tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79390590672206912522024-03-13T09:33:41.467-07:00Jon Fleming TravelogueJon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-25315463307009613752022-04-22T02:07:00.004-07:002022-04-22T02:07:22.439-07:00April 20th – Assessing the Changes in Gibraltar<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;">A disputed border town like Gibraltar is always in a state of flux. But, with the uncertainty caused by Brexit, this British enclave defiantly clinging on at the foot of Spain is facing some difficult times.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><br />Our guide told us that there were food shortages in the supermarkets (supply chain problems), and that the Gibraltarians’ ability to cross the border into Spain, was now being limited to only being allowed if they had accommodation booked in Spain. At the same time, the Spanish were playing even more difficult at the border crossing, because they were annoyed that there were two nuclear submarines (one British, one American) docked not too far from us in the port.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><br />However, she was fairly cheerful about things, and expected everything to settle down. Certainly, judging by the amount of building projects on the reclaimed land on the edge of town, the developers are feeling confident about the future. If you hadn’t been to Gibraltar for 20 years, you’d be surprised how much the territory has grown.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><br />My tour visited many of the standard tourist sights that give Gibraltar an exotic allure that belies its rather mundane urban appearance. We travelled up and around the rock, viewing sea caves that were home to our neanderthal ancestors; visiting the huge underground St Michael’s Cave, which has recently been upgraded with a multi-million pound sound and light show; visiting the old Moorish Castle (ignoring the fact that the Moors held the Rock for much longer than either the British and Spanish Crowns); tasting some wines (Spanish of course); and getting a fleeting glimpse of the Rock’s most famous residents, its mischievous monkeys (who were mostly sheltering from the unseasonably cold wind).</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">Gibraltar is a place that continues to defy logic. Even if you ignore the rights and wrongs of the British presence here, you wouldn’t expect this tiny territory to be thriving, but it clearly is. When you look at all the unattractive apartment blocks, you wouldn’t necessarily expect it to be a nice place to live – but the people here clearly enjoy life. Many people expected Brexit to kill off Gibraltar, but as ever here on the Rock, the Gibraltarians have found a way to keep going.</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbes1x0aQZOYvaKATBvqZLF51ZOp_GBqyMVAtGpkyKqBeTLiIGho-fdbva8CVmHPBhDTTwZTjxLldGbs1pXFGguZrv_uIYBFvZfiuw1LSR77gGKqG6Gse-x7sQ8DuRdwU9JAxEEkcIRjHqgC9G-7MC7AoVPfb7YJIh_pDxxt8cvCc2N5zsJnQsIRy2Xw/s1000/DSCF5688.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="1000" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbes1x0aQZOYvaKATBvqZLF51ZOp_GBqyMVAtGpkyKqBeTLiIGho-fdbva8CVmHPBhDTTwZTjxLldGbs1pXFGguZrv_uIYBFvZfiuw1LSR77gGKqG6Gse-x7sQ8DuRdwU9JAxEEkcIRjHqgC9G-7MC7AoVPfb7YJIh_pDxxt8cvCc2N5zsJnQsIRy2Xw/s320/DSCF5688.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="1000" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-6xer5SE_RyDTcawhXsFsKZCzbTjVtPj3H7gyiREV4yiOPyY2WOHyM7tB6EbGAXYwEKwG969W9RJueg96OIBSUcF6M1KlPAl4i5uBjfKTkWF-5NjE53uuOUCN-9nm9soMzQRNTQBX-_hEDoAMELPr-7WmVMIg52V2OcNWysINgIyKhdHu_pUT3d9mQ/s320/IMG_2344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-69748929449294119922022-04-22T02:03:00.004-07:002022-04-22T02:04:13.259-07:00April 19th – Malaga at its Best<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">Today the Costa del Sol was really living up to its name – there was a relaxed sun-drenched feel to Malaga that was a joy to soak up.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />Malaga has always been an under-rated place, but its new cruise terminal right in the centre of its re-developed waterfront really shows off the town to its best. We got up early to do a walk along the attractive city beach – a beach that often gets forgotten about when all the tourists rush off to their concrete resorts further along the coast.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />After strolling the pedestrianised shopping streets of the town centre, we then visited the town’s lively market, which is a great showpiece for the wonderful seafood that the area’s famous for – where better to have some delicious fried fresh boquerones?</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />More browsing and shopping was followed by a wonderful evening meal at an excellent recommended restaurant not too far from the ship called Deriva.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />For some people, the name “Malaga” evokes images of mass-market holiday resorts like Torremolinos. Today showed that there’s much more to this old school city – delicious food, great shopping, a classy atmosphere, and, of course, there’s always the beach.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pqhdz4Er-cHfxF26Zpx-C3oAbC9F_89D9YSQvQp8VTKAhHZVTf-bZu44oaOuirzPl7D7iJQd3p7mxt4yWT4OaYixZxANq9OSnVMr0xo-wtw-lWLJAWWD-1cx1-4kvn82GgHkhvhur5yLbK2kCr9wTQV0SxG1bD37rUn5oj_UIEUWVnyIhPDBszXGRw/s1000/IMG_2259.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1000" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1pqhdz4Er-cHfxF26Zpx-C3oAbC9F_89D9YSQvQp8VTKAhHZVTf-bZu44oaOuirzPl7D7iJQd3p7mxt4yWT4OaYixZxANq9OSnVMr0xo-wtw-lWLJAWWD-1cx1-4kvn82GgHkhvhur5yLbK2kCr9wTQV0SxG1bD37rUn5oj_UIEUWVnyIhPDBszXGRw/s320/IMG_2259.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="734" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLCnsuyPnkguBHEfMR8ly9W3osj54UuemeW_dqSdU6BCqs8QvJGNIModWojeP-73uKb36BSakXykdev4C02zpJPi0T7BMJhFvw5wKGiNKBSL7wvlwONL9V8D7SXr6mwqxHDBWXEuxH18MlIzEFLIOejjXOmXJxPn1RydJMF4HhsUNAb6DIz2UJmMQ9Q/s320/IMG_2257.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-25047300314216022082022-04-16T08:42:00.002-07:002022-04-16T08:42:35.841-07:00April 12th-13th – A Room With a View in Athens<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Athens is the kind of city that looks great from some angles, and fairly unimpressive from others. Rather than focusing on the grime and graffiti, you can concentrate on views of the few classical splendours and architectural marvels that have survived the millennia.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />Our highlight was a wonderful lunch at the rooftop restaurant in the Hotel Grand Bretagne – Athens’s most venerable hotel. The food and company were wonderful, but the backdrop just couldn’t be beaten – a stunning view across to the sublime Acropolis overlooking the sprawling city below it.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />Our couple of days here were all about trying to see Athens at its best – enjoying the choreographed theatrics of the Changing of the Guard in Syntagma Square; sampling the grand Neo-Classical buildings of 19<sup>th</sup> century Athens once it had become the capital of independent Greece (the University, the National Library, the Academy of Arts); and even doing a pleasant walk around the waterfront in Piraeus (a place that sometimes finds it hard to look good!).</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />When you travel the world, you get to choose which view of a city you take away with you – it’s much more pleasant to accentuate the positive.</div><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EIcxQxFFld8ijfgOPP_lhiaqUDpkNKDIQX-P_e09BIFsG7lwsoWSWPObx4QfYf2AysRagk42sPUnsdEgyM0yk_kUaO6wq8LLY9A1jt9qU3aOMmAMunOYHBwSApNUULRC8gF4_dU4IthA7jZio1ZVowSoERgn5-5dqKbV9xpf7Ksofo54HhuwdUuwSg/s1000/IMG_1848.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EIcxQxFFld8ijfgOPP_lhiaqUDpkNKDIQX-P_e09BIFsG7lwsoWSWPObx4QfYf2AysRagk42sPUnsdEgyM0yk_kUaO6wq8LLY9A1jt9qU3aOMmAMunOYHBwSApNUULRC8gF4_dU4IthA7jZio1ZVowSoERgn5-5dqKbV9xpf7Ksofo54HhuwdUuwSg/s320/IMG_1848.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgxAHt_dA-QEJNb6OVM7foam2gbIcmdFMvSgNjxsj57_-4N41qay480cPFOraUOgMNrBHBVdp5pNMtq2kguSQ9QPg96R_CGx0uE6Oj2_q705E5U2sfhbGfUHqIICCBnXJi6x2oeTkifl23UwYegh7kn9dZbSOyEeHsj3BgFGM61PMIt2cpjZe3p82Dw/s320/IMG_1947.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-52159072021524397372022-04-16T05:22:00.003-07:002022-04-16T05:22:54.915-07:00April 10th-11th – Chilling Out in Istanbul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;">After an exhilarating but tiring trip to Cappadocia, we were looking to chill out in Istanbul. What we weren’t expecting was bone-chilling weather – Tracy was convinced that it was colder here than it was in Antarctica!</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br />Actually, on our first evening, the weather wasn’t too bad, so we went out to explore the new developments outside the brand new Cruise Terminal. The space age terminal looks great, but whoever designed it didn’t have cruise passengers in mind – it takes about 15 minutes (and over a kilometre of walking) to get out it! A crazy layout given the demographic of the cruising public.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br />However, the new outdoor malls and waterside restaurants are great – a really lively atmosphere that made you think that we were in a European city (ok – this side of Istanbul is geographically in Europe), rather than an Islamic city during Ramadan.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br />The next morning was cold, grey and rainy, but we struggled on through anyway, heading to the Aya Sofya to see how much has changed since it was turned back into a mosque last year. Sadly it was still shut for cleaning on the two occasions that we tried to go in, so that will have to wait.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start;"><br />Instead, we walked around the familiar sights of Sultanahmet – the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and the Grand Bazaar (which at least got us out of the biting wind). As the rain came pouring down, the city wasn’t looking its best, but to me, Istanbul seems to have improved itself nicely in the few years since I was here last.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTC9krQnJRglhPvb19hWeolBJwJe6waMbSQ85mEz85Aat-0sJlG8tYEops1wfHeUPkmOe1sTeFJCiUCIvXawSEduJObK7enIQAqf9_rc3_l4UcWoc_0WcDTEeWZfTEI-eiu74YnnJjuIUpn-43Fcat9gch3fDVseuRF1eNIjMWLHsXYjXgBSwheP3xKA/s1000/IMG_1805.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="1000" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTC9krQnJRglhPvb19hWeolBJwJe6waMbSQ85mEz85Aat-0sJlG8tYEops1wfHeUPkmOe1sTeFJCiUCIvXawSEduJObK7enIQAqf9_rc3_l4UcWoc_0WcDTEeWZfTEI-eiu74YnnJjuIUpn-43Fcat9gch3fDVseuRF1eNIjMWLHsXYjXgBSwheP3xKA/s320/IMG_1805.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aOefVnLBfJur5OKuLFgHMICpMXS9fuYNNPjHBBRh0mHUCbngYPhGfjMkS3SMaMx9VIS5vk5JPCodwA30hpu_xBe55U6f3NolE4qIZR8Oa_OOt40Dia8FaIKdw-t0AgrxigP5ap2Lq2csLajxFkEXFAuTf6nle0HWptSYKQ8ITMVOuhjqK8DKdzsyJA/s320/IMG_1838.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-27494832439892216932022-04-16T05:12:00.001-07:002022-04-16T05:12:07.989-07:00April 8th-10th – Captivated by Cappadocia<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, which is just as well because this World Cruise has got really busy, and I’m way behind on blogs.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />So, this post on an amazing trip to Cappadocia in Turkey is mainly going to be about the pictures – which is appropriate because this is one of the most visually stunning places I’ve ever been to. And, it looks especially stunning when you do an early morning balloon ride over its bizarre rock formations, with a backdrop of over 150 other balloons.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />Another place ticked off the bucket list.</div><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkloPVdMzYknqx1YdQsOjanzpnzh6zmH8JTVDtHsn5uoRscIqpdtT-h390x9zWrfZ2mFgPZIt18oNKuczL9FXaH2JdlTVJqOt_tikUoaJrX_j9m5l2MCq2Atso2UTFCoxxA9iP66pcFMRW1eO2_FQvko0du-ePRl2TthlaAOTFlXGF_1DoVA6UKz4bXA/s1000/DSCF4936.jpg" style="clear: left; 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font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Much as I’ve loved all our previous ports, there’s always something re-assuring about returning to Europe after 3 months away. Maybe it’s because we know Rhodes so well, that a visit here is something of a “homecoming” – Tracy and I came here on our first ever holiday together when we were 19, and it’s always a popular stop on any Mediterranean itinerary (we came here three times last year alone).</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />And, visiting in April, before the package tourists arrive is one of the ways to see this historic town at its best. It feels like Rhodes Town is literally waking up from its winter slumber – as the restaurants and hotels start opening up again with a yawn, and the shops dust themselves off for the summer onslaught (people seem genuinely pleased to see tourists at this time of year, rather than the jaded responses you can often get).</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />On a warmish day, we decided to trek up to the Ancient Acropolis above Rhodes Town to see its scanty ruins, before doing a pleasant stroll along the beachfront. Some days you don’t have to tick off historic sights or have amazing cultural experiences – just savouring the familiar atmosphere of a place you enjoy coming back to, is more than enough.</div><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAidVDKOl1i-Zq0GJsY4zT5Xp9elXmvo-9oaLPbhKhtDErhdxo6zaqX6bORSA36SjNcpEtNO25mU_lyIS8BkpmieJqMbZKjYrr8J-3t7cjspVu_2ZJdRmXCMfb0VdVymXxT4wOb8zR-Obv6MLRcRZIFovqZNta-KSELY0nWGB2dNBRTdMWTaNJyuiGdg/s640/IMG_1467.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAidVDKOl1i-Zq0GJsY4zT5Xp9elXmvo-9oaLPbhKhtDErhdxo6zaqX6bORSA36SjNcpEtNO25mU_lyIS8BkpmieJqMbZKjYrr8J-3t7cjspVu_2ZJdRmXCMfb0VdVymXxT4wOb8zR-Obv6MLRcRZIFovqZNta-KSELY0nWGB2dNBRTdMWTaNJyuiGdg/s320/IMG_1467.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoZ_rd8-QV91qIHku1vcXNlefgY4FNiKg4iZT8a5_JIMaHHBcq_Ne5Zhi4fj4d9B5aZ8ISNw6-i6b6HLBtcAWXwiUB4lLXAVHVdnYAX_hxWwylH_MNsUDlfZnrbXFDp7SZnci1asqMt_RU0UVh6UyVqik1RIHYrVnvXefK5HgxMHmTXELa_aKpaaWPA/s1000/IMG_1495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoZ_rd8-QV91qIHku1vcXNlefgY4FNiKg4iZT8a5_JIMaHHBcq_Ne5Zhi4fj4d9B5aZ8ISNw6-i6b6HLBtcAWXwiUB4lLXAVHVdnYAX_hxWwylH_MNsUDlfZnrbXFDp7SZnci1asqMt_RU0UVh6UyVqik1RIHYrVnvXefK5HgxMHmTXELa_aKpaaWPA/s320/IMG_1495.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-39804443165298873012022-04-07T05:46:00.001-07:002022-04-07T05:46:08.199-07:00April 3rd – 5th – An Enlightening Tour of Israel<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As we toured around the small border town of Sderot, we remarked that we’d never seen a town with so many playgrounds. One playground boasted a large and colourful caterpillar for the children to run in and out of. However, this image of childhood innocence took on a rather shocking character when we were told that the tube that the caterpillar’s body was made out of, was re-inforced concrete, because it had to act as a bomb shelter during (the many) times of conflict with neighbouring Gaza.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />A playground that doubles as a bomb shelter sums up some of the feeling of everyday life in Sderot.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />Because Sderot is just across the border from the Gaza strip, and people have somewhere between 15 and 30 seconds to find shelter, from the time the air raid warning goes off before a missile or shell hits the town. It brought tears to our eyes to be told the stories of the children living under this kind of constant stress and danger – of course, these traumas were being felt on both sides of the 2 sets of forbidding walls that separate Gaza from Israel.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />Our two and a half days in Israel took us to see some of the amazing community programmes and remarkable individuals who are doing their best to improve the lot of ordinary Israelis caught up in the conflict, or who are struggling to make ends meet in a country where so much money is spent on security.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />We met the wonderful charity workers who are counselling the traumatised children – using animal therapy to give them an outlet for their suppressed emotions of terror and lack of control. You might wonder why people choose to live in a place so directly in the line of fire. For some, it was a patriotic decision. For others it was an economic choice – in a country of skyrocketing housing costs, this is (unsurprisingly) simply one of the cheapest places to live. For others there was no choice – new arrivals from places like Ukraine and Ethiopia get put where there’s space.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />The thing that gives you hope for the future, are the people working selflessly to make other people’s lives better. From the projects to integrate the Ethiopian Jews into Israeli society; to the inspirational headteacher of a school in Lod who is doing an amazing job in some extremely tricky circumstances; to the man who had put together an ingenious food redistribution programme to help the needy. These people are incredibly optimistic, energetic, and enthusiastic, but also realistic about the limitations of what’s achievable in this difficult environment. It made me think that if we could put people like this (most of whom were women) in charge of the various governments of the region, there would be much more chance of finding a peaceful solution to the complicated conundrum that is Israeli-Palestinian relations.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />Standard tours of Israel generally take you around the biblical sights or to amazing natural sights like the Dead Sea. Along the way, you might pick up some of the many issues and nuances that contribute towards the making of this incredibly complicated country. But, you rarely get the chance to see the issues and the fears that so many people have to face in everyday life. This was an absolute privilege.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />These were an incredibly eye-opening couple of days in Israel, that left me full of admiration for its charity workers. I’m sure that there are just as incredible and inspirational people working across the border in the Palestinian Territories – let’s put these people in charge.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJS20OYyYM8qX3-ZEzIUHazmK1iVtFtLeI3VV0qZq7ROJiydlEfeY2-oWybkfrOUXfJiPiPEJK9hGJsoFUTEsJQbEYTy-k0YcO9eYDyjLzZr97-fIGBJcmdX-7m2OTgrBtDTmaatHdJIc_6X_MSvlbjkF0-KRbv8XXGQTCSJgvJ6oUjEqCrgydd3wc6w/s1000/DSCF4784.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJS20OYyYM8qX3-ZEzIUHazmK1iVtFtLeI3VV0qZq7ROJiydlEfeY2-oWybkfrOUXfJiPiPEJK9hGJsoFUTEsJQbEYTy-k0YcO9eYDyjLzZr97-fIGBJcmdX-7m2OTgrBtDTmaatHdJIc_6X_MSvlbjkF0-KRbv8XXGQTCSJgvJ6oUjEqCrgydd3wc6w/s320/DSCF4784.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiN9p6ZgfcjHgaMLcOSDnrDheYnPDm0jIUn8jKOUpWVffnLTLNzemnoAzctLMeKrWota1rBjkl6DRsoV_UzkPlq7K6wws2-oJWXtt1llYetUyh71yaTtoBDRAcmND2KH7Aupfqgk72XYum_uaYnpDWcPPX6-Q9L4Tls75BxpbX4TeAzpQqCggdA-N2lw/s1000/IMG_1395.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiN9p6ZgfcjHgaMLcOSDnrDheYnPDm0jIUn8jKOUpWVffnLTLNzemnoAzctLMeKrWota1rBjkl6DRsoV_UzkPlq7K6wws2-oJWXtt1llYetUyh71yaTtoBDRAcmND2KH7Aupfqgk72XYum_uaYnpDWcPPX6-Q9L4Tls75BxpbX4TeAzpQqCggdA-N2lw/s320/IMG_1395.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-79173236769458157602022-04-05T13:12:00.000-07:002022-04-05T13:12:04.088-07:00March 29th – 31st – Three Days in Jordan<p>For tourists, the contrast between Jordan and its neighbour, Saudi Arabia is massive. There’s a much more open atmosphere; there’s a level of organisation to Jordan’s tourist industry that Saudi Arabia can only aspire to; and there are few of the restrictions that make Saudi a more “difficult” place to explore (visas, stricter dress codes, alcohol etc).</p><p>I visited the haunting desert landscapes of the Wadi Rum, while Tracy visited the amazing site of Petra again – both looked as spectacular as ever. On our other days, we spent our time in the less picturesque environment of Aqaba, a sometimes scruffy town that presents a friendly introduction to Jordan. We visited the town’s small souk, we lounged around at the Kempinski Hotel (Aqaba does luxury hotels rather well), and we had a lovely lunch (including beer!) at an old favourite, Ali Baba Restaurant. </p><p>Jordan is a place that makes the best of what it has – its coastline is only 16 miles long, yet it’s become a beach destination; much of its territory is barren desert, yet it’s made that into a tourist attraction; its main historical site was hidden away for centuries, yet it’s become one of the world’s must-see sights. A lovely place to spend three days.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRMbYnpGkYOI4UwRz3up8UijKGBcGEmJ_1qPopbRHxXUqEXAsvq0ZhGjDPGiVXDEVK9hpY1NcZKMVLYyVkEZUsUn4NCAtQGJv9Z_rqY79JgkNMxOdWxw6maB2AWDN1_Dpwb3EBYAeBG5KDEOdckSj8ERP3ygXJSVpOpd-HzGrPH37ghxW6nKzgGVgSQ/s1000/IMG_1678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="741" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRMbYnpGkYOI4UwRz3up8UijKGBcGEmJ_1qPopbRHxXUqEXAsvq0ZhGjDPGiVXDEVK9hpY1NcZKMVLYyVkEZUsUn4NCAtQGJv9Z_rqY79JgkNMxOdWxw6maB2AWDN1_Dpwb3EBYAeBG5KDEOdckSj8ERP3ygXJSVpOpd-HzGrPH37ghxW6nKzgGVgSQ/s320/IMG_1678.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITdwGKW4hqPnSeKtwkQCCJY4zxnrY7DeITyhQV3WbcHg5MWwQn0be6IboOtMzsvlJyjlWmuDmYzr0RanEyRlbE4tCOpjVbuCj2wUcgZfcbHS1yIziLBn0a2iD2Zf-ppYhjS6SYrhKApoe_yD1IMz4xUu79je9TULLKBuvRtY9iKZbQa5X5YiGWCygEw/s1000/IMG_1481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHseVHYjVRpmsFpzr-4J4IGdlqnruzWMXG9XeYmUwcB4tPOErVvvIRIdb49XHxq5HXs7H4AfsNg3HI-yryVQaNaeWEeV7xQxaFlRFYwcQDvk0b35Kt-CP7tYNby7FoKzPLaN76kpeq5SIIIc1qSrSdmE77GXzas4Z9ro51Zk_mVjcC1Wz2bODGDs8FHQ/s320/A7C00330.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mhBD6pcJIgc2-syNXdp9gPmv9mzAbJDjvsIpMlWLOC5v8no3mQVz2WRFo7-haL9At7U9CNCLmY5BMyT6ltUomROztPrXZnGFAMeHr3sn-thxNMnEuDgDJECZynjUZgBgMhRcPmVotLfq80GxRLx2i_azlGKU64UiClYQhaPWmp-0iE7z6KNlusxm3A/s1000/IMG_1046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mhBD6pcJIgc2-syNXdp9gPmv9mzAbJDjvsIpMlWLOC5v8no3mQVz2WRFo7-haL9At7U9CNCLmY5BMyT6ltUomROztPrXZnGFAMeHr3sn-thxNMnEuDgDJECZynjUZgBgMhRcPmVotLfq80GxRLx2i_azlGKU64UiClYQhaPWmp-0iE7z6KNlusxm3A/s320/IMG_1046.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-18032984655494675032022-04-05T12:57:00.001-07:002022-04-05T12:57:04.784-07:00March 24th – 26th – Expect the Unexpected in Saudi Arabia<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">By reputation, you wouldn’t expect a cruise to Saudi Arabia to be much of an enjoyable experience (never mind that the ship had to be “dry” for three days!). However, I found our time in the Kingdom to be fascinating, illuminating, and dare I say it, enjoyable.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">I am massively behind on blogs, so this will be brief – here are some of my main impressions of a country that is trying to carve out a rather unlikely role for itself as a tourist destination:</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In general, the people (apart from a few grumpy immigration staff) were very friendly and welcoming – I was wished “welcome to Saudi Arabia” countless times, and there was a refreshing curiosity from the locals about why we were here.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I didn’t detect a threatening atmosphere in the least – quite the opposite in fact (apart from a Yemeni missile hitting an oil storage facility just as we were leaving Jeddah, which was slightly concerning!).</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Saudi Arabia (at least the parts of it I saw – Jeddah, Taif, Yanbu and Medina) does not remotely resemble the flashy side of the Gulf states like Dubai. In fact, much of it is rather scruffy – mainly because there are so many building projects going on (although there doesn’t seem to be much of a unifying vision behind it).</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>There is scarcely anything to see that is over 30 years old here – anything older than that gets torn down and gets re-built. Even the once-attractive old towns of Jeddah and Yanbu are pretty much falling apart (although there is finally a project to restore them).</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">5.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Tourism is very much in its infancy here and they have much to learn (see “grumpy immigration staff” above). Some guides are very good, but some are terrible, and they need work on some of their tour structures to fit into what us western cruisers are used to.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">When they do get their act together, this is a great place to see somewhere that’s completely different, and where westerners are still a novelty. There’s not many places these days where you’re right at the front of the tourist vanguard, but Saudi Arabia is it. </p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPK5U5Je1mtkjV-3rNFL8hTHw9x8_k8Fge193a2TZLFEU_M8uAaEnWeIXHBmxjO88-nr68rP7OvUvBWECOjyLT0574k8VPbegcvXMmWZrM5ljlfiSxKPESTGLgJIvjc24nD_GG2GFc_XqIKK_BUBAIgsg1mEfMxCo4XhTShNRZx_Nf-F7jgZk_weTKg/s1000/IMG_0557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="713" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPK5U5Je1mtkjV-3rNFL8hTHw9x8_k8Fge193a2TZLFEU_M8uAaEnWeIXHBmxjO88-nr68rP7OvUvBWECOjyLT0574k8VPbegcvXMmWZrM5ljlfiSxKPESTGLgJIvjc24nD_GG2GFc_XqIKK_BUBAIgsg1mEfMxCo4XhTShNRZx_Nf-F7jgZk_weTKg/s320/IMG_0557.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuS25HjCshKTDPcCA1oOIO18iz9My7Ok1megyTmD7dwAd_1n2XYBJBKSksNQK8xlr8Ox3WWZDKCneHOIkSsG69fowzAWXWFcTQBJcQveuW0jZMgjeAp6oWxmu6nm3I-gguAObTsPSNsjt09AzGZo0dAO8EsNUJ73i4FVINXzuVJZKkKb966x5SYMVUVw/s320/IMG_0701.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-20675725308733327332022-03-20T02:45:00.002-07:002022-03-20T02:48:12.574-07:00March 16th – Two Days on Mahé<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">After the supremely relaxed atmospheres of La Digue and Praslin, then the Seychelles main island (Mahé) can seem a little hectic. Of course, it’s nothing of the sort, but there’s a bit of a buzz to its pint-sized capital, Victoria, that acted as an interesting contrast to those tranquil sister islands.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />Like the other Seychelles, Mahé is all about its beautiful beaches, and there’s a greater tourist infrastructure here of resorts and upmarket hotels. So, on various itineraries of the island, we visited the lush botanical gardens, explored Victoria, swam to the lovely Beau Vallon beach, and visited the Hilton for lunch where we paddled at the shallow Anse Forbans.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />The highlight was a superb beachside evening meal with great company at the Eden Restaurant in the Story Hotel – a supremely romantic setting, even if it was so dark that we could only just make out what we were eating!</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />If money were no object, there can’t be many more idyllic places than the Seychelles.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngqaXurwpUOxwujOrS35FkRP_rwC2jOm0TgXZMzblJ4O0XmAgvsaz13kcU8IazMhuIWuSfMV9olpNQW3LY3SXVvtsRbMlyZ-zglCv8IpReyhrZdfe2tA516kLktd8t0QQJuLESF3ywegoKl7gF2Udq0JTYOurK1kPV_j9gYUR-qTSzhVpxxqf6-H8Yw/s1000/IMG_0179.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="755" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngqaXurwpUOxwujOrS35FkRP_rwC2jOm0TgXZMzblJ4O0XmAgvsaz13kcU8IazMhuIWuSfMV9olpNQW3LY3SXVvtsRbMlyZ-zglCv8IpReyhrZdfe2tA516kLktd8t0QQJuLESF3ywegoKl7gF2Udq0JTYOurK1kPV_j9gYUR-qTSzhVpxxqf6-H8Yw/s320/IMG_0179.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-32843586046222637592022-03-20T02:22:00.005-07:002022-03-20T02:23:34.707-07:00March 15th – Finding Paradise in La Digue and Praslin<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;">Today we got two for the price of one, as we visited the neighbouring Seychelles islands of La Digue and Praslin.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br />Our first stop in La Digue was utterly idyllic. As we stepped off the tender in the small village of La Passe, you couldn’t have imagined a more relaxed scene, people meandering around its quiet streets on bicycles, with a backdrop of lush green hills and turquoise seas.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br />Our mission today was to hike the length of the island down to the secluded Grand Anse. On an island where almost everyone walks or cycles, there’s not many places in the world where as you hike along the island’s main road, you get passed by maybe ten cars or trucks at the very most. The peaceful road took us past a nature reserve, so we were constantly accompanied by the chirping of exotic birds in a tranquil atmosphere where even the stray dogs were friendly.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br />It was an extremely hot and humid day, but it was bliss just savouring this unspoilt environment, before our view of paradise was completed as we emerged onto the blinding white sands of Grand Anse – one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever been to. To confirm how romantic a spot it is, a (rather sweaty) couple were getting married up one end of it.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br />As we walked we couldn’t help forming a plan to spend more time here – our enthusiasm was only slightly tempered by a bumping into a couple from the ship who told us that they’d just paid $54 dollars for 2 Pina Coladas! Maybe paradise comes at a price.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br />In the afternoon, we called in at the slightly more developed island of Praslin, famous for being one of only two islands where the extremely rare coco de mer grows – a suggestively shaped nut (use your imagination) that has all kinds of legends attached to it (not surprisingly, most of them relate to sex).</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br />We visited the unspoilt Vallee de Mai, a forest that’s home to thousands of swaying coco de mer trees and other prehistoric-looking flora with huge leaves and weird shapes. In this quiet forest, where the only sounds were creaking branches, rustling leaves and cooing birds – you half-expected to see a velociraptor skulking in the undergrowth.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br />After our time in the Garden of Eden, we moved on for some beach time on the Cote d’Or, yet another gorgeous beach of amazingly warm waters and soft sands.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">I think we have found paradise!</span> </div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgwwte2uDWQ3qNWPk526ntKqN4rRTO-XKUZFumo0K5H2TV-CT-J6dx_w8zBDFtaCl2PUB-7HzcV8XVbE4VOMsn9VgRUFNPl8Xuf-mYnfcEWTDt6vt11eMKCELou2-bekvI5sUjQcpHCws6m7hl9wHC7PzrrikhbaYn1axyM_LWMXTipVQFxtlnevf9g/s1000/IMG_9987.jpg" style="clear: left; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxA9VLca1xPKQUCu6PUWIS7NLx3kdTZwNqzQe8SrJp1_YQKH0g8Dh10Lnm91bAMAqF0k19CMECTzaP3MF2izqyCTSgOOC-C98ZRXw_iF-s_g8tTRgm7tlTIO5OlIJ1SVXQo-GEnWFapFBxbzlhCz37EYWzNcUjca6OGoJSYbH4Z4lMFKImRFaJpg9DBw/s320/P3150056.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHPY2enmNspIzeAfd0fKXlnxOGFaPVQ0xlQ65yjnR2gjQB_LSj6CXm11DLemkyVS7DlHmDzuF8lvi4MelvvL6dl8orfE3cTmc0RBcprebIpx30LVFaPruT2Hntvb6YU6gYIpA6KOKq6jBUAPCXB7vbzJ9oW4T2pomRri0iBZ3BgF407-PnPlzTGtVhg/s1000/DSCF4117.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHPY2enmNspIzeAfd0fKXlnxOGFaPVQ0xlQ65yjnR2gjQB_LSj6CXm11DLemkyVS7DlHmDzuF8lvi4MelvvL6dl8orfE3cTmc0RBcprebIpx30LVFaPruT2Hntvb6YU6gYIpA6KOKq6jBUAPCXB7vbzJ9oW4T2pomRri0iBZ3BgF407-PnPlzTGtVhg/s320/DSCF4117.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-11705488763598833602022-03-13T07:35:00.006-07:002022-03-13T07:35:51.742-07:00March 9th-11th – Hakuna Matata (No Worries) in Zanzibar<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">Before I came to Zanzibar, I thought that “Hakuna Matata” was just a cheesy Disney song. Actually, it’s a Swahili phrase that you hear all the time, meaning “No worries”. It sums up the kind of relaxed, easy-going pace of life that’s dictated by the incredibly hot weather here, where you just have to accept that everything will go along at its own slow pace, and that not everything will go to plan. The exotic atmosphere of this beautiful, but crumbling, town more than compensates for the sense of chaos running just below the surface.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">Actually, I’m not sure that “No Worries” is quite the attitude I’m taking for the current state of Zanzibar. I worry about the impact of the pandemic on an island whose economy almost totally relies on tourism – you just have to see the groups of people sitting around with nothing to do, to know that the economy is hurting. I worry about the dilapidated state of so many of Stone Town’s historic buildings – the House of Wonders (it’s most impressive building from its years as an Arab Sultanate) collapsed during botched renovations in 2020 and who knows when it will be rebuilt. I also worry whether the city has its priorities right as it tries to balance tourism and everyday life. There are some really beautiful hotels and restaurants, right alongside some very basic lifestyles – for the time being people are overwhelmingly friendly and polite, I just hope that the economic disparities don’t begin to grate on the locals.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">However, for the time being, Zanzibar remains a wonderfully exotic, exciting and exhausting place to explore – as you turn every corner in Stone Town’s maze of alleys, there’s always something to see; as you drive around the island, the street scenes alternate between chaotic hives of activity, to indolent inactivity.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">There’s another Swahili phrase you hear all the time here on Zanzibar – “Pole, Pole” – “Slowly, Slowly”. Change happens slowly; traffic here moves slowly; and life proceeds slowly. Maybe I should stop worrying about Zanzibar’s future, and just enjoy its exotic present. Hakuna Matata.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">PS. We did a lot of tours over our wonderful three days here – spice plantations, palace ruins, monkey forests, Freddie Mercury Museum, Slavery Museum, and plenty of Stone Town walking too.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2fVoeRSfHfR-l1RpDyjA6cKBYILk6X-vfxplbcGBrWjTJ9vBEz1lB9OXIH9FLmAQyGCVr2m4H8p69iWVw0Pr_fs-ztrfUYnr8uwqSEbqXHQNcMNjGGizn7KVJ8Ed2o6sWVKCjWPl2ByaffKj5P4yQ07syg6aOfEHkqgAhAMj_3jmYYypoYHwEa0IXvg=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1000" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2fVoeRSfHfR-l1RpDyjA6cKBYILk6X-vfxplbcGBrWjTJ9vBEz1lB9OXIH9FLmAQyGCVr2m4H8p69iWVw0Pr_fs-ztrfUYnr8uwqSEbqXHQNcMNjGGizn7KVJ8Ed2o6sWVKCjWPl2ByaffKj5P4yQ07syg6aOfEHkqgAhAMj_3jmYYypoYHwEa0IXvg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKZPM8Yptyh84iIFFREmSaft3quJmcGwTVPnPQQAmh7_DvZ9hL34KT530E6OY5Njr9wn8ageNJbVt2FfxRTlTPOfRpfv_xV9M-0AAVgvm5XUDAkHPyigf0qjcPlt8JT3rzOzw_SV3H5tLcv0qqQs6q8U6VeC-UP5TUJ440pqxB5yNzjSZkZs9wUa0rWA=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKZPM8Yptyh84iIFFREmSaft3quJmcGwTVPnPQQAmh7_DvZ9hL34KT530E6OY5Njr9wn8ageNJbVt2FfxRTlTPOfRpfv_xV9M-0AAVgvm5XUDAkHPyigf0qjcPlt8JT3rzOzw_SV3H5tLcv0qqQs6q8U6VeC-UP5TUJ440pqxB5yNzjSZkZs9wUa0rWA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-33334636473550871882022-03-06T02:29:00.004-08:002022-03-06T02:29:22.341-08:00March 5th – A Taste of Maputo<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;">I’ve been coming to Maputo (Mozambique’s sultry capital) for over a decade now, and normally I’d be left with a feeling that things have been slowly getting better in a country that had been torn apart by so many years of Colonialism, Communism and Civil War. However, last time I was here (in 2019) it felt like the city was going backwards, as corruption and economic stagnation saw life for its ordinary citizens get significantly tougher. So, it was going to be interesting to see what impact the global pandemic had had on this struggling city.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><br />I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. There were signs of progress all around – new tower blocks and building projects abounded, the litter problem had improved, while there appeared to be a number of nice-looking new restaurants around the city and along the re-developed riverfront. So, some people were clearly doing well – although, from the sheer desperation of the vendors who surrounded our bus at every stop, it was clear that poverty was still a significant issue here. However, the city appeared to be in much better shape than you’d expect for a country that officially has the 6<sup>th</sup> lowest GDP per capita in the world (just $1,200 p.a.).</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><br />I joined a “Foodie Tour” that took us around various venues in the city where we could sample typical Mozambican cuisine, in venues where the ordinary people would eat. It was a great way to get a taste for the city in more ways than one. We sampled sugary-coconuty delights at the magnificent train station, we had cashew nuts at the teeming market, we tried deep fried badjias (bean dumplings) by the side of the road, we feasted on delicious grilled chicken by the beach, and we had other traditional dishes at the artisans market. All were really tasty, and it was great to stop in so many different venues and mix with the ordinary people.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">Maybe it was just down to the great food, but I got a much more positive vibe from the city than I did on my last visit here. Let’s hope that it wasn’t a mirage, and that things really are getting better for all the citizens of this wonderful country.</span> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNk1K26-j3Lil8YfSqsDDfFv4hbVPC4WtB-cbjGpT_D1yXKo-ndXWESJg1hOhpnGl3GxJGrewflV7FGYeKFDn0VFSkhRlqk19zZ7xPD1_Mms-nI8PgdgaHuSD4dD7INlxg3wN3Z58z7HOXeponLM3QTotVRUfpeEQ_ajXT8nlHK9VjjJu5NsIR0eRM8g=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="1000" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNk1K26-j3Lil8YfSqsDDfFv4hbVPC4WtB-cbjGpT_D1yXKo-ndXWESJg1hOhpnGl3GxJGrewflV7FGYeKFDn0VFSkhRlqk19zZ7xPD1_Mms-nI8PgdgaHuSD4dD7INlxg3wN3Z58z7HOXeponLM3QTotVRUfpeEQ_ajXT8nlHK9VjjJu5NsIR0eRM8g=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTICBIU71xv1riRXlSIBxa06YIrObbqfLGnaj3uGoBjb0TJ7ukvW7w_CeQbqhomiuwM_tT8_7tw4YJsgwRPCkWFzszQo7HRtfMs3sYIKVrdelxRIbdHRKr-QnOdx632uVKf7ST4q-ZQSPHDkI4JqIUwMwZJmdoZG2dfLEx2KK9idWCG12bD_A1jZpzqg=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTICBIU71xv1riRXlSIBxa06YIrObbqfLGnaj3uGoBjb0TJ7ukvW7w_CeQbqhomiuwM_tT8_7tw4YJsgwRPCkWFzszQo7HRtfMs3sYIKVrdelxRIbdHRKr-QnOdx632uVKf7ST4q-ZQSPHDkI4JqIUwMwZJmdoZG2dfLEx2KK9idWCG12bD_A1jZpzqg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-77695183467521776112022-03-05T08:47:00.004-08:002022-03-05T08:47:27.393-08:00March 2nd and 3rd – The Many Faces of Durban<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">On the face of it – Durban has it all. It has a fabulous sun-kissed environment. It has gorgeous beaches. And it has a thriving economy – the huge port we were docking in was busy with exports of cars, sugar, and other locally grown and produced goods.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />And yet the city isn’t quite achieving its potential. Its cosmopolitan make-up of races seem to be almost as separated as they were in the bad old days, as the city’s centre of gravity has shifted. As we drove to Victoria Market, the old colonial centre has almost been totally abandoned by the white population, who have moved to fancy new suburbs in North Durban.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />The town centre isn’t as run-down as Port Elizabeth’s, but it was interesting to notice not a single white face out there on the busy streets. Victoria Market used to be the centre of the Indian District, but this whole area seems to have been abandoned by them too – sadly there were fewer of the spice stalls that used to make this market so interesting.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />After the market, we visited the Botanical Gardens, where the Garden’s Curator took us on an interesting tour. As well as seeing plenty of exotic flora, there were some colourful birds and monkeys in there; and, it was nice to see that the Gardens were being used by all communities – Black, White and Indian.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />On my second day, we were taken to a completely different view of Durban life – into the huge Umlazi Township, home to around 500,000 people, almost exclusively Zulu people. The township wasn’t your stereotypical set of shacks and poverty – instead it was really a flourishing self-contained suburb, complete with malls, neat houses, a university and hospitals (having said that, there were quite a few ramshackle shacks too).</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />Our tour took us to meet a Sangoma – a Traditional Healer or Shaman (what would have been called a “Witch Doctor” in less politically-correct times). She was a perfectly ordinary lady the same age as me, whose role was a cross between a counsellor, a herbalist, and a physic – kind of like we’d have had gypsy fortune tellers back in Europe a few years ago.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />As she talked us through her beliefs and treatments, it would have been easy to be sceptical of her claims of communing with her ancestors and of magical healing treatments. But, when you boil down pretty much any worldwide religion, there are some pretty outlandish claims (walking on water, ascending into heaven, changing into animals etc etc) – it all goes down to what you believe. However, I did like the fact that apparently one major sign of her having healing skills was that she burped a lot.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />It was a strange kind of tour – sitting in her house as she told us all about her life and how she had discovered and developed her mystical skills – I had so many questions, but I didn’t want to seem like I didn’t believe her stories.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />Having had this insight into modern Zulu life, Tracy and I went for a stroll along Durban’s lovely Golden Mile, where the rough seas were a strong deterrent to any swimming, but where crowds of young African people strangely crammed together into small patches of water cheek by jowl, rather than spread along the wide stretch of sand.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />My final point about Durban is that the cruising experience here had improved markedly – you used to be docked in the commercial docks, and the port gates opened out onto a distinctly dodgy no-man’s land. Now, a brand new Cruise Terminal has been built in the redeveloped Point District, which used to be a no-go crime-ridden area, but is now being equipped with lots of fancy apartments. Our guide told us that within a couple of years, this area would be as safe and vibrant as the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. It would be quite an achievement – that’s the kind of Durban Regeneration I would like to see.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwTLygslc4mYiyNBO7xAI5KaSAVu__xvIvxoWG98JVccWWXKvGMc4Q7L1C3FHeXMpD1QFDYypxdsRNiCulCOF1vOuSzTRypQKudB7sZA0pFz8rfpxze5duiKNrhQ3t-ZvqRvuZP5cRfuRAFsOJ0gb6GSvb8XIlW3UO-w_V_-rVCZcBsALIY-oQ4mJX5g=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="1000" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwTLygslc4mYiyNBO7xAI5KaSAVu__xvIvxoWG98JVccWWXKvGMc4Q7L1C3FHeXMpD1QFDYypxdsRNiCulCOF1vOuSzTRypQKudB7sZA0pFz8rfpxze5duiKNrhQ3t-ZvqRvuZP5cRfuRAFsOJ0gb6GSvb8XIlW3UO-w_V_-rVCZcBsALIY-oQ4mJX5g=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="1000" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSnE2NUJB9XN_hpNSK3OkEGZcTPFF3SrwF8WCvV4m4xRbP7N4ut5z80_SSIyhZvIsGQkFyMQMBvti21f5EQ1mK-xKs1hjt-Mk9bVZukxV0Rq2rneJXenGPA9fGdo9ftv7zfhVgPxovA54cj8Q-9TjXgiC47a-t803xPta4txcy9yrSOlwDHGFnI5UngA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-41913283029508266492022-02-28T03:28:00.000-08:002022-02-28T03:28:16.880-08:00February 27th – Up Close With the Elephants From Port Elizabeth<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I don’t think that there’s any wild animal that I enjoy watching close-up more than the elephant. You could sit for hours watching their endearing interactions, as they nudge into each other, spray water or dust all over themselves, or take a bath in the mud.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />Today’s tour from Port Elizabeth took us to the Addo Elephant Park – one of the best places in the world to see large groups of elephants close up. The park is home to roughly 600 of these magnificent beasts, and as you drive around the centre of the park, it can feel like they’re everywhere to be seen – big family groups at the lakes, gangs of adolescent males hanging around at the waterholes looking for trouble (teenagers are the same the world over), or herds strolling through the bush having a feed.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />Addo’s landscapes aren’t particularly interesting or varied – undulating mainly treeless plains with low bushes, but that makes the elephant-spotting easier; plus, the guides know where all the popular water holes are, so you’re almost guaranteed to see some. I’d estimate that we saw at least 100 elephants, ranging from huge bull elephants confidently striding past our jeep (no more than 6 feet away), to gorgeous little babies that were gloriously uncoordinated as they stayed close to their mother’s feet. How the mothers didn’t step on the babies I’ll never know, but it was lovely to see just how tender and delicate these enormously powerful beasts could be.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />What a fabulous tour!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />PS. In stark contrast to the wonders of the natural world, the bits of central Port Elizabeth (now re-named the almost unpronounceable “Gqeberha”) that we drove through had an almost post-apocalyptic feel to them – so many Victorian buildings abandoned or boarded up, rubbish-strewn streets, groups of people just hanging around aimlessly. Quite depressing.</div><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8fsAgkN0K240W8-kRbQzTz-DPxK8Bz552XBMRs_ySJVa8TdChMCAj2owjeZ0xk8Wi2QTjGtWYh_eXv4yG-NmBX4xqa6Xn9KxSJnMnj_0UxMyO4cPp1jqUF1Jqevhd4iFXvbrH9zE3gY24kxwKkXhZggz_GVRhXxi-3jCzJFM6-QugPE_XElDmk04wng=s1000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8fsAgkN0K240W8-kRbQzTz-DPxK8Bz552XBMRs_ySJVa8TdChMCAj2owjeZ0xk8Wi2QTjGtWYh_eXv4yG-NmBX4xqa6Xn9KxSJnMnj_0UxMyO4cPp1jqUF1Jqevhd4iFXvbrH9zE3gY24kxwKkXhZggz_GVRhXxi-3jCzJFM6-QugPE_XElDmk04wng=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiISInvQH899JYoMVln8DSp0l6FrB42j7tnjwxy6HE2noq1Xn1rewHVfcMibdSKdQK9bm2Uzy3Vxq9REiB3dQfFRKrno7xHcbBvSqcdumdPGeGvikV7Jo96m5BMkpvpWaYz91M9wV-GlyXdRRfGdNDWi9kZYJT2js4bsW7gRiX95hIpJi6htTs8KY_DRw=s1000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1000" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiISInvQH899JYoMVln8DSp0l6FrB42j7tnjwxy6HE2noq1Xn1rewHVfcMibdSKdQK9bm2Uzy3Vxq9REiB3dQfFRKrno7xHcbBvSqcdumdPGeGvikV7Jo96m5BMkpvpWaYz91M9wV-GlyXdRRfGdNDWi9kZYJT2js4bsW7gRiX95hIpJi6htTs8KY_DRw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-63534384040864049262022-02-28T02:43:00.001-08:002022-02-28T02:43:43.781-08:00February 26th – A Low-Key Day in Mossel Bay<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Mossel Bay on the beautiful Garden Route is a rather low-key holiday town that holds a special place in South African history, as this was the first place that the Europeans actually set foot on the country’s soil. That was when the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias first ventured ashore here in 1488.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />Actually, given the waves and swell that our tender had to deal with to get us into the small port here, then I think that Dias did pretty well to come ashore. But, other than the Dias connections, there’s not a huge amount to discover in the town, although its lovely beaches have now turned the place into a relaxed holiday resort.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />So, if you want to discover Mossel Bay’s history, you have to visit the Bartolomeu Dias Complex to go to its small Maritime Museum where the star exhibit is a copy of the caravel that he sailed all those thousands of miles on from Portugal. When you see its diminutive size, you really do marvel at the sailing skills (and sheer bravery) of those hardy Portuguese mariners all those centuries ago.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />We also saw the famous “Post Office Tree” where the early sailors would leave their messages in a boot, for any passing sailors to collect and bring home on their next epic journey. Seeing as some of my Christmas cards didn’t arrive until February, it was probably more efficient than some postal systems!</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />Other than the (predictably) underwhelming shell museum, that was it for my sightseeing in Mossel Bay. Fortunately, Tracy did a much more interesting walk along the Cape Blaize trail, taking her along some lovely coastal scenery, and giving her some close encounters with the cute-looking dassies, furry little creatures that look vaguely like groundhogs, but are somehow related to elephants.</div><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhn0Dz0F0npk3yBzPPZXGBNW7uqCETBi4EIOMOx3iRa_EE8IGgHEAXaLyi05PODDYPhiKYCKdJtzerrwr-buj0GQEOD3mUFRWAEBmLRpFiEa4beLMeZh01GyJ82hwUi6O5Ta-ldkw6cDa1vO_7E5831MHNeOESB-6rMl7jQx6Ox3FnR6uQ0qMe-2qO_vQ=s1000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhn0Dz0F0npk3yBzPPZXGBNW7uqCETBi4EIOMOx3iRa_EE8IGgHEAXaLyi05PODDYPhiKYCKdJtzerrwr-buj0GQEOD3mUFRWAEBmLRpFiEa4beLMeZh01GyJ82hwUi6O5Ta-ldkw6cDa1vO_7E5831MHNeOESB-6rMl7jQx6Ox3FnR6uQ0qMe-2qO_vQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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Over the course of our 3 days here, I joined a few of the ship’s tours and had some pretty special experiences.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Day 1 showed me the finer things in life, as we went for High Tea at Cape Town’s oldest hotel, the venerable Mount Nelson. It was all very luxurious, and if you only visited “The Nellie” (as it’s affectionately known) and the V&A Waterfront (where we were docked), then you’d be forgiven for thinking that Cape Town is a super-wealthy place. However, the drive there saw us pass a large number of tent encampments on pretty much any open space in the city centre, to remind us that this is still a city of huge inequalities.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />To confirm this, Day 2 saw me join a trip to the large Langa Township - Cape Town’s oldest Township, founded in 1923. This sprawling low-rise township is populated almost exclusively by African Xhosa people, and it contrives to be both uplifting and depressing at the same time. Some parts of Langa were much better than your stereotypical view of a township, while others were shockingly poor – overcrowded and dilapidated shacks on the verge of collapse.<br />We visited a kindergarten where the over-excited children were adorable – of course, they don’t see colour or class, just people to play and laugh with. And, to keep the uplifting spirit going, we visited the township’s Community Centre, where local artists produce some exceptionally skilful arts and crafts in what seems to be a really supportive environment. The whole experience was incredibly eye-opening – I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to escape the traditional tourist bubble.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />That evening provided yet another contrast, as we were treated to an amazing World Cruise Experience of music and food in a spectacular setting inside an old quarry which had been converted into a magical semi-open-air venue. It’s easy to get blasé about the effort that gets put in to impress and entertain us, but this was definitely one of the best.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />On Day 3, my final activity was one of the definitive Cape Town experiences – catching a cable car up to the top of the awesome Table Mountain, and then doing a hike around its rocky peak. The hike was only a 5km round trip, but the going was incredibly rough – at times we were virtually scrambling on hands and knees, or clambering up metal chains – but all the time we were strengthened by the fabulous views from our lofty position. What an end to a superb 3 days back in civilisation!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Cape Town never disappoints.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4sTNefMfp3vT_kX8ladS4Yp4GvaOgqWoxTPDi6t7WrU-HEVcX-6xZ3-i2qxBej50Jx5JaV3pk8kiHUYI7w6cmYugq2oMBUuizXM9Qosu5CjUls3bi9Ywg79WqTjg6IxUklvkLE-8nqNHPMCRolJavTRu1T5T26xAdiKWuBhN_G0teXMf_fYmG-cMwkA=s1000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4sTNefMfp3vT_kX8ladS4Yp4GvaOgqWoxTPDi6t7WrU-HEVcX-6xZ3-i2qxBej50Jx5JaV3pk8kiHUYI7w6cmYugq2oMBUuizXM9Qosu5CjUls3bi9Ywg79WqTjg6IxUklvkLE-8nqNHPMCRolJavTRu1T5T26xAdiKWuBhN_G0teXMf_fYmG-cMwkA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="1000" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuYA9lZWyREAgO46XmbeimKOqDpGJKaLBI36w4ywx5PHhKded5Pww7kFssjsyq0LJQTUQkEaR9iGq6o5QZv-kd2uKteAcbLDl1gkPPi3E2WJ8q8kqGJ2aBPUz_I3hefo3iwrK0GoHWGwwUb002kLt7qioEErvrUzg-Pj8ypk4rGQtrlHdmt86bXNHREA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br />Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-43461133341329268682022-02-18T03:26:00.001-08:002022-02-18T03:26:56.894-08:00February 17th – As Remote as You Can Get in Tristan Da Cunha<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">It took us 5 days sailing through the rough South Atlantic to get to the most remote inhabited island in the world – the British Overseas Territory of Tristan da Cunha. Quite understandably, on an island with a population of just 243, without an airport, with just a small hospital (with no ventilators), and 4 days sailing from Cape Town, they just weren’t willing to risk us setting foot on the island (we have one case of Covid onboard).</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />However, we did the next best thing, by jumping into the zodiacs and having a tour around the coast of the neighbouring Nightingale Island to see its prolific birdlife. On a gorgeous morning, there were so many birds swooping around – gulls, terns, petrels, skuas, albatrosses – but, when the nearest bit of land is over 1,000 miles away, it’s not surprising that this little haven is so popular.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />We cruised up to a wonderful colony of Rockhopper Penguins, decorated with those beautiful bushy yellow “eyebrows”, living up to their name as they hopped about the cliff face with remarkable agility for creatures that look so ungainly. They shared the amazing volcanic formations that form the island with a large number of fur seals, slipping in and out of the water with ease.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />All the while, the volcanic shape of the main island, Tristan da Cunha, loomed in the distance, like the forbidding lair of an evil Bond villain. We sailed over to have a closer look at one of the most fragile communities in the world – protected from the pandemic and the cares of the modern world by a huge moat that means they have to be as self-reliant as possible (they get visits from supply ships about 9 times a year).</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />There’s only one slice of land that’s habitable – Edinburgh of the Seven Seas – a scattering of houses surrounded by a small section of pasture (we could see cows dotted around the grass), and a small area of allotments called Potato Patches (you’ll never guess what the main crop is).</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />So, visits from outsiders are pretty rare – which meant that school stopped as soon as our Captain sounded the horn, and the children ran down to the coast to wave at us in the distance. I wished we could have come ashore and said hello – but this was the next best thing, enjoying these views that very few people on this planet get to see.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEippaN_wVabBrLrycgGCVBFvlVIGnVsXzeCAzzwoqdqo9-Gi_vCBgc6XT1qyflQUbH5eP2gDIOdmESMwJR_9ztZBEJ6-N2FOdTihUUkIflsUFq-uZbZg6hI1U2Hv1e3g4U56e6mKIlCJyNwfYlQ6SgmO1TJwHwZBAmrx8_0LTxwWsQv7UXraeruQbxsYg=s1000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEippaN_wVabBrLrycgGCVBFvlVIGnVsXzeCAzzwoqdqo9-Gi_vCBgc6XT1qyflQUbH5eP2gDIOdmESMwJR_9ztZBEJ6-N2FOdTihUUkIflsUFq-uZbZg6hI1U2Hv1e3g4U56e6mKIlCJyNwfYlQ6SgmO1TJwHwZBAmrx8_0LTxwWsQv7UXraeruQbxsYg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgohQrzqh5YUkhDcZg_qM2f08lJGa01GQTDdgeG1gPq7LZPA81VFR_JteDBjPOzzKdNh1kgtkFDE5K7IZlscic4a4VFMY4TxtkhkUxfIeMzGZ4L3ls6FuJObhbo7tLUrrpaRKYWU6lSJIZgusQ25ZgDKabuE0HOfIk6185O1moEsOMLvgMzJAQXojcQrg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQXK4ACl44W0G1mYKx94A91xWbRLnCzgMNDw8BV6ezYLfGFGyOVk_Y0rbpFX7HD08D1d-oOdOFpZLRQVPHMKTTQrJvmINE1pQ-6q91_xHZtQsBr3CR4Dw1Beu5jqBvkskLJgceOXBgqAZu-dTvzk0lbJa-sC4DNUmpF04n5p9KEq2ElCV6V9tyOP_Aug=s1000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQXK4ACl44W0G1mYKx94A91xWbRLnCzgMNDw8BV6ezYLfGFGyOVk_Y0rbpFX7HD08D1d-oOdOFpZLRQVPHMKTTQrJvmINE1pQ-6q91_xHZtQsBr3CR4Dw1Beu5jqBvkskLJgceOXBgqAZu-dTvzk0lbJa-sC4DNUmpF04n5p9KEq2ElCV6V9tyOP_Aug=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-65845887047428414682022-02-11T11:21:00.001-08:002022-02-11T11:21:19.844-08:00February 11th – A Penguintastic Day in South Georgia<p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">If the wildlife viewing in Antarctica was great, then today it was off-the-scale in South Georgia. Looking out from the side of the ship, you could hear so many cries, calls and squawks echoing across the ostensibly barren bay, welcoming us to this utterly unspoilt environment.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Just catching the zodiac into Fortuna Bay, you could see plenty of seals and penguins hanging around the coast, but as we approached our landing point, it was hard to believe the amount of animal life on offer. There were so many seals and penguins swimming in the water, that the Expedition Team had to almost shoo them away to clear a space for us.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It was hard to listen to our briefing with so many super-cute baby seals all around us – their fluffy fur and huge dark eyes making them look like cuddly toys. They were so inquisitive and adorable that you really had remind yourself that these were wild animals who should be treated with caution; while, the King Penguins looked as immaculate, and endearingly clumsy as ever.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We did a hike over to the Penguin colony about 20-minutes away, walking through a field of so many seals – pups suckling on their mothers, others laid out lazily like corpses (we did sadly see one pup who hadn’t survived), and mothers trying to keep us away from their precious young ones.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Every now and again, a mother would decide that someone was getting too close (often as they were actually walking away), and would charge at us snorting or barking. At this time of year, seal aggression levels are way down and these were only mock charges, but it was still pretty alarming. The young pups obviously seemed to want to copy this behaviour, but they were just too damn cute to take seriously.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We climbed up a rock to see the penguin colony – it was simply awesome in its size - home to around 50,000 penguins huddled together, preening and squawking, all of them smartly dressed in their formalwear. They really are the most photogenic of creatures – you’re torn between constantly taking photos of them, and just sitting back and watching their awkward waddling and affectionate interactions.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This was another day where you really had to pinch yourself to be watching all this live. If I ever get complacent about the opportunities that cruising provides, please remind me of this day.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrlJcjAJst0z3CUOpuTqMzQTl__-9kxPcLjiFgMkUuWk6hml2PROSl-hi7nb-oDv00H_fz2OMAcQ-sIr9kMEIeKsW1Tfff9pEY-CIC454euVkHQYceGMfnsTHi-V6YKY5Vtdkh3dvycPklRLWDdoAAXuwaVh2Xjni0OlxbY21m8oF0-ghBWy12_ri4bA=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrlJcjAJst0z3CUOpuTqMzQTl__-9kxPcLjiFgMkUuWk6hml2PROSl-hi7nb-oDv00H_fz2OMAcQ-sIr9kMEIeKsW1Tfff9pEY-CIC454euVkHQYceGMfnsTHi-V6YKY5Vtdkh3dvycPklRLWDdoAAXuwaVh2Xjni0OlxbY21m8oF0-ghBWy12_ri4bA=s320" width="320" /></a><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj_4bxAUw8j1LSQK0Zg2_tdI2TAdPutpWBUPoIe44TaMy8Sat9yjpglWhZTlLyaUD0BefDTwUJ_VB5h8R_suXikuwXeWhXaDkeb8VmSFTDKTmFbbsHFIevoN1Mr7MfoQNYHCSi-UhGnzkByuSVj3p4xQLj7BdueCmskIEM2b5cZznonn0X5wKFUl1rKw=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; 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font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Sadly, Covid restrictions wouldn’t allow us to come ashore at South Georgia’s tiny little capital Grytviken – but, this is one of the few capitals in the world that looks as good from the water on a zodiac ride as it does from the land. The population numbers in the 10s of people (all researchers, no natives, and we only saw one of them!), and everything there is to see is within 10 metres of the water’s edge.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />The setting was absolutely majestic – jagged hills of green slopes, backed by snowy mountains and glaciers in the distance, all of it mirrored on the glass-calm water of the fjord that Grytviken sits at the end of. And, on a beautifully sunny day with scarcely any wind, I don’t think that this elemental place could have looked any better.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />There was a post-apocalyptic feel to a town that was devoid of people, and seemed to have been taken over by the wildlife – king penguins gathered in groups by the water’s edge, while fur seals slipped in and out of the water. The only sounds to be heard were the fur seals barking, penguins arguing, and elephant seals grunting noisily.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />The main feature of Grytviken is its rusting old whaling factory, where thousands of whales were slaughtered and boiled up for their oil. The rotting factory looked like something left behind from the industrial revolution, but it was only abandoned in the 1960s – it was hard to imagine that somewhere as serene as this could have been the site of such terrible scenes. The horror film setting was completed by the ghostly wrecks of a couple of rusting old whaling ships on the shore – their harpoons still pointing out menacingly.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />Fortunately, it’s obvious that nature has won out in the end, as we got some up-close views of the endearingly mindless king penguins all trooping after each other. And then, a huge elephant seal lolloped on its belly down to the water, like a giant slug, grunting furiously whenever his exertions got too much for him (every few metres), before sliding into the water next to our zodiac. Just for good measure, on our way out of the harbour, we saw some spouts from the whales that now safely sail these waters.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />This being Silversea, of course, we had a little stop for a glass of champagne half-way round. What an introduction to South Georgia – I can’t wait to get in amongst those penguins!</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdYGMjIdAhUQaJu-WDRbLPHdTVuAiiYDlCXj4-DJT6BoWQmOkeIv7xBqptaL0MaN_6g6zr5nP2oBc9-M3xZqy5HWPtcV9T0bWE1cIzt0372lF6DM-CFGjrSPEyNAm8eHLkE-7LpPKT7Y--wMKykIiY60epZwvRFGhppRtIEpHfrFBZf2YDcq1BmNezqA=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdYGMjIdAhUQaJu-WDRbLPHdTVuAiiYDlCXj4-DJT6BoWQmOkeIv7xBqptaL0MaN_6g6zr5nP2oBc9-M3xZqy5HWPtcV9T0bWE1cIzt0372lF6DM-CFGjrSPEyNAm8eHLkE-7LpPKT7Y--wMKykIiY60epZwvRFGhppRtIEpHfrFBZf2YDcq1BmNezqA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Unfortunately, strong winds scuppered our landings on our final day in Antarctica, however we got to see that sometimes the White Continent is as spectacular from the sea, as it is on land. We cruised to Antarctic Sound to have a look at the so-called “Iceberg Alley”, where huge icebergs are swept up from the Ross Sea through this narrow sound.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />Now, a ship hunting for icebergs in high winds and foggy conditions might not sound like it’s a good idea to many people, but the Captain knew what he was doing, as he steered us through the procession of glaciers coming towards us. We saw glaciers in all shapes and sizes, from ones looking like ski jumps to one that looked a bit like Sydney Opera House.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />However, the star of the show were the massive “Tabular Icebergs” – flat sheets of ice (like tables – hence the name), the size of small islands, that left you utterly in awe of Mother Nature. The largest we saw was around 20 metres tall (taller than the ship) and at least 200 metres long. When you consider that only around 10-15% of an iceberg is actually above water, that was an enormous moving object that were sailing so close to – something like 250 times the mass of our ship!</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />As we sailed, we saw a lot of leaping penguins, penguins hitching a lift on passing icebergs, and spouting humpback whales – for the past three days, this cruise has been like the best nature documentary that you could imagine. Let’s see what South Georgia brings us in three days time?</div><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4KPHpEkWFTEAGth_JyfCGBw0Mk_ZLgu0kLDcs2dKmsMVhrz3NsV7EltLB07Y15FF6XRmiHP8l80sCiS6TYVGB1QWEkKo_R-Y8vJT2h291mRL4mbo7nlNAQ_poieZaPkFK22ZNoWSysz7ZtxZg47-0AieRmBb3JE5ZrLbbEBdY7CfrB3dM8feJRDoLnQ=s1000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4KPHpEkWFTEAGth_JyfCGBw0Mk_ZLgu0kLDcs2dKmsMVhrz3NsV7EltLB07Y15FF6XRmiHP8l80sCiS6TYVGB1QWEkKo_R-Y8vJT2h291mRL4mbo7nlNAQ_poieZaPkFK22ZNoWSysz7ZtxZg47-0AieRmBb3JE5ZrLbbEBdY7CfrB3dM8feJRDoLnQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf5OWch939pIG2DRzGIXpFVhzrsFbSPWClfPTC6IsbezQJWwyPKUeMzQH--vJLWzKzcfD_VMIokq8W9sG0oHWXPsw7TcjTjyBD750NNiSziDjVD1nILWG-tfoie9Q5h9w7fC8-PF_a8cvRfW0EyJYkX4y4ytVaM9zSoLW-nFVXqjL9ukMmb82W6csS2g=s1000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="1000" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf5OWch939pIG2DRzGIXpFVhzrsFbSPWClfPTC6IsbezQJWwyPKUeMzQH--vJLWzKzcfD_VMIokq8W9sG0oHWXPsw7TcjTjyBD750NNiSziDjVD1nILWG-tfoie9Q5h9w7fC8-PF_a8cvRfW0EyJYkX4y4ytVaM9zSoLW-nFVXqjL9ukMmb82W6csS2g=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-26846412619799758932022-02-06T17:00:00.004-08:002022-02-06T17:09:01.900-08:00February 6th – Spectacular Antarctica<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">If yesterday was just a taster for what Antarctica had to offer, then today was a six-course feast. With our visit to the spectacular Danco Island (just off the Antarctic Peninsula), we were seeing the Antarctica of the TV documentaries – I was half-expecting David Attenborough to wander past at any point.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />Under bright blue skies, the landscapes of the jagged ice-covered mountains all around us looked unbelievably beautiful, while the wind-sculpted icebergs floating past us looked like works of modern art – it was simply magical.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />From the zodiac landing point, we climbed up the snow-covered hillside straight into a busy Gentoo penguin colony. It was just so fascinating to watch them trek drunkenly along their little highways up and down from the sea to their hillside homes in the rocks. On land, these creatures are so endearingly ungainly that they’re constantly stumbling and toppling over, like a bunch of arthritic old men who’ve over-indulged at a black tie dinner.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />The great thing about penguins is that they constantly look confused – like they’re not quite sure where they’re going, or what they’re doing – but, they just pick themselves up again and carry on their mission to and from the sea. As they pass by each other, you can’t help but imagine their conversations – you could watch them for hours.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />Sadly, we didn’t have hours – but, today ticked off all the Antarctica essentials, and left me totally in awe of Mother Nature. A day not to forget.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-38_4e7BxHaQlg1yvWsBM_DQ1XgO0KFSF-He6j7P06c29SQjY5umvFLB9-wZoDAqwELgqtJQqfRvcm3Fa69kHREg_9zs_Cpspr8mYY6aCIar5I42hD6uddRuLosl6FBNfH-6Ddp0j7T2cUr7RBDMUlnoCOF60YhxiOaxf-1WfOQ05a7taOmCsuRSP3w=s1000" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="751" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-38_4e7BxHaQlg1yvWsBM_DQ1XgO0KFSF-He6j7P06c29SQjY5umvFLB9-wZoDAqwELgqtJQqfRvcm3Fa69kHREg_9zs_Cpspr8mYY6aCIar5I42hD6uddRuLosl6FBNfH-6Ddp0j7T2cUr7RBDMUlnoCOF60YhxiOaxf-1WfOQ05a7taOmCsuRSP3w=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to Agata, our personal paparazzi!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIHnfo-Hx6f3kR8s1OxzBXYqufT0zkFG82vVtIW7bZ5f1ry5fQ2WlKQ5LIXifqDwxxlPtDlo3fGXUqJHYw8j4KAtV2-wtj4-e6neI9ilgwFFVwLmWFgh9oakCk_phy0QoSuzh32Z393lhymoJt48NVl3NnGM8X5a5RWM_Ue1WlkZ5K0GLW-f_DjHRmOg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxP_tZgSywGXlEtQCDlsEnRoCe7gJ8yKELtsoxfHw19a3xj5sR9qNA49Q_QAajSWdZS90tnc1OIbNRCXXDWItEDsJ-7ERS82LLKDn9_x_IrWVq_ZZd65w5aplbWoluSr7R-u49Bpjx0lgFZcohNjukPyjMhTLdRJ1K1W859jmAsdePKYg7rs2r_cjakw=s1000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1000" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxP_tZgSywGXlEtQCDlsEnRoCe7gJ8yKELtsoxfHw19a3xj5sR9qNA49Q_QAajSWdZS90tnc1OIbNRCXXDWItEDsJ-7ERS82LLKDn9_x_IrWVq_ZZd65w5aplbWoluSr7R-u49Bpjx0lgFZcohNjukPyjMhTLdRJ1K1W859jmAsdePKYg7rs2r_cjakw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-12002045283115106112022-02-05T18:02:00.002-08:002022-02-05T18:02:28.951-08:00February 5th – Setting Foot on Antarctica!<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">There aren’t many places that can get my adrenaline going these days, but today was one of them, as I finally got to set foot on my seventh continent – Antarctica!</span></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />When you travel a lot, you can become a bit blasé about where you’re visiting; but just looking out of the window and seeing the thick ice shelves ahead of us and the lumps of blue ice floating in the water, was enough to get us over-excited about a place that we knew well from the TV programmes, but didn’t quite dare to think we’d reach.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />I’d had a lengthy build-up to this long-awaited visit. I’ve had two previous trips to the White Continent not come about through cancelled flights and cancelled cruises; plus we had the will-we/won’t-we because of Covid; and then onboard, you have so many briefings and bio-security checks that you can physically feel the excitement building. Then, in the morning, you dress in all your many layers of Antarctic gear and anxiously wait for the call to go down to the zodiacs before you pass out from heat exhaustion.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />But, it didn’t disappoint. Our first stop was in the South Shetland Islands and Yankee Harbour – home to a Gentoo Penguin colony and various seals. Actually, from some angles it didn’t feel like how you’d expect Antarctica to be. We were dropped off on a bleak shingle beach with scarcely any ice in sight – that’s until you turn around and see the hills covered in thick glacial ice.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />Some people who’ve been here before commented that it had looked better on their last visit (blue skies and more penguins), but all that was going through my mind was, “I don’t care - I’M IN ANTARCTICA!” – a cloudy day and 30 penguins was more than enough for me.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />What struck me most was what an alien environment this was. That beach had a (quite literal) end-of-the-world feel to it – the pebbles were littered with the bones and carcasses of penguins, seals, and goodness-knows-what creatures. Seals would lumber across our path like we weren’t there, and the penguins stood still as statues like they were waiting for something exciting to happen.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />After 2 years spent behind face masks, the air felt so incredibly fresh and pure. While, the sounds were strange too – lumps of ice hitting the pebbles as they washed against them; fur seals barking like dogs; and most strangely of all, a fat weddell seal lying lazily on the beach singing like a chirping bird.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />To me, this was one of the highlights of my life of travels. People in the know tell me that this was a low-key day in Antarctica – if that’s so, I can hardly wait for more.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxDLbRtRWxk0XEfQ1qR7pBQPKVFr3RUsBdkIj4kOZTlm4PDxpi43YcdDb4w2nHItXPgVCTDFCwE60-2n1K9dltPXJhdhI0ecALPhHCGlIhmh9Em-y4qOqz_u2SmdNyXCHnowfMxnq9xiU3juQl60B3OxcfdMux6Xpo6jV2Edk2TKoySAX-4hF8dXU7IA=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxDLbRtRWxk0XEfQ1qR7pBQPKVFr3RUsBdkIj4kOZTlm4PDxpi43YcdDb4w2nHItXPgVCTDFCwE60-2n1K9dltPXJhdhI0ecALPhHCGlIhmh9Em-y4qOqz_u2SmdNyXCHnowfMxnq9xiU3juQl60B3OxcfdMux6Xpo6jV2Edk2TKoySAX-4hF8dXU7IA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-29732210772509208352022-02-03T07:35:00.000-08:002022-02-03T07:35:03.246-08:00February 2nd – Glacial Progress From Chile<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Covid restrictions have meant that we haven’t got the best from our land experiences in Chile (Punta Arenas wouldn’t even let us off the ship!); but at least it gave us more chances to appreciate the stunning scenery in the south of the country.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />We headed away from Punta Arenas a day early so that we could explore the dramatically bleak landscapes around the Beagle Channel, a place that’s like a geography lesson in glacial features. As we explored the network of channels and islands, it made you wonder how on earth the first European explorers down here in the 19<sup>th</sup> century ever made it through this dangerously windswept labyrinth of waterways, in what must be some of the most inhospitable environments in the world.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />As the snow-capped mountains of the Cordillera Darwin approached, there was scarcely any vegetation clinging onto those barren hillsides, but there was plenty of birdlife to appreciate, and even the swish of a whale’s tail to get us excited (by some miracle, Tracy was taking a picture of something else, so you might spot it in the corner of her second photo).</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />We then reached the star of the Beagle Channel show – Glacier Avenue, where 5 different glaciers make their way down the hillsides to the sea. It’s always astonishing to see the deep cobalt-blue of the glaciers – dense ice packed so hard by the thousands of years since it started its downhill journey, that the daylight gets absorbed and the red light is filtered out, leaving only the light at the blue end of the spectrum to be transmitted through it.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />These incredible natural sights have left us with a spring in our step before we head into the dreaded Drake Passage tomorrow – forecasts of moderately rough seas, are only slightly tempering our excitement for our arrival in Antarctica!</div><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZdOflKW916tiAZwiPTkL9kGZCNFunFltq3oA8yfhanlfVbOLoNO7hbrZxxJJRkGJMPOm7HvzRhGAiCHg-0H3AZjS3O1RK3u15XmjeR07F2MN9o3m9pGLJg9L9MDm3-OvMOtBohNgWauCujQaMGuwDr5dpuRb6wInRMuPpSyxTzlwt1C3RlveKOeLXFw=s1000" style="clear: left; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-ONbxE99RhcoKcH_9QkUmCoyDINws0ZFTzg374BnFs_kVu3_fi5L-2OH4YzxXp-1G_rGmUwsyNeo3z1MzITGEEb_g7lJNonTOEyB5VgmkLXyISCoBAl5SrMLysCA7XwzwY4Ti9GwQMdYby6S1L-sNcGUD-_aic9dJIaXn37SnyMHXT29WXoRR30xbfw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jon Fleminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00464303051551098117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7939059067220691252.post-6692155404967202532022-02-01T10:49:00.000-08:002022-02-01T10:49:22.335-08:00January 31st – Nature in the Raw in the Chilean Fjords<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">There can’t be many more places more bleak than the Chilean Fjords – a wind-lashed series of rugged rocks, isolated islands and moody mountains with scarcely a tree in sight, under perpetually grey skies. Yet, there’s an awesome beauty to be savoured in this scattering of islands and narrow channels down in Chile’s Deep South, plus the other good thing is that they provided welcome shelter from the very heavy seas that had been tossing us about for the previous day.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />As the ship crept quietly in between the steep rockfaces of the islands, we passed by jumping seals and sealions, while albatrosses, petrels and skuas rode the strong gusts circling above us. As the wind blew through, occasionally, we’d mistake the spray of the sea for a spout of a whale, but we didn’t catch a sight of any whales, even though we knew they were down there.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />To complete the elemental environment, heavy rain started to blow sideways at the ship as the winds became so strong that it was dangerous to be on the outside decks. However, the views of the now-misty fjords just got better and better. Thin waterfalls cascaded down the side of the rockface like jagged white thunderbolts, and we passed by breathtaking blue glaciers grinding their way down the hillside towards the water. The two glaciers that we saw were in retreat, so they weren’t quite reaching the icy water and we couldn’t get to see any calving, but it was still an amazing sight to behold from your own balcony.</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />You don’t get many chances to see nature in the raw like this – this was a day to remember.</div><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqTC-eSUcbd7EJLmTgP8a1n2YPT0-RX0HFcdyWI6fpvQg0jN0aai6-5uaCxy2tKuk-bYqzqn-f5mvwLciqixLa8NiI3odvOKujz-RB-1AwyN7ex2YJvQjVeVMAQlFvqvLBnCr1nsm5zgDxPms2146GM4Rh8RZ3poHLsfnix64K3KyMkBFFqs0TNyUqHA=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; 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