of coca cola and lemonade. Our thirst was unquenchable in that heat.
After an excellent day on the beach there was different entertainment on each night to enjoy after dinner. All this took place outside under palm trees near the pool and although Mum and I were worried about mosquitos at first, we soon realised there weren’t any and that we could go outside at night without fear of being bitten. I suppose this was because of the hot dry weather which was more humid and damp when we were there last Easter. Our first evening it was my favourite, the folkloric Tunisian show, with live band and dancers, culminating in belly dancing. On the second night, instead of dining in the restaurant, all the tables and chairs were set up around the poolside and even the refrigerated buffet tables dragged outside by the waiters, a mammoth task poor chaps! It was lovely to dine in the open air though and there was a barbeque going as well.
One morning we went for a walk after breakfast, to see what else was on offer within the complex, our hotel being one of four, with the facilities of all the hotels open to everyone. We didn’t get further than visiting the closest one though because even that early the heat was too much for Mum, and then when walking down one of the paths, I looked back and saw a runaway pony and cart heading towards us - told Mum to move onto the grass but being hard of hearing she didn’t catch what I said. Fortunately the guy in charge of the pony was running behind and he managed to grab Mum around the waist and lower her gently to the ground, the horse having only lightly touched her as it ran by. She grazed one finger but was otherwise okay, much to my relief.
I was keen to visit the medina, so arranged to go one day with Mum, who just wanted to look in the Soula Centre shop, and another day with Yori. To save Mum having to walk too far, I walked up to the gate alone and came back with a taxi, and got the driver to drop us as close to the Soula Centre as possible. Once in the Soula Centre we both made a beeline to the jewelry counters, especially the silver and turquoise or silver and mother o pearl counters as we both adore the rings and jewelry made from these semi precious stones. During the course of the holiday I bought seven rings, a turquoise pendant with matching earrings, and a silver and mother o pearl Fatima hand pendant (which are considered lucky). I also bought 7 or 8 Tunisian tunics. Mum bought necklaces in silver and rose quartz, and rings and pendants in different designs to mine. The Soula Centre is on four floors with lifts between floors so we spent a happy couple of hours browsing. Then back outside we popped to the shop where we bought our rose pink leather jackets and had a chat with the chaps in the shop, and then enjoyed cold drinks at a cafe before getting a taxi back.
The following day with Yori it was fun to venture into several other streets of the medina and see shops I had never seen before. That day I found 3 or 4 of the tunics, more traditional ones that you don’t find in the more touristy shops at the beginning of the medina. Later Yori showed me an excellent local restaurant where one could eat Tunisian specialities for excellent prices. Even the menu was in Arabic and it was full of Tunisians. I didn’t have time to dine there as I had to rush back to be with Mum, but Yori was intending to return there for lunch after I had got into my taxi back to the hotel. We enjoyed cold drinks there and the prices were much lower than the touristy cafes at the medina entrance. The name of this restaurant was La Sofla which means ‘The Table’ in English.
During our second week, I went to the medina once more with Mum and again with Yori. As well as visiting the Soula Centre again we wanted to find the jewelry shop we went into last time where we had our fortunes told. Eventually after asking around we found it and they were delighted that we had come back to visit them and were both lucky to have our hands read. We each bought another silver ring in that shop and after our readings a mini pendant made of a mixture of silver and gold, in my case a berber cross and in Mum’s case a golden eye. On that visit with Mum we made our way into the medina looking for La Sofla, but unfortunately I got lost and it was very hot and by the time we found it poor Mum was quite exhausted. Also we were too early to have lunch there as meals wouldn’t be served until another 45 minutes had passed, so we had two cold drinks each instead and luckily I managed to find our way out of the medina afterwards without mishap. Also during that week Mum and I went to Port Al Kantouai, leaving straight after breakfast. Despite that we unfortunately picked another hot day, and at Kantouai there is quite a walk through a little park area with shops before arriving in the medina which was rather exhausting for Mum, so we stopped at a cafe on the marina quayside and enjoyed pints of fresh peach juice. I then left Mum to enjoy hers slowly whilst I looked for a jewelry shop I remembered from last time where the designs are even more elaborate. I found it eventually and soon chose a nice ring and had to wait while it was made slightly bigger, and ended up trying on and buying yet another tunic whilst waiting! After that we headed straight back and onto the beach which was the only place to cool down in such hot weather. Away from the sea there was no breeze at all.
Most evenings we would be with Yori and Karim and also that week we all befriended two Hungarians, Mother and daughter, Kristina and Katya, who were sharing a table in the dining room with Yori and Karim. Four nights a week we would enjoy listening to the resident pianist playing in the bar and reception area before going outside to watch the evening entertainment. He remembered us from last time, remembered I love the Arabic song ‘Aisha’ and often played it for us. One evening Yori and I got up to dance to it and this prompted several Tunisians staying in the hotel to get up and dance too. Early in the holiday before I realised what I was letting myself in for, Yori got me up at the end of the evening entertainment to partake in the ‘club dance’. This was fun but very tiring - dancing enthusiastically to 5 fast arab songs, and following the dance movements of the entertainment team. I managed to do it that once but declined thereafter as it was shattering!!! However, I can remember the movements of the first song, my favourite, and luckily have it on the CD I bought last time. I have made a CD with just that song on it, repeated over and over, and am going to make dancing to it a daily 5 minute exercise from now on. As I get fitter, I will dance through the song more than once. It should be a fun way to get some daily exercise!!!
On one of the last days of the holiday we walked up to the Tour Khalaf hotel to watch the evening entertainment, just a short stroll and under an arch to enter the grounds, and then an uphill walk through beautifully tended gardens to the hotel. Again I was overwhelmed by the cacophony of bird song in the trees growing up in the archway - millions of sparrows, far too many for the amount of branch space, so they are continually on the move, jostling for a perch. It really is amazing to see and hear them. When we came back later, Yori realised that a Tunisian wedding celebration was taking place in the circular conference room nearby. She asked if I would like to see it and I said yes. Mum declined because there was a huge flight of steps leading up to the entrance so I took her back to the room first and settled her for the night and then rejoined Yori in Reception. We entered the conference room and were the only Europeans there - inside was a huge room with hundreds of guests, Tunisians wearing all their finery, some traditional costumes, some wearing the most beautiful evening gowns I have ever seen. Even the men looked sensational. The bride and groom were on the stage and a folk band playing energetically as we entered, some of the guests dancing and then the bride and groom joined in. After that an orchestra took over the music for dancing. We stood to one side watching, but someone invited us to sit down at one of the tables and thereafter whenever food and drink was brought round we were included and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing this traditional wedding celebration. Yori said that was probably the culmination of several days celebrating, as weddings take several days. I felt quite honoured to have been able to see something like this.
Soon our two weeks were coming to an end and we were so sorry because despite the weather we had had a really wonderful relaxing holiday. Yori and Karim’s holiday ended a day before ours and on their last afternoon they went up in one of the parachutes and I accompanied them so that I could take pictures of them as they took off from the beach. It looked an amazing experience and although the berber guy did his best to persuade me to go up with him I declined even though the prices mentioned were amazingly low. Maybe next time I will try it. On our last day the Hungarians departed too, and with all of them gone Mum and I agreed that it just wasn’t the same without them, we had so enjoyed being with them. Before Yori went I invited her to come on a visit to England and she said I must visit her in Germany too, so hopefully later in the year or next year that will happen. She lives near Neuremburg near forests and mountains (it is possible to go skiing near there in winter time) so maybe I will go there in winter 2008. Hopefully before that Yori will visit me. On our last day Mum stayed on the beach until noon, and we then went and had lunch in the poolside restaurant. She then went back to our room which we had retained until 6 pm, to put her feet up and rest in readiness for the journey home. I stayed on the beach until nearly 5 pm, with just enough time to shower and change before giving up our room keys. We had our last dinner there and Mohamed was sorry to be seeing us go. We were able to listen to the pianist one last time and then at 8.45 pm we were on our way to the airport, where we had quite a long wait as our plane was delayed an hour. We finally touched down in Bristol at 3 o clock in the morning and by the time we took Mum home and got home ourselves it was 4.30 by the time I got to bed!
It will probably be a while before I visit Tunisia again because I have other holidays booked in the months ahead – a Mediterranean cruise in November and an Indian Ocean cruise in March. Of the four different times of year I have visited Tunisia over the past 14 months, the best weather of all was during our first visit, so a future visit to Marhaba Beach Hotel could possibly be in June 2008, unless a cheap deal comes up on the internet in December again like last year. Ideally we would choose to go there for the first two weeks of June when the weather is at its absolute best, long sunny days without being too hot.
Next day after a good night’s sleep we woke fairly early and were thrilled with the view from our balcony which was even better than last time, looking down on the beach and sea and even at that time there were lots of people swimming in the sea, others jogging along the beach at the water’s edge. Downstairs we were greeted left and right by hotel personnel who recognised us from our last visit and we were especially delighted on arrival in the restaurant to find that Mohamed had remembered and allocated us the same table as last time, under his excellent care. It was the only table near the buffet next to a pillar, which meant we did not have to share it with strangers. We were also delighted to realise that Yori and Karim were on a table real close to us so that we could chat whilst dining. Yori hails from Germany and regularly stays at Marhaba Beach Hotel with her Tunisian boyfriend Karim.
After breakfast we made our way to the beach and were fortunate to be given sunbeds under a parasol close to the sea. We needed to stay under that parasol too because as the morning wore on it got hotter and hotter and it would have been madness to sunbathe directly beneath the sun’s rays. The sea looked inviting, a beautiful aquamarine colour, with lots of people bathing, so we soon made our way in too, which was the best way to cool off even though it was like walking into a warm bath.
The hotel was a lot busier than at Easter but we soon realised that tipping the life guard would ensure the position of our choice on the beach as long as we got down there after breakfast. If arriving later in the day we would have to take pot luck but fortunately there was always a parasol available for us. Mornings were quite busy on the beach with loud music playing and either tai-chi, the club dance or aqua aerobics taking place. Fortunately the sea was marked off with buoys because in addition to loads of people swimming, there were jet skis, speed boats going past towing inflatable sofas loaded with people bouncing on the waves, other boats towing the parascenders into the sky, constant streams of pedlars going by selling all kinds of things from mini palm trees, rugs, large shells, jewelry, cigarettes, clothing, fruit etc. The guy selling the water sports trips was a berber with an excellent sense of humour and he came over for a chat nearly every day and made us laugh. If he was around whenever Mum and I went into the sea, he would insert her walking stick upright into the sand so that she could easily grab it when we came out again. We also befriended a young boy selling shells and Mum promised to buy one before the end of the holiday.
That first week we found the intense heat a bit difficult to endure. Only the cool breezes off the sea made the heat bearable. It reached a peak of around 45 degrees about 8 days into our visit and that day we just could not cool down other than frequent dips into the sea. The air conditioning in our bedroom at night wasn’t strong enough to cool us down so we slept with the sliding door to the balcony open all night too as we could still feel the sea breezes even there. Yori and I would stroll outside to a special sandwich shop some lunch-times but this proved so gruelling after 3 days that I had to decline accompanying her, even though it was an excellent opportunity to stock up on large bottles of coca cola and lemonade. Our thirst was unquenchable in that heat.
After an excellent day on the beach there was different entertainment on each night to enjoy after dinner. All this took place outside under palm trees near the pool and although Mum and I were worried about mosquitos at first, we soon realised there weren’t any and that we could go outside at night without fear of being bitten. I suppose this was because of the hot dry weather which was more humid and damp when we were there last Easter. Our first evening it was my favourite, the folkloric Tunisian show, with live band and dancers, culminating in belly dancing. On the second night, instead of dining in the restaurant, all the tables and chairs were set up around the poolside and even the refrigerated buffet tables dragged outside by the waiters, a mammoth task poor chaps! It was lovely to dine in the open air though and there was a barbeque going as well.
One morning we went for a walk after breakfast, to see what else was on offer within the complex, our hotel being one of four, with the facilities of all the hotels open to everyone. We didn’t get further than visiting the closest one though because even that early the heat was too much for Mum, and then when walking down one of the paths, I looked back and saw a runaway pony and cart heading towards us - told Mum to move onto the grass but being hard of hearing she didn’t catch what I said. Fortunately the guy in charge of the pony was running behind and he managed to grab Mum around the waist and lower her gently to the ground, the horse having only lightly touched her as it ran by. She grazed one finger but was otherwise okay, much to my relief.
I was keen to visit the medina, so arranged to go one day with Mum, who just wanted to look in the Soula Centre shop, and another day with Yori. To save Mum having to walk too far, I walked up to the gate alone and came back with a taxi, and got the driver to drop us as close to the Soula Centre as possible. Once in the Soula Centre we both made a beeline to the jewelry counters, especially the silver and turquoise or silver and mother o pearl counters as we both adore the rings and jewelry made from these semi precious stones. During the course of the holiday I bought seven rings, a turquoise pendant with matching earrings, and a silver and mother o pearl Fatima hand pendant (which are considered lucky). I also bought 7 or 8 Tunisian tunics. Mum bought necklaces in silver and rose quartz, and rings and pendants in different designs to mine. The Soula Centre is on four floors with lifts between floors so we spent a happy couple of hours browsing. Then back outside we popped to the shop where we bought our rose pink leather jackets and had a chat with the chaps in the shop, and then enjoyed cold drinks at a cafe before getting a taxi back.
The following day with Yori it was fun to venture into several other streets of the medina and see shops I had never seen before. That day I found 3 or 4 of the tunics, more traditional ones that you don’t find in the more touristy shops at the beginning of the medina. Later Yori showed me an excellent local restaurant where one could eat Tunisian specialities for excellent prices. Even the menu was in Arabic and it was full of Tunisians. I didn’t have time to dine there as I had to rush back to be with Mum, but Yori was intending to return there for lunch after I had got into my taxi back to the hotel. We enjoyed cold drinks there and the prices were much lower than the touristy cafes at the medina entrance. The name of this restaurant was La Sofla which means ‘The Table’ in English.
During our second week, I went to the medina once more with Mum and again with Yori. As well as visiting the Soula Centre again we wanted to find the jewelry shop we went into last time where we had our fortunes told. Eventually after asking around we found it and they were delighted that we had come back to visit them and were both lucky to have our hands read. We each bought another silver ring in that shop and after our readings a mini pendant made of a mixture of silver and gold, in my case a berber cross and in Mum’s case a golden eye. On that visit with Mum we made our way into the medina looking for La Sofla, but unfortunately I got lost and it was very hot and by the time we found it poor Mum was quite exhausted. Also we were too early to have lunch there as meals wouldn’t be served until another 45 minutes had passed, so we had two cold drinks each instead and luckily I managed to find our way out of the medina afterwards without mishap. Also during that week Mum and I went to Port Al Kantouai, leaving straight after breakfast. Despite that we unfortunately picked another hot day, and at Kantouai there is quite a walk through a little park area with shops before arriving in the medina which was rather exhausting for Mum, so we stopped at a cafe on the marina quayside and enjoyed pints of fresh peach juice. I then left Mum to enjoy hers slowly whilst I looked for a jewelry shop I remembered from last time where the designs are even more elaborate. I found it eventually and soon chose a nice ring and had to wait while it was made slightly bigger, and ended up trying on and buying yet another tunic whilst waiting! After that we headed straight back and onto the beach which was the only place to cool down in such hot weather. Away from the sea there was no breeze at all.
Most evenings we would be with Yori and Karim and also that week we all befriended two Hungarians, Mother and daughter, Kristina and Katya, who were sharing a table in the dining room with Yori and Karim. Four nights a week we would enjoy listening to the resident pianist playing in the bar and reception area before going outside to watch the evening entertainment. He remembered us from last time, remembered I love the Arabic song ‘Aisha’ and often played it for us. One evening Yori and I got up to dance to it and this prompted several Tunisians staying in the hotel to get up and dance too. Early in the holiday before I realised what I was letting myself in for, Yori got me up at the end of the evening entertainment to partake in the ‘club dance’. This was fun but very tiring - dancing enthusiastically to 5 fast arab songs, and following the dance movements of the entertainment team. I managed to do it that once but declined thereafter as it was shattering!!! However, I can remember the movements of the first song, my favourite, and luckily have it on the CD I bought last time. I have made a CD with just that song on it, repeated over and over, and am going to make dancing to it a daily 5 minute exercise from now on. As I get fitter, I will dance through the song more than once. It should be a fun way to get some daily exercise!!!
On one of the last days of the holiday we walked up to the Tour Khalaf hotel to watch the evening entertainment, just a short stroll and under an arch to enter the grounds, and then an uphill walk through beautifully tended gardens to the hotel. Again I was overwhelmed by the cacophony of bird song in the trees growing up in the archway - millions of sparrows, far too many for the amount of branch space, so they are continually on the move, jostling for a perch. It really is amazing to see and hear them. When we came back later, Yori realised that a Tunisian wedding celebration was taking place in the circular conference room nearby. She asked if I would like to see it and I said yes. Mum declined because there was a huge flight of steps leading up to the entrance so I took her back to the room first and settled her for the night and then rejoined Yori in Reception. We entered the conference room and were the only Europeans there - inside was a huge room with hundreds of guests, Tunisians wearing all their finery, some traditional costumes, some wearing the most beautiful evening gowns I have ever seen. Even the men looked sensational. The bride and groom were on the stage and a folk band playing energetically as we entered, some of the guests dancing and then the bride and groom joined in. After that an orchestra took over the music for dancing. We stood to one side watching, but someone invited us to sit down at one of the tables and thereafter whenever food and drink was brought round we were included and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing this traditional wedding celebration. Yori said that was probably the culmination of several days celebrating, as weddings take several days. I felt quite honoured to have been able to see something like this.
Soon our two weeks were coming to an end and we were so sorry because despite the weather we had had a really wonderful relaxing holiday. Yori and Karim’s holiday ended a day before ours and on their last afternoon they went up in one of the parachutes and I accompanied them so that I could take pictures of them as they took off from the beach. It looked an amazing experience and although the berber guy did his best to persuade me to go up with him I declined even though the prices mentioned were amazingly low. Maybe next time I will try it. On our last day the Hungarians departed too, and with all of them gone Mum and I agreed that it just wasn’t the same without them, we had so enjoyed being with them. Before Yori went I invited her to come on a visit to England and she said I must visit her in Germany too, so hopefully later in the year or next year that will happen. She lives near Neuremburg near forests and mountains (it is possible to go skiing near there in winter time) so maybe I will go there in winter 2008. Hopefully before that Yori will visit me. On our last day Mum stayed on the beach until noon, and we then went and had lunch in the poolside restaurant. She then went back to our room which we had retained until 6 pm, to put her feet up and rest in readiness for the journey home. I stayed on the beach until nearly 5 pm, with just enough time to shower and change before giving up our room keys. We had our last dinner there and Mohamed was sorry to be seeing us go. We were able to listen to the pianist one last time and then at 8.45 pm we were on our way to the airport, where we had quite a long wait as our plane was delayed an hour. We finally touched down in Bristol at 3 o clock in the morning and by the time we took Mum home and got home ourselves it was 4.30 by the time I got to bed!
It will probably be a while before I visit Tunisia again because I have other holidays booked in the months ahead – a Mediterranean cruise in November and an Indian Ocean cruise in March. Of the four different times of year I have visited Tunisia over the past 14 months, the best weather of all was during our first visit, so a future visit to Marhaba Beach Hotel could possibly be in June 2008, unless a cheap deal comes up on the internet in December again like last year. Ideally we would choose to go there for the first two weeks of June when the weather is at its absolute best, long sunny days without being too hot.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Jambo Kenya 2007
I’ve just got back from another great holiday - this time to Kenya in East Africa - and really enjoyed this first visit to such an interesting country. The journey from Bath to London was a nightmare though - it started nicely with a train journey to Paddington Station in London but when we got there we found the Circle Line was closed due to rail track works and part of the District Line was closed as well. This meant changing trains three times altogether, hefting our heavy suitcases up and down flights of stairs and escalators so that by the time we reached Victoria we were worn out. We had upgraded our flights at the last minute and increased our baggage allowance from 20 kg to 30 kg and were sure regretting the extra weight! Even then our journey hadn’t ended as we had to get a train to Gatwick Airport. Despite all these delays and setbacks we arrived exactly 4 hours before departure when the check-in desks first opened which meant we were able to hand over our cases without waiting in a long queue and were so thankful we had booked places in the airport lounge where we were able to unwind for a couple of hours. It was only the thought of arriving in that lounge that kept us going on the difficult transfer from Paddington to Gatwick. The airport lounge had snacks and drinks – soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and coffee/tea etc - and had we realised on arrival, we could even have had a shower there with free towels and shower gel provided! All well worth the £20 cost each for the use of it.
Then we were boarding the plane, a huge airbus. June had an aisle seat with me next to her in the middle and the flight wasn't too bad. We were served an excellent meal and in the morning a continental breakfast. We managed to sleep a few hours in the night and we arrived in Mombasa at 6 am. There we had to queue to get our visas and then had to leave our luggage in a designated place and board the bus to be taken to our hotel, the Paradise Shanzu Beach Hotel, with our luggage to follow on separately. I slept most of the way on the bus, about an hour from the airport, and only woke up as we pulled up outside the hotel where we were welcomed with singers and drums and a fruity cocktail each. Soon we were ushered to our room which was comfortable and clean and decked out with flowers everywhere. The rooms were quite basic but with excellent bathrooms and air conditioning. Luckily we had toiletries in our flight bags which enabled us to have a quick shower to freshen up and felt great after that, apart from poor June slipping in the shower which resulted in an enormous bruise appearing later on. Our luggage arrived and we then zoomed straight down to the beach, 5 minutes walk from our room. On the way I was charmed to see monkeys swinging freely in the trees and after a while we realised they were quite tame and could pass them on the paths even when they had their babies with them. On the beach we headed straight down to the sea and were immediately accosted by lots of beach sellers trying to sell us goods at highly inflated prices! We’d wondered what the rope was sectioning off the beacha few metres from the ocean, and realision soon dawned that it was to prevent these sellers encroaching on the whole beach. We retreated to sunbeds just the other side of the rope and chatted to them instead; the hard sell only commenced when people crossed that line. The beach was fantastic, covered in tall coconut palm trees, lots of them, so that people could position their sunbeds beneath them and avoid the direct rays of the sun. I bought a wooden carved giraffe and got measured up for a sarong type of garment which I collected next day which I managed to get for £16 but most of the time those sellers were asking astronomical prices. For example one seller wanted me to give him a tea shirt in exchange for a couple of wooden ornaments and expected me to pay him £40 as well!!!!
Having learned that during the previous two weeks it had rained solid at the tail end of the monsoon, we were lucky to realise that the weather was dry and sunny and this would last through practically the duration of our holiday. Even when we had the odd shower it only lasted 10 minutes and then the sun came out again. Although a tropical and humid climate this was offset in our resort by the sea breeze which rendered our enjoyment of the sunshine more comfortable. The warm balminess of the weather, even early morning and at night, was a joy and we made the most of it.
The food was excellent - we had two dining rooms to choose from, one being completely open air with a circular Makuti style thatched roof by the upper swimming pool known as Shanzu restaurant but we preferred the one down by the beach where the waiters were really friendly and the food was better protected from flies with overhead fans etc. This one was closed in but with open areas. The head waiter, James, ran a really tight ship in Paradise restaurant and was so friendly and nice, as were many of the other waiters. Even so, once or twice the odd monkey got in and tried to jump up on the buffet tables and had to be chased away by one of the waiters! We spent the first few days on the beach relaxing after that long journey and it was sheer heaven, relaxing under those coconut palms on sun beds with the sound of the waves rolling on the shore. Sometimes we ordered cocktails on the terrace in front of the beach, trying out a different ones each day - whisky sour, planters punch, out of Africa, Mai Tai and others. On our second day we relaxed by the pool in the morning but it was too hot there - June went in to swim, the depth being an even 2 metres all over and one could walk in from wide steps on one side and there is a pool bar in the middle where it gets shallower, with underwater benches so that one could sit at the bar and have a drink whilst swimming. I preferred it down on the beach though where we could get the full strength of the breeze off the sea. Also when lounging by the pool you had to watch out for the monkeys who would try to grab items of clothing - if they succeeded they then proceeded to destroy them!
On Sunday morning I woke up with a bad back and could not straighten up. I was so glad that had not happened on the long journey otherwise I could not have coped! I walked around bent over for part of the day until June produced a magic pen which when applied to my back healed it up like magic. Hour by hour I could straighten up a bit more so that by evening I was fully upright again. I could hardly believe that anything could work so quickly.
When we got back to our room on Monday a maid arrived with a huge basket of fruit and wished June a happy birthday. She was quite overcome with delight and amazed that they knew about it. Then when we went down to dinner we found that they had braided an arch of flowers and greenery on her chair and I took photos with her and James. Then later all the waiters came out in a procession, singing and dancing with her birthday cake and making music with knives and spoons and trays and singing happy birthday in both Swahili and English. It really made her day and was lovely. All this had happened because James looks out for birthdays via the hotel guests’ passports.
On Tuesday evening we did the first of the trips we intended to book ourselves onto - we went to an African night in an African village where we walked down a load of steps through foliage and flowers to the village where there were flares and a huge bonfire lighting up the place. We sat at tables and were entertained with tribal dances from many of the 42 different tribes living in Kenya, the last of which was my favourite, the masai who chant and can jump up and down on the spot as high as two or three feet. They are tall and compete to see who can leap the highest. We then helped ourselves to dinner from the buffet which included things like crocodile curry, realAfrican food, and was very nice. I had a few glasses of wine with it and June had soft drinks. It was a lovely evening and we managed to survive mostly without being bitten by mosquitos - June got bitten once - through her trousers! The only problem was that as the evening wore on I realised I had eaten something that day which disagreed with me and was feeling quite unwell by the time we went back.
Back in our room we had to finish packing for our safari trip because we were leaving at 5.30 the next morning, which meant I wanted to be up about 4 am to get ready. By 5 o’clock we were in Shanzu restaurant but I didn't dare eat anything because my tummy was so upset, plus I had a horrendous headache that even strong Ibrufen could not cure throughout that day. By 6 o clock we were on our way to the Bamburi airstrip where two or three small planes awaited and about an hour later we boarded - it was an 18 seater plane and taking off in it was really exciting, so different than bigger planes. The flight took 25 minutes and after landing we were taken to the Crocodile Camp which would be our base that day and the next. We were given another breakfast (just coffee for me!) and then went out on the first of our game drives. We were out about four hours, driving through Tsavo East National Park but by this time I was feeling really ill and my head ache was so bad all I could do was close my eyes. I saw a few of the animals and took a couple of pictures but really I was longing to get back to the camp and lie down and sleep.
We were in Nissan mini buses (six per bus plus driver/commentator) with the roof raised two or three feet open so that we could stand upright and take photos. Our first experience of the red elephants was a very big aggressive one who almost charged us as we hurriedly turned round and beat a hasty retreat. My favourite animals that morning were miniature
antelopes, not much bigger than cats, so unbelievably cute. We saw several zebras, giraffes, water buffaloes, impalas and lots more elephants, but at least half the time I was asleep! Then back at the camp I was dismayed to find we were in a tent and no way was I going to stay behind as planned on my own, especially as in front of our tent were a few steps leading down to an open gate onto the river bank with crocodiles basking there! Fortunately by stressing how ill I felt we were allocated the last of the wooden lodge bungalows which were lovely, beautifully furnished with bathroom, shower etc. We had lunch – just a small bowl of soup for me, and when the others went out on the second game drive that afternoon I stretched out in bed and it was heaven to lie down, even listening to the grunting of the hippos in the river outside. At least I felt safe behind wooden walls instead of canvas!
I skipped dinner that evening and slept on so that by morning I felt much much better. After breakfast we set off to drive all across the national park as part of our drive homeward. Eating breakfast in that open air restaurant beside the river was lovely, seeing the sun come up and the silhouettes of the trees against the dawn sky. With the sound of the running river it was so peaceful and lovely. I may not have relaxed in that restaurant so well had I known they once had a rampaging elephant in there - that lions come right up to the outside of the camp, and that once in floods the crocodiles came over the wall and into the swimming pool! We later learned from one of the other guests in our hotel that when they were getting into the minibus for a game drive, his son spotted a lion lying down just 20 yards away and he dropped and broke his mobile phone in the panic to get onto the bus quickly.
I really did enjoy the game drive that morning. We were in the national park for six hours from 6 am until about noon and saw a huge variety of animals. The best was a troop of seven lions who came loping right past our bus just a couple of feet away and didn't mind several mini buses crowding round snapping photos of them. About noon we exited the park and were soon on the main Nairobi Mombasa main road. At this point the driver asked us if we would like to visit a masai tribal village and we said we would love to and that proved very interesting. We were warmly welcomed by the people there and saw the way they live and they didn’t mind us taking photos. I bought a length of material which they wear in a variety of ways to clothe themselves and they gave a dance performance for us as well - look out for the photos! About 5 miles after that we turned off to the Sagala lodge and animal and bird sanctuary where we were given lunch. Most of the main meals featured beef dishes (to my dismay) but at the Sagala when I felt like eating something again they gave me a second bowl of soup instead. It was a beautiful setting with over 200 species of birds in the sanctuary and I took some photos of one which took my fancy.
Then the long drive homeward. Only 100 miles but it took us nearly six hours because they are rebuilding the main road and the traffic both ways was horrendous, completely gridlocked. Our driver was driving off road at times to get ahead of the traffic, even though we weren't in an off road vehicle, with a petrol tanker in front of us that looked as though it was going to tip over in places. It was quite a relief to get back, have a cool shower and then go down to dinner. I was quite shattered after our safari what with being ill on the first day of it as well. Everyone coming back from safaris looks exhausted. Most seem to have enjoyed it better than I did. I was too nervous at the crocodile camp to enjoy it much, although I did enjoy the six hours driving through the game reserve on Day 2. We were in Tsavo East national park and our safari was called the Red Elephant Safari, called so because of the red earth which the elephants roll themselves in. The elephants there are the largest in the world. June would have liked to do a second different safari the following week but I couldn’t face it again. Once was enough for me! My imagination works overtime too much!!! We then spent a quiet couple of days, sunbathing on the beach and swimming in the pool. Bathing is completely safe in the sea as the beaches are protected by the coral reef which you can see from the shore, and one can even walk out to it at low tide wearing beach shoes. Swimming in the sea was only recommended when the tide was in though, because sometimes jelly fish get stranded at low tide.
The day after our return from safari we spent mainly at the pool or beach but we then booked a couple of tours for the weekend. Unfortunately our favourite of the tours wasn’t running, a 60 kilometer sail by yacht to see dolphins and basking whales, due to the yacht being out of action but we chose the next best two instead. After enjoying another day on the beach Saturday we got ready and caught the 4.30 bus to take us to the yacht marina at Mtwapa Creek and we went out on a boat up the creek which is heavily overgrown with mangrove trees on the sides, but is quite a wide river. We were served cocktails on board and set off on an hour and half cruise to watch the sun set, observing normal African every day life on the river banks and beyond, little kids waving as we sailed past. All the while an African band played music for us, and it was just perfect. We saw a variety of bird life and local fishermen coming home with their boats. In the middle of the river the engine was switched off and we just sat there for 15 minutes watching the sun go down below the horizon. You could almost see it descend as night falls quite quickly there on the equator.
We finally reached our destination, one of African Safari Club’s more upmarket hotels called Kasr al Bahar which means 'the Seafarer'. There we disembarked and climbed about 100 steps up to the hotel above, where we were given a glass of champagne each. Afterwards we were taken to a roof terrace restaurant where we enjoyed a 5 course sea food dinner which was excellent - sail fish in honey and ginger, a rich lobster bisque with crabmeat, king prawns in chilli sauce, a seafood platter of lamu fish, half a lobster, more king prawns and squid, finishing off with flambeed exotic fruits and coconut icecream. The hotel was so posh they even had a guy standing outside the loos who opened the door for you as you went in!
Our Sunday excursion involved another early start so I was up first at 5.30, and we were able to have a light breakfast before meeting up at reception at 7.30. Our original first choice of bush tour was the Wednesday one which travelled as far off as Mahindi and included a visit to an open air market, but unfortunately this one was sold out so we opted for the Sunday one instead which was more a local affair. Once off the main road our bus followed dirt tracks through plantations and farms and little farm holdings owned by individual African families with their mud and straw houses on their own land, mostly under trees – coconut palms, mango trees, lemon and orange trees – growing maize and their own vegetables. As we approached each village children appeared from all over the forest, crying out with joy at our arrival because it is the tradition to give out sweets to them. Everyone had arrived with armloads of sweets to give out and the guy giving the running commentary on the bus had to control the giving out of them because otherwise the older kids snatched them from the younger ones.
Later we got out of the bus and walked for a mile and were so surrounded by children wanting sweets I didn’t want to open my bag there, despite requests from mothers with babies. Later when I felt it safe to do so I gave mine out to the youngest children I could see and I think June captured this on her camera. We saw their local school, their church - most Africans are Christians - Pentecostal, Baptist, Catholic, even Jehovah's witnesses and Mormons, but there are Moslem communities too, one of which we passed through later on. It’s fantastic that all 42 tribes and varieties of religions live happily side by side without strife. One of the children gave me his address so I took a photo of him and promised to send it. We also visited a sisal farm and last of all a snake farm but June and I gave that a miss and waited in the bus and chatted to some of the children outside. English is the second language there, with Swahili being the main mother tongue and also Kikuyo. All children go to primary school for 8 years and this is free apart from having to buy school uniforms, pens, pencils, paper and books. All lessons are taught in English so children learn English from babyhood in preparation for this. For those who can afford it they go on to four years secondary education and even a further four years at university, but these two levels have to be paid for and many families cannot afford it.
Finally about 12 noon we arrived back at the marina at Mtwapa Creek where we would enjoy a barbeque buffet lunch - in fact joining onto the end of a couple of other excursions, the Sunday Modelling Show and the Sunday Barbeque. The fashion show was a joy to watch as beautiful garments were modelled by both men and women, and then the guys invited a few of us up to dance and I danced when invited to by a young lad called Emmanuelle. In the background an African band was playing throughout and coupled with the bright sunlight added to our enjoyment there. The lunch was excellent too, served with free Tusker beer.
Back at the hotel afterwards June and I went straight to our rooms, changed into our swimwear, went to the pool and we both got in for a swim. Then we decided to do a bit of exploring around the complex. Our hotel - Shanzu Paradise Beach - was one of several, all of which could be walked to following paths by the sea, and we were entitled to enjoy the facilities of the other hotels as well as our own. First we found our way to the Shanzu Holiday Market in the Coral Palm hotel - a series of quite highly priced boutiques. There I bought a beige African Safari shirt for Colin, two kanga style dresses for myself and a colourful bag and an assortment of other smaller souvenirs. The system of paying for everything was in euros and by signing slips for every single item (shop purchases, drinks at the bar, everything) which would then be settled up later at the cashier’s office. Also in the Coral Palm we found an Italian ice cream parlour and had the first icecream of the holiday, We befriended the girl who served us the icecream, a really cute young girl called Lucrencia, and as a result went back there most evenings after dinner to enjoy a freshly squeezed cocktail of papaya or mango. Sometimes there would be evening shows laid on free with market stalls set up around the pool and even a camel there for those brave enough to sit on it for photos. (One could actually ride a camel on the beach). There were acrobatic shows and disco music in the cafe area and one evening I even got to handle a live chameleon and another lizard about the same size, both of which were really cute and quite placid at being handled. Another lizard (quite crocodile looking in appearance!) was about a metre in length and didn’t mind being draped around people’s necks for photos but that one was so popular I didn’t get the chance to handle it.
On the Wednesday of the second week we went on our last excursion which was the Mombasa tour. By then we had learned it would not be wise to attempt to visit Mombasa alone. One of the chaps from the hotel had previously lived in Africa and it was him who warned against any of us attempting to go alone or in pairs by taxi. Whereas in the villages the people are genuinely honest, hard working and kind and friendly, this isn’t always the case in Mombasa town and one has to be on guard against some bad people who target tourists, snatching their purses, cameras and even their sunglasses. An African Safari Club bus picked people up at the various hotels and it was about 10 miles into the city. Our first stop was to the famous Tusks where we alighted for photos and at this point I bought my one and only CD of the whole holiday - ‘Best of African Songs’ by the Safari Sound Band, which is actually quite a brilliant CD, tropical style music. Then we stopped at a large covered market and were taken through it but we were all in single file behind our guide and none of us dared stop and buy anything and risk losing the others! We were next taken to an Indian Temple and were able to go inside it. Our next port of call was to a huge Jewellry shop where we were invited to browse round. Gold, silver and all kinds of precious jewels were available there and to begin with I didn’t look at the jewellry because I hadn’t brought my card with me. However our guide said that if we saw anything we could pay for it back at the hotel so I went back to look at a beautiful bracelet that I had spotted but walked past on our way in. It was beautifully crafted in high quality hall-marked silver with various safari animals all carved by hand around it. I managed to get the price down from £108 to around £88 and was able to take it away there and then, having agreed to meet someone at the hotel at 4 pm to pay for it. We then saw the port where the slaves used to be taken to and got out of the bus here and walked through the old town which was mainly an Islamic community, to admire the old style of architecture, a beautiful mosque etc. We ended up at our last port of call, Fort Jesus, and several of us went inside to look around but with only half an hour available for this and quite a high entrance fee, June and I opted to stay in the square and look at souvenir shops, and some guys there showed us the back of the fort where we could see the old canons pointing out to sea, the place where the slaves used to be chained up prior to being sent to America. From an artist there I bought a painting of giraffes which the guy unmounted from its frame and I am hoping Colin can make me a similar one to stretch it onto. When I paid for the bracelet later in the afternoon, I did so at a jewellry boutique in our hotel which is a subsidiary of the main jewellers in Mombasa and ended up buying two silver dolphins as a pendant which is destined for a lovely long silver chain that I bought on my last visit to Tunisia. The dolphin pendant was quite reasonable for its quite large size and cost me around £28 or £29. In Kenya you can ask the price in pounds, euros, dollars, and only really need the Kenyan shillings for purchases from local people.
The following day we did the long walk out beyond the hotel complex, out past the security barrier and guards in order to explore the shops in the local village of Shanzu, where I ended up placing an order for some beaded sandals to be made in my size, which I would collect the next day. I then ended up doing that walk out to Shanzu several more times before the end of the holiday because each time I went to collect something ordered, I ended up ordering something else which involved a repeat visit. The villagers were so friendly and nice, and relied on us tourists to survive. I bought a sign for my house with my name Amanatullah on it and Jambo Kenya 2007 underneath, carved into ebony, courtesy of Eric, a highly skilled wood carver. He made me a matching keyring as well in the shape of an elephant. From Katherine I ordered a belt made from assorted shades of blue tiny beads, from others I ordered a throw for my house and in village shops I bought dresses for myself and Tia and Jasmine. I really enjoyed getting to know the villagers. Part of the joy of any foreign holiday for me is getting to know the local people wherever I travel.
The night before our last day Lucrencia offered to take me to her village to meet her 2 year old daughter and some of her family, which I eagerly agreed I would love to do. She met me outside our hotel and we went first by matutu up to the main road (a kind of covered scooter with a double seat on the back), and we then flagged down a passing bus and got in, which took us as far as the Bamburi Cement Company. At that crossroads we flagged down another bus to take us to her village. The buses were tiny like the ones in Peru, and were crowded with at least 12 passengers in each of these mini sized buses, so much so that whenever anyone wanted to get off, half the bus had to get off to let them out and then get back in again! On the way we passed markets, with goats and crows picking over nearby rubbish dumps which I suppose is a good way of getting rid of their trash. And one passenger even got in carrying a live cockerel, holding him by the wings so that he couldn’t fly around the bus! About an hour later we arrived at the village and I stayed there a couple of hours or so until it was time to go back, as Lucrencia had to get to work. I watched her and her sister prepare lunch, a vegetarian dish of spicy greens and rice for me as I couldn’t eat the beef stew they had prepared. It was lovely to meet her 2 year old daughter Elsie and take photos of them all. I felt quite privileged to have enjoyed that visit to a real African village where tourists never go. Lucrencia told me on the bus journey back that I might have been the first foreign tourist ever to set foot there. Arriving back I said goodbye to all my friends in Shanzu village and exchanged phone numbers with some of them as they wanted to keep in touch by SMS. Lucrencia and I will also keep in touch by SMS and email until I see her again when I go back next year. I found June at the pool and we both had a swim and generally relaxed on that last day. One of the other popular forms of travel was on the back of a bicycle - there is a seat on the back on which a passenger can sit side saddle and this was offered to me when I walked through the village and I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought as I could not imagine that the seat suspended over the back wheel could possibly bear my weight! In the evening June and I went to the Lion King club to see one of the many shows that were nightly entertainment there. This was an African style show with comedy, dancing and singing and was very colourful and fun, all enacted to a live band who played on into the night. Apparently there were two or three different performances there each night and we regretted not having been there before, plus arriving so late that we couldn’t sit close enough to the front to enable photos. We had gone to say goodbye to Lucrencia and her colleagues so only arrived right at the start of the last show.
The day we travelled home, next day was a very long one. We were woken at 3 am, had our luggage collected by 4 am, had breakfast and were in the bus and on our way to the airport by 5 am. We had a 3 hour wait there and I bought a few more souvenirs at the airport - pendant and earrings of malachite, animal shaped pens and animal shaped mugs as small gifts, two lots of Kenyan coffee and bottles of vodka and Trinidad rum. I also bought an African cookery book which featured many of the meat, chicken and fish dishes we had enjoyed during our hotel stay. By 9 am we were in the air with a 9 hour flight ahead of us. We were served breakfast soon after take off, and lots of drinks throughout the flight, a good lunch in the early afternoon. Unfortunately when we arrived at Gatwick there was a shortage of baggage handlers which meant we weren’t on a train for Victoria until nearly 2 hours after landing and therefore impossible to get to Paddington in time for our train home. In fact it was touch and go whether we would make it to Victoria coach station in time to get the bus (having bought both bus and train tickets previously). Trying to run with a heavy suitcase, rucksack and bag of duty frees isn’t easy you know! We made it though and finally reached Bath just after 10 pm, where Colin met us at the station.
We now look forward to our next visit to Kenya which will be for our Indian Ocean cruise in March 2008 (taking in Zanzibar, Comores, Madagasgar and Mauritius as well as Mombasa).
Then we were boarding the plane, a huge airbus. June had an aisle seat with me next to her in the middle and the flight wasn't too bad. We were served an excellent meal and in the morning a continental breakfast. We managed to sleep a few hours in the night and we arrived in Mombasa at 6 am. There we had to queue to get our visas and then had to leave our luggage in a designated place and board the bus to be taken to our hotel, the Paradise Shanzu Beach Hotel, with our luggage to follow on separately. I slept most of the way on the bus, about an hour from the airport, and only woke up as we pulled up outside the hotel where we were welcomed with singers and drums and a fruity cocktail each. Soon we were ushered to our room which was comfortable and clean and decked out with flowers everywhere. The rooms were quite basic but with excellent bathrooms and air conditioning. Luckily we had toiletries in our flight bags which enabled us to have a quick shower to freshen up and felt great after that, apart from poor June slipping in the shower which resulted in an enormous bruise appearing later on. Our luggage arrived and we then zoomed straight down to the beach, 5 minutes walk from our room. On the way I was charmed to see monkeys swinging freely in the trees and after a while we realised they were quite tame and could pass them on the paths even when they had their babies with them. On the beach we headed straight down to the sea and were immediately accosted by lots of beach sellers trying to sell us goods at highly inflated prices! We’d wondered what the rope was sectioning off the beacha few metres from the ocean, and realision soon dawned that it was to prevent these sellers encroaching on the whole beach. We retreated to sunbeds just the other side of the rope and chatted to them instead; the hard sell only commenced when people crossed that line. The beach was fantastic, covered in tall coconut palm trees, lots of them, so that people could position their sunbeds beneath them and avoid the direct rays of the sun. I bought a wooden carved giraffe and got measured up for a sarong type of garment which I collected next day which I managed to get for £16 but most of the time those sellers were asking astronomical prices. For example one seller wanted me to give him a tea shirt in exchange for a couple of wooden ornaments and expected me to pay him £40 as well!!!!
Having learned that during the previous two weeks it had rained solid at the tail end of the monsoon, we were lucky to realise that the weather was dry and sunny and this would last through practically the duration of our holiday. Even when we had the odd shower it only lasted 10 minutes and then the sun came out again. Although a tropical and humid climate this was offset in our resort by the sea breeze which rendered our enjoyment of the sunshine more comfortable. The warm balminess of the weather, even early morning and at night, was a joy and we made the most of it.
The food was excellent - we had two dining rooms to choose from, one being completely open air with a circular Makuti style thatched roof by the upper swimming pool known as Shanzu restaurant but we preferred the one down by the beach where the waiters were really friendly and the food was better protected from flies with overhead fans etc. This one was closed in but with open areas. The head waiter, James, ran a really tight ship in Paradise restaurant and was so friendly and nice, as were many of the other waiters. Even so, once or twice the odd monkey got in and tried to jump up on the buffet tables and had to be chased away by one of the waiters! We spent the first few days on the beach relaxing after that long journey and it was sheer heaven, relaxing under those coconut palms on sun beds with the sound of the waves rolling on the shore. Sometimes we ordered cocktails on the terrace in front of the beach, trying out a different ones each day - whisky sour, planters punch, out of Africa, Mai Tai and others. On our second day we relaxed by the pool in the morning but it was too hot there - June went in to swim, the depth being an even 2 metres all over and one could walk in from wide steps on one side and there is a pool bar in the middle where it gets shallower, with underwater benches so that one could sit at the bar and have a drink whilst swimming. I preferred it down on the beach though where we could get the full strength of the breeze off the sea. Also when lounging by the pool you had to watch out for the monkeys who would try to grab items of clothing - if they succeeded they then proceeded to destroy them!
On Sunday morning I woke up with a bad back and could not straighten up. I was so glad that had not happened on the long journey otherwise I could not have coped! I walked around bent over for part of the day until June produced a magic pen which when applied to my back healed it up like magic. Hour by hour I could straighten up a bit more so that by evening I was fully upright again. I could hardly believe that anything could work so quickly.
When we got back to our room on Monday a maid arrived with a huge basket of fruit and wished June a happy birthday. She was quite overcome with delight and amazed that they knew about it. Then when we went down to dinner we found that they had braided an arch of flowers and greenery on her chair and I took photos with her and James. Then later all the waiters came out in a procession, singing and dancing with her birthday cake and making music with knives and spoons and trays and singing happy birthday in both Swahili and English. It really made her day and was lovely. All this had happened because James looks out for birthdays via the hotel guests’ passports.
On Tuesday evening we did the first of the trips we intended to book ourselves onto - we went to an African night in an African village where we walked down a load of steps through foliage and flowers to the village where there were flares and a huge bonfire lighting up the place. We sat at tables and were entertained with tribal dances from many of the 42 different tribes living in Kenya, the last of which was my favourite, the masai who chant and can jump up and down on the spot as high as two or three feet. They are tall and compete to see who can leap the highest. We then helped ourselves to dinner from the buffet which included things like crocodile curry, realAfrican food, and was very nice. I had a few glasses of wine with it and June had soft drinks. It was a lovely evening and we managed to survive mostly without being bitten by mosquitos - June got bitten once - through her trousers! The only problem was that as the evening wore on I realised I had eaten something that day which disagreed with me and was feeling quite unwell by the time we went back.
Back in our room we had to finish packing for our safari trip because we were leaving at 5.30 the next morning, which meant I wanted to be up about 4 am to get ready. By 5 o’clock we were in Shanzu restaurant but I didn't dare eat anything because my tummy was so upset, plus I had a horrendous headache that even strong Ibrufen could not cure throughout that day. By 6 o clock we were on our way to the Bamburi airstrip where two or three small planes awaited and about an hour later we boarded - it was an 18 seater plane and taking off in it was really exciting, so different than bigger planes. The flight took 25 minutes and after landing we were taken to the Crocodile Camp which would be our base that day and the next. We were given another breakfast (just coffee for me!) and then went out on the first of our game drives. We were out about four hours, driving through Tsavo East National Park but by this time I was feeling really ill and my head ache was so bad all I could do was close my eyes. I saw a few of the animals and took a couple of pictures but really I was longing to get back to the camp and lie down and sleep.
We were in Nissan mini buses (six per bus plus driver/commentator) with the roof raised two or three feet open so that we could stand upright and take photos. Our first experience of the red elephants was a very big aggressive one who almost charged us as we hurriedly turned round and beat a hasty retreat. My favourite animals that morning were miniature
antelopes, not much bigger than cats, so unbelievably cute. We saw several zebras, giraffes, water buffaloes, impalas and lots more elephants, but at least half the time I was asleep! Then back at the camp I was dismayed to find we were in a tent and no way was I going to stay behind as planned on my own, especially as in front of our tent were a few steps leading down to an open gate onto the river bank with crocodiles basking there! Fortunately by stressing how ill I felt we were allocated the last of the wooden lodge bungalows which were lovely, beautifully furnished with bathroom, shower etc. We had lunch – just a small bowl of soup for me, and when the others went out on the second game drive that afternoon I stretched out in bed and it was heaven to lie down, even listening to the grunting of the hippos in the river outside. At least I felt safe behind wooden walls instead of canvas!
I skipped dinner that evening and slept on so that by morning I felt much much better. After breakfast we set off to drive all across the national park as part of our drive homeward. Eating breakfast in that open air restaurant beside the river was lovely, seeing the sun come up and the silhouettes of the trees against the dawn sky. With the sound of the running river it was so peaceful and lovely. I may not have relaxed in that restaurant so well had I known they once had a rampaging elephant in there - that lions come right up to the outside of the camp, and that once in floods the crocodiles came over the wall and into the swimming pool! We later learned from one of the other guests in our hotel that when they were getting into the minibus for a game drive, his son spotted a lion lying down just 20 yards away and he dropped and broke his mobile phone in the panic to get onto the bus quickly.
I really did enjoy the game drive that morning. We were in the national park for six hours from 6 am until about noon and saw a huge variety of animals. The best was a troop of seven lions who came loping right past our bus just a couple of feet away and didn't mind several mini buses crowding round snapping photos of them. About noon we exited the park and were soon on the main Nairobi Mombasa main road. At this point the driver asked us if we would like to visit a masai tribal village and we said we would love to and that proved very interesting. We were warmly welcomed by the people there and saw the way they live and they didn’t mind us taking photos. I bought a length of material which they wear in a variety of ways to clothe themselves and they gave a dance performance for us as well - look out for the photos! About 5 miles after that we turned off to the Sagala lodge and animal and bird sanctuary where we were given lunch. Most of the main meals featured beef dishes (to my dismay) but at the Sagala when I felt like eating something again they gave me a second bowl of soup instead. It was a beautiful setting with over 200 species of birds in the sanctuary and I took some photos of one which took my fancy.
Then the long drive homeward. Only 100 miles but it took us nearly six hours because they are rebuilding the main road and the traffic both ways was horrendous, completely gridlocked. Our driver was driving off road at times to get ahead of the traffic, even though we weren't in an off road vehicle, with a petrol tanker in front of us that looked as though it was going to tip over in places. It was quite a relief to get back, have a cool shower and then go down to dinner. I was quite shattered after our safari what with being ill on the first day of it as well. Everyone coming back from safaris looks exhausted. Most seem to have enjoyed it better than I did. I was too nervous at the crocodile camp to enjoy it much, although I did enjoy the six hours driving through the game reserve on Day 2. We were in Tsavo East national park and our safari was called the Red Elephant Safari, called so because of the red earth which the elephants roll themselves in. The elephants there are the largest in the world. June would have liked to do a second different safari the following week but I couldn’t face it again. Once was enough for me! My imagination works overtime too much!!! We then spent a quiet couple of days, sunbathing on the beach and swimming in the pool. Bathing is completely safe in the sea as the beaches are protected by the coral reef which you can see from the shore, and one can even walk out to it at low tide wearing beach shoes. Swimming in the sea was only recommended when the tide was in though, because sometimes jelly fish get stranded at low tide.
The day after our return from safari we spent mainly at the pool or beach but we then booked a couple of tours for the weekend. Unfortunately our favourite of the tours wasn’t running, a 60 kilometer sail by yacht to see dolphins and basking whales, due to the yacht being out of action but we chose the next best two instead. After enjoying another day on the beach Saturday we got ready and caught the 4.30 bus to take us to the yacht marina at Mtwapa Creek and we went out on a boat up the creek which is heavily overgrown with mangrove trees on the sides, but is quite a wide river. We were served cocktails on board and set off on an hour and half cruise to watch the sun set, observing normal African every day life on the river banks and beyond, little kids waving as we sailed past. All the while an African band played music for us, and it was just perfect. We saw a variety of bird life and local fishermen coming home with their boats. In the middle of the river the engine was switched off and we just sat there for 15 minutes watching the sun go down below the horizon. You could almost see it descend as night falls quite quickly there on the equator.
We finally reached our destination, one of African Safari Club’s more upmarket hotels called Kasr al Bahar which means 'the Seafarer'. There we disembarked and climbed about 100 steps up to the hotel above, where we were given a glass of champagne each. Afterwards we were taken to a roof terrace restaurant where we enjoyed a 5 course sea food dinner which was excellent - sail fish in honey and ginger, a rich lobster bisque with crabmeat, king prawns in chilli sauce, a seafood platter of lamu fish, half a lobster, more king prawns and squid, finishing off with flambeed exotic fruits and coconut icecream. The hotel was so posh they even had a guy standing outside the loos who opened the door for you as you went in!
Our Sunday excursion involved another early start so I was up first at 5.30, and we were able to have a light breakfast before meeting up at reception at 7.30. Our original first choice of bush tour was the Wednesday one which travelled as far off as Mahindi and included a visit to an open air market, but unfortunately this one was sold out so we opted for the Sunday one instead which was more a local affair. Once off the main road our bus followed dirt tracks through plantations and farms and little farm holdings owned by individual African families with their mud and straw houses on their own land, mostly under trees – coconut palms, mango trees, lemon and orange trees – growing maize and their own vegetables. As we approached each village children appeared from all over the forest, crying out with joy at our arrival because it is the tradition to give out sweets to them. Everyone had arrived with armloads of sweets to give out and the guy giving the running commentary on the bus had to control the giving out of them because otherwise the older kids snatched them from the younger ones.
Later we got out of the bus and walked for a mile and were so surrounded by children wanting sweets I didn’t want to open my bag there, despite requests from mothers with babies. Later when I felt it safe to do so I gave mine out to the youngest children I could see and I think June captured this on her camera. We saw their local school, their church - most Africans are Christians - Pentecostal, Baptist, Catholic, even Jehovah's witnesses and Mormons, but there are Moslem communities too, one of which we passed through later on. It’s fantastic that all 42 tribes and varieties of religions live happily side by side without strife. One of the children gave me his address so I took a photo of him and promised to send it. We also visited a sisal farm and last of all a snake farm but June and I gave that a miss and waited in the bus and chatted to some of the children outside. English is the second language there, with Swahili being the main mother tongue and also Kikuyo. All children go to primary school for 8 years and this is free apart from having to buy school uniforms, pens, pencils, paper and books. All lessons are taught in English so children learn English from babyhood in preparation for this. For those who can afford it they go on to four years secondary education and even a further four years at university, but these two levels have to be paid for and many families cannot afford it.
Finally about 12 noon we arrived back at the marina at Mtwapa Creek where we would enjoy a barbeque buffet lunch - in fact joining onto the end of a couple of other excursions, the Sunday Modelling Show and the Sunday Barbeque. The fashion show was a joy to watch as beautiful garments were modelled by both men and women, and then the guys invited a few of us up to dance and I danced when invited to by a young lad called Emmanuelle. In the background an African band was playing throughout and coupled with the bright sunlight added to our enjoyment there. The lunch was excellent too, served with free Tusker beer.
Back at the hotel afterwards June and I went straight to our rooms, changed into our swimwear, went to the pool and we both got in for a swim. Then we decided to do a bit of exploring around the complex. Our hotel - Shanzu Paradise Beach - was one of several, all of which could be walked to following paths by the sea, and we were entitled to enjoy the facilities of the other hotels as well as our own. First we found our way to the Shanzu Holiday Market in the Coral Palm hotel - a series of quite highly priced boutiques. There I bought a beige African Safari shirt for Colin, two kanga style dresses for myself and a colourful bag and an assortment of other smaller souvenirs. The system of paying for everything was in euros and by signing slips for every single item (shop purchases, drinks at the bar, everything) which would then be settled up later at the cashier’s office. Also in the Coral Palm we found an Italian ice cream parlour and had the first icecream of the holiday, We befriended the girl who served us the icecream, a really cute young girl called Lucrencia, and as a result went back there most evenings after dinner to enjoy a freshly squeezed cocktail of papaya or mango. Sometimes there would be evening shows laid on free with market stalls set up around the pool and even a camel there for those brave enough to sit on it for photos. (One could actually ride a camel on the beach). There were acrobatic shows and disco music in the cafe area and one evening I even got to handle a live chameleon and another lizard about the same size, both of which were really cute and quite placid at being handled. Another lizard (quite crocodile looking in appearance!) was about a metre in length and didn’t mind being draped around people’s necks for photos but that one was so popular I didn’t get the chance to handle it.
On the Wednesday of the second week we went on our last excursion which was the Mombasa tour. By then we had learned it would not be wise to attempt to visit Mombasa alone. One of the chaps from the hotel had previously lived in Africa and it was him who warned against any of us attempting to go alone or in pairs by taxi. Whereas in the villages the people are genuinely honest, hard working and kind and friendly, this isn’t always the case in Mombasa town and one has to be on guard against some bad people who target tourists, snatching their purses, cameras and even their sunglasses. An African Safari Club bus picked people up at the various hotels and it was about 10 miles into the city. Our first stop was to the famous Tusks where we alighted for photos and at this point I bought my one and only CD of the whole holiday - ‘Best of African Songs’ by the Safari Sound Band, which is actually quite a brilliant CD, tropical style music. Then we stopped at a large covered market and were taken through it but we were all in single file behind our guide and none of us dared stop and buy anything and risk losing the others! We were next taken to an Indian Temple and were able to go inside it. Our next port of call was to a huge Jewellry shop where we were invited to browse round. Gold, silver and all kinds of precious jewels were available there and to begin with I didn’t look at the jewellry because I hadn’t brought my card with me. However our guide said that if we saw anything we could pay for it back at the hotel so I went back to look at a beautiful bracelet that I had spotted but walked past on our way in. It was beautifully crafted in high quality hall-marked silver with various safari animals all carved by hand around it. I managed to get the price down from £108 to around £88 and was able to take it away there and then, having agreed to meet someone at the hotel at 4 pm to pay for it. We then saw the port where the slaves used to be taken to and got out of the bus here and walked through the old town which was mainly an Islamic community, to admire the old style of architecture, a beautiful mosque etc. We ended up at our last port of call, Fort Jesus, and several of us went inside to look around but with only half an hour available for this and quite a high entrance fee, June and I opted to stay in the square and look at souvenir shops, and some guys there showed us the back of the fort where we could see the old canons pointing out to sea, the place where the slaves used to be chained up prior to being sent to America. From an artist there I bought a painting of giraffes which the guy unmounted from its frame and I am hoping Colin can make me a similar one to stretch it onto. When I paid for the bracelet later in the afternoon, I did so at a jewellry boutique in our hotel which is a subsidiary of the main jewellers in Mombasa and ended up buying two silver dolphins as a pendant which is destined for a lovely long silver chain that I bought on my last visit to Tunisia. The dolphin pendant was quite reasonable for its quite large size and cost me around £28 or £29. In Kenya you can ask the price in pounds, euros, dollars, and only really need the Kenyan shillings for purchases from local people.
The following day we did the long walk out beyond the hotel complex, out past the security barrier and guards in order to explore the shops in the local village of Shanzu, where I ended up placing an order for some beaded sandals to be made in my size, which I would collect the next day. I then ended up doing that walk out to Shanzu several more times before the end of the holiday because each time I went to collect something ordered, I ended up ordering something else which involved a repeat visit. The villagers were so friendly and nice, and relied on us tourists to survive. I bought a sign for my house with my name Amanatullah on it and Jambo Kenya 2007 underneath, carved into ebony, courtesy of Eric, a highly skilled wood carver. He made me a matching keyring as well in the shape of an elephant. From Katherine I ordered a belt made from assorted shades of blue tiny beads, from others I ordered a throw for my house and in village shops I bought dresses for myself and Tia and Jasmine. I really enjoyed getting to know the villagers. Part of the joy of any foreign holiday for me is getting to know the local people wherever I travel.
The night before our last day Lucrencia offered to take me to her village to meet her 2 year old daughter and some of her family, which I eagerly agreed I would love to do. She met me outside our hotel and we went first by matutu up to the main road (a kind of covered scooter with a double seat on the back), and we then flagged down a passing bus and got in, which took us as far as the Bamburi Cement Company. At that crossroads we flagged down another bus to take us to her village. The buses were tiny like the ones in Peru, and were crowded with at least 12 passengers in each of these mini sized buses, so much so that whenever anyone wanted to get off, half the bus had to get off to let them out and then get back in again! On the way we passed markets, with goats and crows picking over nearby rubbish dumps which I suppose is a good way of getting rid of their trash. And one passenger even got in carrying a live cockerel, holding him by the wings so that he couldn’t fly around the bus! About an hour later we arrived at the village and I stayed there a couple of hours or so until it was time to go back, as Lucrencia had to get to work. I watched her and her sister prepare lunch, a vegetarian dish of spicy greens and rice for me as I couldn’t eat the beef stew they had prepared. It was lovely to meet her 2 year old daughter Elsie and take photos of them all. I felt quite privileged to have enjoyed that visit to a real African village where tourists never go. Lucrencia told me on the bus journey back that I might have been the first foreign tourist ever to set foot there. Arriving back I said goodbye to all my friends in Shanzu village and exchanged phone numbers with some of them as they wanted to keep in touch by SMS. Lucrencia and I will also keep in touch by SMS and email until I see her again when I go back next year. I found June at the pool and we both had a swim and generally relaxed on that last day. One of the other popular forms of travel was on the back of a bicycle - there is a seat on the back on which a passenger can sit side saddle and this was offered to me when I walked through the village and I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought as I could not imagine that the seat suspended over the back wheel could possibly bear my weight! In the evening June and I went to the Lion King club to see one of the many shows that were nightly entertainment there. This was an African style show with comedy, dancing and singing and was very colourful and fun, all enacted to a live band who played on into the night. Apparently there were two or three different performances there each night and we regretted not having been there before, plus arriving so late that we couldn’t sit close enough to the front to enable photos. We had gone to say goodbye to Lucrencia and her colleagues so only arrived right at the start of the last show.
The day we travelled home, next day was a very long one. We were woken at 3 am, had our luggage collected by 4 am, had breakfast and were in the bus and on our way to the airport by 5 am. We had a 3 hour wait there and I bought a few more souvenirs at the airport - pendant and earrings of malachite, animal shaped pens and animal shaped mugs as small gifts, two lots of Kenyan coffee and bottles of vodka and Trinidad rum. I also bought an African cookery book which featured many of the meat, chicken and fish dishes we had enjoyed during our hotel stay. By 9 am we were in the air with a 9 hour flight ahead of us. We were served breakfast soon after take off, and lots of drinks throughout the flight, a good lunch in the early afternoon. Unfortunately when we arrived at Gatwick there was a shortage of baggage handlers which meant we weren’t on a train for Victoria until nearly 2 hours after landing and therefore impossible to get to Paddington in time for our train home. In fact it was touch and go whether we would make it to Victoria coach station in time to get the bus (having bought both bus and train tickets previously). Trying to run with a heavy suitcase, rucksack and bag of duty frees isn’t easy you know! We made it though and finally reached Bath just after 10 pm, where Colin met us at the station.
We now look forward to our next visit to Kenya which will be for our Indian Ocean cruise in March 2008 (taking in Zanzibar, Comores, Madagasgar and Mauritius as well as Mombasa).
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