TravelStream™ news feed for member manzara on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/manzara en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Fri, 29 May 2009 03:53:50 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/3/1243517220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/3/1243517220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/3/1243517220/tpod.html Fri, 29 May 2009 03:53:50 -0400 Western Turkey to the Shores of the Red Sea

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Dahab, Red Sea and Sinai, Egypt

We were met at Sharm airport and after a long day's travelling, we finally arrived at the Coachhouse, Dahab, a small (seven en-suite rooms) bed and breakfast place just 50 meters from the sea front - and a spectacular coral reef. It is owned by a Danish couple, Nina and Mikkas. Dahab is an all year round resort and the
Coachhouse is open all year. Consequently they have little free time and are up before 7 a.m. each day to prepare a delicious fresh breakfast which is served in a shaded courtyard.

The snorkelling was excellent both in Dahab itself and from beaches a little further away. On two days we went to Three Pools by Jeep and that wasn't without incident, as the photograph shows. Clutch problem! The driver headed off to find a mechanic and left us in the Jeep (with a Swedish family we had met at the Coachhouse) in the centre of the road, which caused great interest to passing vehicles. One coach even slowed down so the passengers could get a better look! Our driver, returning with a young chap approximately 5'5" tall, said, "I tried to get a big mechanic, but could only find a small one." Anyway, 15 minutes later we were on our way again.

Three Pools is so called because about a hundred metres from the shore are three deep crevices surrounded by wonderful coral gardens. We enjoyed a simple lunch under tented shade at a laid-back Bedouin restaurant right on the beach.

One day we walked to a nearby Bedouin village and just wandered around the streets, the few shops (I just had to have some street food!) and past simple houses, some with camels 'parked' outside. We heard noise and clapping coming from the grounds of a large building which, on closer inspection, turned out to be a school. There were children singing and we tried to take some photographs over the wall. Difficult, so we moved towards the front gates. Within seconds we were ushered into the playground, two chairs suddenly appeared and we were seated on the front row right in front of the top table.

It was a celebration for Mother's Day and the pupils were receiving certificates and gifts for their mothers. Not only that, but the ceremony was being filmed for Egyptian television and their cameraman homed in on the two strange foreigners on several occasions!

We got on very well with Nina and Mikkas during our stay at the Coachhouse. They were interested to hear about Turkey and our apartments and one evening invited is up to their terrace on the top floor of the building for wine, coffee and a chat. As they hadn't had a break from early starts for over three months, we offered to take over breakfast duties for two mornings so they could turn off the alarm clock and have a lie-in. They jumped at the chance. We were up at 6.30 a.m. (on holiday?), to prepare fresh fruit, make orange pancakes and warm up the home-made rolls baked in advance by Nina. They were so grateful they took us out for a delicious evening meal at a Bedouin Restaurant right on the beach.

So after eight lovely days we were on our way again, two hours up the coast to Nuweiba. Our next hotel, Swisscare Resort, arranged for one of the staff, Ashraf, and a driver to pick us up at Dahab and drive us to the hotel. On the way we stopped at an ancient granite column which was rescued from the Red Sea in 1978, but inscriptions had been eroded over time.

However, in 1984 an identical column was found directly across the sea in Saudi Arabia and the inscriptions (in Archaic Hebrew) were still intact, indicating that King Solomon had set up these columns as a memorial to the miracle of the Crossing of the Red Sea. Ashraf was doubtful. Although, be believed the story of the parting of the sea, he was not convinced this was the exact site, but historians do agree it was close to Nuweiba.

Swisscare Resort was something else! Located on a fabulous, peaceful beach with a wonderful coral reef just metres from the shore, spacious rooms, breakfast and dinner served at your table in a no smoking restaurant and no music played on the beach or by the pool. In fact, personal music is banned unless you have earphones.

Owned and managed by Alvin who was born in Guernsey but is now a Swiss national and who has trained his staff to be efficient, polite and endlessly obliging but with a relaxed and humorous attitude with guests. He has established a fairly unique concept in hotel management. Can't speak too highly of the place. We simply relaxed here; lazy days on the beach, paperbacks within reach; in and out of the water to explore the coral garden; simple lunches served to our sun-loungers; and views across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia and behind to the Sinai Mountains.

In my view, one of the most exotic fish to see in the Red Sea is the Lion Fish. So graceful they almost glide through the water. They should be treated with respect, though, and you need to avoid contact with their venomous spikes. Although they are not
deadly, they are very painful. However, they are not aggressive toward humans and always keep their distance when given the opportunity. We were lucky to see quite a number of them when snorkelling both at Dahab and Nuweiba.

After five days chilling out, it was off on yet another adventure - to Jordan.
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Jordan, Jordan

So we left Swissacre Nuweiba resort for our five days in Jordan. We decided against the ferry from Nuweiba to Aqaba due to many reports of delays embarking, disembarking, etc. and took the overland route instead.

This is how it works. Car from the hotel to Taba, Egypt at the border with Israel. After passport and immigration controls, you walk from Egypt just a few hundred meters to the Israeli checkpoint. After passport control you walk into Israel, hail a taxi which takes you through Eilat to the border with Jordan. Then, similar procedures at the checkpoints followed by another few hundred metre walk out of Israel and into Jordan. Job done, involving being in three countries in the space of just 1½ hours.

Another short taxi ride took us to Hertz offices in Aqaba from where we had rented a car for 5 days. They upgraded us (don't they always?) from a tiny car to a family sized automatic saloon. Never driven an automatic before so it was a quite a while before I persuaded my left foot to do absolutely nothing and for Elaine to r-e-l-a-x having almost sent her through the windscreen on two occasions!

An easy drive along a six-lane highway (interspersed with speed bumps every few miles) to Wadi Mouse, the town closest to Petra. We checked into our hotel and had a great shock when we opened the bedroom door - and almost walked straight into the bed! Bit of a surprise after the spacious accommodation at Nuweiba. Valley Stars Inn was a simple sort of place but clean and the owner's mother prepared an evening buffet meal which was delicious. The bedrooms and restaurant were non-smoking except for the very occasional member of staff who passed through with a fag hanging between his lips on his way to smoke outside - passed through the restaurant, not the bedroom I hasten to add!

The following morning we headed off to Petra, just a couple of miles away. Petra, known as the Rose-red City, one of the new wonders of the world, is Jordan's most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.

Few buildings in Petra are free-standing; most were bored and chiselled out of the rock face. Entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge, over one kilometre in length, which is flanked on either side by soaring, 80 metres high cliffs. Just walking through the Siq is an experience in itself. The colours and formations of the rocks are incredible.

As you reach the end of the Siq you catch your first glimpse of Al-Khazneh (Treasury) A massive façade, 30m wide and 43m high, carved out of the sheer, dusky pink, rock-face and dwarfing everything around it. It was carved in the early 1st century as the tomb of an important Nabataean king and shows the amazing ability of these ancient people. The Treasury was featured in the film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

There are hundreds of elaborate rock-cut tombs with intricate carvings. Unlike the houses, which were destroyed mostly by earthquakes, the tombs were carved to last throughout the afterlife and 500 have survived. Here also is a massive Nabataean-built
Roman-style theatre, which could seat 3,000 people. There are obelisks, temples, sacrificial altars and colonnaded streets, and high above, overlooking the valley, is the impressive Ad-Deir Monastery - a flight of 800 rock cut steps takes you there. We
made it without the help of a donkey or camel to get us there. I'm sure there were more than 800 steps but we weren't doing the climb again just to check!

After a tiring day at Petra there was still no stopping us. We had to explore the desert (briefly) and see where Lawrence of Arabia spent some time and drove for an hour of so south to Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is a protected area covering 720 square kilometres of dramatic desert wilderness. Huge mountains of sandstone and granite emerge, sheer-sided, from wide sandy valleys to reach heights of 1700 meters and more. Narrow canyons cut deep into the mountains. Bedouin tribes still live among the mountains of Rum and their large goat-hair tents can be seen throughout this part of Jordan.

Lawrence based his operations in Wadi Rum, and one of the more impressive rock formations in the area was named by him as "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom". In the end, Lawrence decided to use this title for the memoirs he wrote after the First World War. We decided to follow in his footsteps and walk towards the Seven Pillars and find our way through to the other side. Now, in our defence, in the desert there are no signposts, landmarks, crossroads, policemen to ask directions; nothing but sand, mountains and more and more sand for miles. So, yes, we got slightly lost and didn't find our way to the other side of the rock formation, but without the help of Lawrence or a passing camel who can blame us? Anyway three hours in the desert was enough for us; and we did find our way back to the car.

After breakfast the next day we left Wadi Mousa and headed north up the King's Highway, heading for the Dead Sea. First mentioned by name in the Bible, the King's Highway was the route that Moses wished to follow as he led his people north through the land of Edom, which is in southern Jordan.

On the way, we had brief stops at the Crusader fortress at Shobak and Dana, a village set in a lovely valley with a nature reserve which we really didn't have the time to explore. We had to cover about 135 miles which doesn't seem far but we planned a leisurely journey so the driver could safely take in some of the scenery, too; the roads twist and turn down to the valleys and up into the hills; and road signs are not a priority in Jordan!

We were looking for a hotel called Six Senses Resort & Spa, well off the main road which runs along the shores of the Dead Sea and we knew it was close to some hot springs. We saw a right turn for the springs and headed up into the hills - then further up into the hills. Eventually a signpost directed us to turn right for the springs - but still no mention of a hotel. Down into the valley, we were now surrounded by quite barren hills. "There can't be a hotel down here", I said. Then Elaine spotted something which looked like a building a couple of kilometres down the valley. Then it disappeared as we twisted and turned.

A little further on we saw a small sign which announced Six Senses. Thank goodness, in a couple of hours it would be dark and we were in the middle of nowhere.The journey was worth it. We didn't want to stay in one of the four or five resort expensive centres on the Dead Sea coast and by chance discovered Six Senses on an internet travel forum. This hotel was very expensive but as they had just opened they were offering two nights for the price of one. Still very pricey but we decided to book two nights as 2009 birthday treats for us both.

It was a stunning hotel. When booked we were asked to complete an online form requesting what fragrance of shower gel and liquid soap we preferred; our sizes for bathrobes; and, our choice from their selection of various pillows. The buffet breakfast was magnificent
and for dinner . . . well! There were chefs preparing, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Italian (Pasta made to order) and International dishes. Unbelievable. But despite the luxury, the staff were all friendly and helpful, even suggesting we tried just a bit of everything. Impossible! Although Elaine did sample nine small portions from the dessert table on our second evening there.

In the grounds of the hotel was a fast-flowing rocky stream, fed by several waterfalls cascading down the hillside. You could stand under the falls or just sit in the stream with hot water passing you by. It was a wonderful experience and great birthday celebrations for us both.

On our first morning at Six Senses, we headed for the Dead Sea. The 30% salt content is six times greater than the oceans, so plant and animal life is impossible. Swimming here is very difficult, too, because you're too high in the water to stroke properly but it's very easy to float whilst holding and reading a newspaper!

It's easy to say you can float in any water but the buoyancy you experience in the Dead Sea is the sort of thing you can only understand once you've been there. It's amazing! The Dead Sea is also situated at the lowest point on earth.

So after two nights being pampered at our hotel and another morning enjoying the hot springs (during a short and unexpected shower of rain), we headed to Amman's Queen Alia International Airport where we deposited our hire car at the Hertz office before joining our short flight back down to Aqaba.

And then the return journey through three countries in 90 minutes bringing us back to the Egyptian border. We were met there by a driver from Swisscare Resort, Nuweiba where we were returning for our final week. Another seven days of relaxation, paperback reading on the beach and more spectacular snorkelling round the reef.

Then back home after a wonderful four weeks combining so many diverse, fascinating and exciting experiences and not forgetting that important ingredient in any holiday recipe, relaxation!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/2/1262257200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/2/1262257200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/2/1262257200/tpod.html Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:09:52 -0400 Kerala, en route to The Andaman Islands

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Havelock Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

We checked in at Wild Orchid Resort for 11 nights. A lovely hotel with probably the best restaurant on the island - once again, non-smoking. And right on a beautiful, almost deserted beach. We had a decent size room with a double four poster bed.

The following day we visited Radhanagar Beach - as mentioned earlier, reputably the best beach in Asia. We won't argue with that! Not a snorkelling beach but exciting waves, elephants in the woods behind the beach and unfortunately our only rain in the Andaman Islands with heavy showers from about 3 pm.

On Wednesday a visit to another beach, Kalapathar, about 15 minutes or so drive from our hotel. I think we were the only people on a long stretch of sand. We walked along the beach to the Elephant Training Camp. Elephants can swim and are trained here for logging - moving large tree trunks over stretches of water. A dog joined us on the beach and stayed with us for most of the day, even sharing our picnic lunch! In the evening we went to the area around the jetty to find a boatman to take us to Elephant beach - for the best snorkelling on the island. We were soon approached by an auto-rickshaw driver who knew a man with a boat - what a surprise! We agreed a price and arranged for him to pick us up at our hotel in the morning and bring us back to the jetty to meet the boat.

Elephant beach can only be reached by boat - or a 15 minute rickshaw journey, and a 30 minute 'jungle' trek, following elephant footprints.

So the next morning the boatman was there ready for us. Elephant Beach (as for most of Havelock Island) was paradise. The snorkelling was truly spectacular. I cannot begin to recall the numbers, colours and sizes of fish, the superb shapes of the colourful coral reef and huge coloured starfish on the sea bed. It is impossible to describe the feeling when dozens of fish swim with you, look at you through your mask, or you swim through a huge shoal of smaller fish. You simply feel privileged to share part of their hidden world for just a short time.

The next day we spent at the beach close to our hotel and the following three days returned to Elephant Beach, on these occasions once again getting a rickshaw to the start of the 30 minute trek through the 'jungle'. Despite walking in the heat of the morning, the trees (some at least 100ft. tall) provided welcome shade. But they were absolutely perfect days combining a walk through the forest following the elephant tracks and spotting the numerous lizards, swimming, snorkelling, relaxing on the beach, picnic lunches and a gently walk back through the woods to meet the rickshaw.

I should mention that our picnic lunches on Havelock comprised of bananas, biscuits and street food bought from the market area - banana bhajis, vegetable pakoras, chapattis, etc. All delicious. Close to the market was Havelock's only bank. Not exactly HSBC or Royal Bank of Scotland!

It's now Thursday and our last two days on this paradise island. We decided on a final visit to our favourite spot, Elephant Beach today and another visit to Radhanagar Beach tomorrow. At Radhanagar we walked through the woods at the back of the beach for about 15 minutes to reach an almost deserted cove - which must be the best spot on the best beach in Asia. Picture postcard perfect!

On Friday we began our long journey home. Ferry to Port Blair, overnight at Peerless Resort and then a flight to Chennai wo more nights at GRT Grand.

We had a full day to spend in Chennai but wanted to escape the manic city centre. We headed for the beach, the second longest city beach in the world and being Sunday, busy with locals enjoying a walk, a paddle, bringing in the fishing boats or visiting the many food, drink and trinket stalls set up at one end of this wide stretch of sand.

In the evening, being in South India's centre of culinary excellence (who hasn't heard of Madras Curry) we dined in style at . . . . Pizza Hut, just opposite the hotel. Then very early Monday morning (nearer Sunday night!) our Qatar Airways flights via Doha to Istanbul. Finally, the short hop down to Izmir - the only flight delayed during our travels - a half hour delay due to on-board computer problems.

To summarise, a wonderful holiday: Havelock is the perfect island. Very few tourists, almost deserted beaches, snorkelling to die for, exceptional food and wonderful island people. No beach sellers, no beggers, no inflated tourist prices in the shops.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/2/1229941200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/2/1229941200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/2/1229941200/tpod.html Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:56:47 -0400 Kerala, en route to The Andaman Islands

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Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

The Andaman Islands consist of approximately 200 islands, only a couple of dozen or so are permanently inhabited. The islands are Indian Territories but lie nearer to Thailand . Despite being so far east, the islands operate India time so the sun rises as early as 5 a.m. and darkness falls soon after 5 p.m.

South Andaman Island is approximately 860 miles by air from Chennai. Jet Airways aim to be the No. 1 airline in India and pride themselves on their schedules, safety record, cabin services - and food. We have to admit it was a well-above-average airline meal but thought it a little 'over the top' when the stewardess cleared my tray and politely asked "Did you enjoy your meal, sir?"
We were met at the airport and driven to Corbyn's Cove and our next hotel, Peerless Resort. I have to admit that my heart ruled my head in choosing this hotel. Port Blair has only one beach and Peerless is the only hotel actually on this beach. There are many other beaches around the island, of course, and on other smaller islands but they are protected areas without accommodation. So, rather than stay in the town centre I opted for this hotel, which pre-tsunami was apparently an excellent place.
The food was excellent, the staff courteous and helpful, towels and sheets changed daily, constant (very) hot water with power shower and efficient room service but the rooms were in need of tender loving care. Since the tsunami, visitors to the islands have only just begun to return in reasonable numbers and there has been a serious lack of investment at Peerless. We did have to insist they replaced our mattresses and pillows. The ones provided were well past their lie-by date!
But there was excellent snorkelling from the beach a few hundred yards away and we were in the sea on this first afternoon.
The following day we joined the ferry to North Bay, and spent a few hours snorkelling amongst the hundreds of multi-coloured fish around the coral reef.
Christmas Eve today and not a carol singer in sight! Our UK SIM card which picked up a strong signal on mainland India just couldn't link up with anything here so we decided to go into Port Blair (15 minutes away by rickshaw) to purchase a local (Airtel) card. After a few enquiries we found the Airtel Shop where we waited and waited and waited while locals 'pushed in' to the front of the queue. Eventually , we operated the same system and it worked!Out comes a rather forbidding-looking application form. Name? Address? Father's Name? No problem. Photocopy of passport? Like Turkey, they always ask for something you haven't got. Also they wanted a photocopy confirmation of our address. Fortunately we had our Driving Licenses with us. Off to the photocopy shop. Back to Airtel. "OK, now two passport photographs please." Why didn't they say they also wanted those earlier? Off to find photograph shop, not easy on a strange island in the middle of the Indian Ocean when you don't speak one word of Hindi! Not only that, the photographer refused to take my photograph until I had removed my spectacles! Despite all this, two hours later global communications were restored.
On Christmas Day (when seasonal decorations had miraculously appeared in the hotel overnight) a trip to the west coast of the Island to catch the ferry to Red Skin Island, part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Marine Park, and offering one of the best coral reefs of the region. Once again spectacular snorkelling, with fish of every colour, size and shape swimming among the lovely coral reef.
Boxing Day and an unexpected telephone call to our room whilst we were getting ready to go down for Breakfast. "Hello, Restaurant Manager here. Are you coming down for breakfast?" Yes, I felt like saying, like we always do! However, I simply and politely replied, "Yes, we'll be down shortly." Strange we thought. As soon as we entered the restaurant, the Manager came up to us and asked if we would accompany him into the adjoining bar. Bit early for a drink! When he opened the door, there was a candle burning and he asked if we would join him in a moment's silence. It was, of course, on this day in 2004 that tsunami caused so much devastation throughout the Indian Ocean. He just wanted everyone to remember the people who died so suddenly (and their families) and guests of several creeds and of none would have joined him in a brief remembrance this morning.
The next couple of days we spent snorkelling at the beach close to the hotel and on one day made a second visit to North Bay. Most days we asked the hotel to prepare us a packed lunch so we could spend the whole day out. We were sat on the beach one day watching a young man throwing stones high up to the top of the coconut trees to dislodge the nuts. We were then fascinated to watch him remove the thick outer case, then the husk, break the coconut in two almost equal halves and remove the white coconut in two unbroken pieces. Not easy I can tell you and he was only using sticks and stones! When he'd finished he came up and offered us half of the coconut. A nice, friendly gesture. A little later we offered him some of our biscuits - not quite as exciting or labour intensive.
Health & Safety Warning : Don't sit under a coconut tree for shade. They can fall down when ripe!
On another day at Corbyn's Cove we were in the sea relaxing. Both just floating and enjoying the gentle movement of the sea. Elaine was very surprised (major understatement!) when several flying fish jumped over her!
Thursday, 28th we decided to get a taxi to the southern tip of the island to a village called Chidya Tapu with a very quiet beach. Again the snorkelling was excellent but the coral reef was a long way out into the bay. It was worth the effor, thought. So much of the coral was shaped like small bushes of different colours and shapes almost giving the impression of a country cottage garden. Later I saw a parrot in the trees behind the beach but Elaine got the short straw! She spotted a sea snake which 'stood up' from the sea bed to see what she was up to - nothing, I can tell you, apart from swimming in the opposite direction!
On the way back to the hotel we overtook another car. The driver had the wing mirror loose in his hand and he had to open the window and position the mirror correctly to see what was behind him! On New Year's Eve we left South Andaman by ferry for Havdelock Island. The ferry tickets were delivered to our hotel the previous evening by a travel agent. He explained the tickets were simply that - tickets - and any information on them was totally irrelevant. That's good then. Because both tickedts were made out in ther name of "Behra". Both listed as "Male". One aged 32, the other 21. One ticket was for the 6 am ferry, the other for the 2pm one. No problems there then! Incidentally, we did board the ferry without incident.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/2/1229353200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/2/1229353200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/2/1229353200/tpod.html Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:56:16 -0400 Kerala, en route to The Andaman Islands

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Kovalam, Kerala, India

We arrived in Chennai (formerly Madras) around 4 a.m. on Thursday, 15th December and checked into our hotel, the GRT Grand. A bit up-Market for us and not usual our sort of place but if you're in a noisy, dusty, busy city like Chennai we did want to have a comfortable 'haven' as a base for just two nights.

Then on Friday morning off to the airport for our one-hour flight to Trivandrum in Kerala at the foot of India and a fairly short journey to our hotel at Chowara Beach.

Chowara Beach , Nikki's Nest (named after the owner's daughter, Nikita) is a lovely hotel on a headland above a very quiet beach. With a spacious room, the sea so close and a non-smoking, vegetarian restaurant, what more could we ask for? In fact, from our first evening onwards, the waiter prepared us a table on the decking just outside the restaurant, so we were bale to enjoy the delicious evening meals in the open air under the stars.

The hotel had an Ayuverdic Clinic in the grounds. Ayuverda is a 5000-year-old holistic medical system widely practised in India. Instead of the West's system of finding out what's ailing you and destroying it, Ayuverda looks at the whole patient. Disease is regarded as an imbalance so it's the imbalance that's treated, not the disease.

Being fairly healthy specimens, we both decided just to go for a full body massage but during the initial discussion, the doctor noticed the problem with my arm, Brachial Plexus injury which is damage to the maoin nerve running from the spine and down my right arm. Not painful now but slightly restricts certain movements.
He suggested a few daily treatments - a brisk massage with a pad and using a solution of (wait for it!) rice soaked in hot cow's milk. My shoulder (where the nerve damage is) was massaged first and then down the arms to the wrist. Following that, further massage of the shoulder and arm (with traditional oils this time), and then a pummelling of the arm muscles for 10 minutes or so. I had this treatment for four consecutive days, the Masseur always welcoming me with the greeting "Ready for rice pudding treatment?"

The same masseur also said to me one day "What is your name." "David" I replied. "Oh, that very good name." the masseur replied. "Why is it a good name?" I enquired. "Because of my name", he said. "And what is your name?", I asked . . . "Harish", he replied. Yes, well . . . !

Much of our time here was spent on the beach and on most early evenings a walk into the village or along the sand. Dozens of eagles soared over the tall palm trees lining the beach and every morning the fisherman worked hard hauling in the night's catch on the adjoining beach. The warm sea was great fun, not a snorkelling area but we had good times being thrown about, over (and under) the crashing waves. The weather was deceptively hot. Although there was light cloud cover for part of the days, and we did have a couple of short showers, you still had to be careful not to stay exposed for too long.
A relaxing first week at Nikki's Nest then on Friday, 21st December our flight back to Chennai. We arrived in mid-afternoon and it was then out into the hustle and bustle of India's fourth largest city with a population of around six million, heading for Pondy Bazaar. Even crossing the busy main roads is a major challenge. However, the air pollution has been significantly reduced. The thousands of auto rickshaws which were previously driven by two-stroke engines, billowing out noxious exhaust fumes, have all now been converted to LPG - and what a difference that makes.
We rarely buy souvenirs when on holiday so our shopping trips tend to be for practical items and today we purchased: cashew nuts, a new watch for Elaine, a hat with a wide brim for me, metal key rings which we purchased and had engraved at a street stall - oh, and a suitcase and a plastic sandwich box! Well, our suitcase had passed its travel-by date and we do like to have picnic lunches on holiday so the sandwich box would be handy for those.
It wasn't easy buying the sandwich box. The shop was long and narrow with aisles just wide enough for one shopper (no overtaking) - and very, very, busy. Despite this, customers had to pick up their items from the shelves and take them to a counter where they issued you with a bill. You then return to the front of the shop (minus your purchases) to a larger counter where you produce the bill and pay. In the meantime all purchases are brought down to this front counter from counter No. 1 by members of staff, inconveniently squeezing past customers browsing in the busy, narrow aisles. Finally, you hand your receipt to yet another person who identifies your purchases for the dozens of items on the counter and places it in a bag for you. Job done!

Saturday morning and off to the airport for our Jet Airways flight to Port Blair, South Andaman Island.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/1/1169481600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/1/1169481600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/1/1169481600/tpod.html Sat, 21 Mar 2009 09:29:01 -0400 South of the Equator to the Spice Island of Zanzibar

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Zanzibar, Zanzibar Archipelago, Tanzania

Here we stayed at Pongwe Beach Hotel a little further down the East Coast. We try to end all our holidays on a high note, aiming to stay at the best hotel for our final days. We were not disappointed! Although all the hotels were superb - clean, welcoming, excellent food served by friendly staff - Pongwe Beach was probably the highlight, both for location and standards. It was fairly remote with no mains electricity; power came via three diesel generators. No mains water either. Sea water was filtered through the rock and rag coral for showers but it was still very salty, so the hotel provided fresh bottled water in your room each day for cleaning teeth, etc. There was no land-line telephone but they did have wireless internet connection via a tall aerial in the grounds for those who needed to keep in touch with the real world. Why does everyone look at me? There were only 16 rooms so the most number of people you could come across in the restaurant or on their section of beach at any one time was about 30. Just our sort of place!

Late one afternoon we strolled through the nearby village and visited the school. Pongwe Beach Hotel supports the local school and the head teacher visits the hotel once a week to teach some of the staff more English. Many of the local children love to have their photograph taken but some are a little wary. They have been told by their parents (or more likely grandparents) that having your photograph taken, takes away your soul.
We spent quite some time cooling off in the sea and in their newly-built pool. The Indian Ocean can reveal some rather interesting (for want of a better word!) creatures of the deep which caused, my partner, Elaine a couple more nasty stings. The tentacle of a Portuguese Man o' War attached itself to her shoulder and produced stinging which soon disappeared and a red weal (which took much longer to fade). They are not the dangerous versions of this creature in this part of the ocean. I was lucky. I only got a slight sting on his hand as he bravely and totally unconcerned for his own safety, spent a second or two removing the thin tentacle from across Elaine's shoulder. What a hero!

We always imagined a Portuguese Man o' War to be a huge fish or jellyfish. It's neither. It's not even huge. It consists of a small air-filled sac which floats on the surface and attached to this is a long thin, string-like tentacle which is the bit that causes the problem. But I expect most people already know that!

Anyway, our final six days soon came to an end and on the Thursday morning we headed for the capital Stone Town where we were to spend our last night before flying out early Friday morning. We had lunch at Mercury's right by the port. Not only is it an excellent restaurant looking out over the islands just off the shore but it's also a mine of information about Freddie.

Our final week soon came to an end and on the Thursday morning we headed for the capital Stone Town where we were to spend our last night before flying out early Friday morning. We had lunch at Mercury's (where else!) right by the port. Not only is it an excellent restaurant looking out over the islands just off the shore but it's also a mine of information about Freddie.

Then up at the crack of 4.45 a.m. when amazingly our hotel provided a buffet breakfast before we left for the airport at 5.45. The flight from Zanzibar to Nairobi took us virtually over the summit (about 1500 feet to spare!) of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Then a change of aircraft for Istanbul and from there a short flight to Izmir in Western Turkey where we were met by friends for the final leg of our journey home.
And Finally!
During the holiday there were two real conversation stoppers. Comments made when you have to think carefully about what you've just heard.

The first was when we were having a quiet after-dinner drink with Mahfudh, the owner's son at Palm Beach Inn Bwejuu, our first hotel.
During our conversation he said: "My father was a revolutionary."
(He was, in fact, referring proudly to the part his father played in the 1964 bloody Revolution which resulted in the formation of the Revolutionary Council of the People's Republic of Zanzibar.)
On the second occasion, we were chatting to one of the Receptionists at Pongwe Beach Hotel and asking what hours she worked and did she have early morning shifts: "Well", she replied: "I have to get up at 6.30 every morning to let the monkey out."
(She has 'adopted' a young stray monkey and is preparing him to be let back out into the wild in a few months' time.)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/1/1171296000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/1/1171296000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/manzara/1/1171296000/tpod.html Sat, 21 Mar 2009 09:28:41 -0400 South of the Equator to the Spice Island of Zanzibar

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Zanzibar, Zanzibar Archipelago, Tanzania

At Kendwa we stayed at Sunset Bungalows.
We decided to do very little here - well, last week was fairly
hectic (!) - except relax, swim, read and enjoy the delicious food at several of the beach restaurants. A few evenings we had our own candlelit table right on the beach. Dinner under the stars on a tropical beach - magical!
The Rough Guide describes Kendwa as the perfect place for sampling (as the Italians say), dolce far niente - the sweetness of doing nothing! Can't argue with that! We did enjoy Kendwa but it was the most commercialised place we stayed in during our four-week holiday. People on the beach selling shirts, fruit, sunglasses, boat trips, etc. But full marks go the room cleaners who can do very artistic things with flowers, sheets and towels as. . . . and as you see the beach ain't half bad either!
One evening we decided to eat at Kendwa Rocks Restaurant just along the beach from our hotel and as we arrived realised there was no electric. They had candles everywhere and could still prepare food from their gas cookers in the kitchen. David spotted someone who vaguely looked like an electrician and his two willing watchers, with only the light from a mobile phone to guide their way in the main fuse box! We usually carried a torch with us at night to help find our way back to the room along darker stretches of the beach.
So we handed it to them, thinking it would help. It did, of course, and they soon had all the restaurant lights blazing, but 'Swahili Sparks' had disappeared - with our torch! We enjoyed a lovely meal and still no sign of the electricians, despite being told by one of the waiters they would be back soon. Probably gone off to do a few more jobs now they had some decent light! We paid the bill and had to really insist they found our torch before we left to go back to the hotel. A few minutes later we and the torch were reunited. Glad to be of help!
Six lazy days at Kendwa were following by the short journey back to the East Coast where we stayed just outside the village of Matemwe. The motto of our hotel, the Matamwe Beach Village, is "No Shoes, No News". Another superb hotel right on the beach with their own thatched beach huts ideal for escaping the heat of the sun but close to the ocean for a quick dip! There was a lovely pool, too which was ideal when the tide was out.
We were close to Mnemba Atoll, a shallow expanse of coral reef with a tiny heart-shaped island on the edge. It's one of the places to dive and snorkel in the Indian Ocean so we just had to go. The day before the trip the snorkellers and divers (about 12 of us altogether) had to sort out wet suits, snorkels, masks and flippers from the hotel dive centre.
We were due to report at 8.30 the following morning and the first thing we were asked was "Does anyone want a sea-sickness tablet?" Good start, eh? We refused; the sea didn't look too choppy. Because it was low tide the first part of the journey was on their local transport - a Daladala. It's a sort of open-sided truck with wooden bench seating and makes the Turkish Dolmuş seem like a Porsche! Get the idea? David has a theory that the sea-sickness pills were for the one-hour Daladala ride, not for the boat. The sea was fairly calm.
We finally arrived at the beach and had to wade out a few yards to our waiting boat. Then just a half hour or so sail to the spectacular Atoll - a heart-shaped paradise island set in an aquamarine sea
The snorkelling was absolutely fantastic. Thousands of different kinds of fish, sometimes shoals of hundreds of fish, colourful coral, plants and starfish. An incredible underwater world. We snorkelled for about an hour then returned to the boat for lunch - fresh fruit, chapattis and samosas. Delicious!
Then we went off in a smaller boat to another part of the reef for another hour or so in the water. A truly amazing day which ended with - you guessed it - a return journey to the hotel on the local transport. We resisted the temptation to ask for a Daladala Sickness Pill!
A couple of days later we went into into Stone Town and from there got a small boat to Changuu Island, another snorkelling paradise and home to a colony of giant tortoises. We landed on the island and had with us a picnic lunch of food bought in town - fresh fruit and chapattis. Then we went to see the tortoises. The largest weighs over 200 kgs, they can live up to 100 years, are second in size only to the Galapagos tortoises and like them are real dinosaurs, having evolved some 180 million years ago.
Then it was back on the boat to the coral reef surrounding the island and some truly spectacular snorkelling. Fish of every size and colour and so many different coloured starfish, including the 'Crown of Thorns'. Unfortunately this was one of the places Elaine attracted some stinging plankton which is completely invisible but gives several pin prick sensations and a couple of days later leaves red marks on the skin which look a bit like a mosquito bite.
After a few hours on the island it was back to the mainland with just a bit of shopping in the bazaar area before heading back to the hotel after a really memorable day.
The Matemwe Beach Village (as most Zanzibar Hotels) supports the local village school financially and often asks guests to bring over books, pens, pencils, etc. We took over a book they had asked us to bring over for their library collection, '1001 Arabian Nights'.
A new hotel is being built not far from Matemwe and the owners are actually building a new school for the village. It's great to hear that tourism is benefiting the local people in such a positive and enlightened way and it does seem to be the trend all over the island. Let's hope it continues!
After a lovely week at Matemwe, we were off again for our final week on the island.
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Zanzibar, Zanzibar Archipelago, Tanzania

Some things you may not know about this Island:

* Zanzibar lies in the Indian Ocean just six degrees south of the Equator and 35 kms off the coast of mainland Tanzania, East Africa.
* Most Zanzibaris are Muslim and speak Kiswahili, the language of the Swahili people. The Kiswahili for 'Airport' is 'uwanja wa ndege' which translates literally as 'Stadium of Birds'.
* Stone Town (or Zanzibar Town), the capital of Zanzibar, is a United Nations World Heritage Site.
* Farrokh Bulsara, better known as Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the rock group Queen,
was born in Stone Town in 1946.
* Zanzibar is the only place in the world you can now see the rare and endangered Kirk's Red Colobus Monkey.
* The shortest war in history was fought there in 1896. At precisely 9.02 a.m. on 25th
August three British warships opened fire on the sultan's palace and the war ended at 9.40 a.m., just 38 minutes later!


We landed at Zanzibar Airport at about 11 am on 6th January after good flights from Izmir via Istanbul and Nairobi and were driven straight to our first Hotel - Palm Beach Inn at Bwejuu on the south east coast.

It's a small family guesthouse right on the beach (as they all are) owned by 'Mama Naila', once a Minister representing Zanzibar in the Tanzanian Parliament. Her son Mahfudh (occasional Manager) is about as laid back as possible without slipping into a coma.

Bwejuu is very much a working beach, predominantly seaweed farming and fishing by the villagers. Seaweed is one of Zanzibar's biggest foreign-exchange earners these days. 10,000 tons are exported annually the Far East. Seaweed cultivation was introduced to this part of the island almost 20 years ago as an income-generating project for local women. It has given them a considerable measure of independence in what is still a very male-dominated society.
The seaweed is 'planted' by tying it to ropes that are then staked in rows in the shallow zone of the lagoons between tides, before being harvested and dried for a week when it turns beautiful shades of orange purple, brown, green and blue.

The east coast of Zanzibar is extremely tidal so you can only swim from the beaches for a few hours each day. But there is a spectacular natural phenomenon just a few miles from where we were staying - a coral lagoon you can walk to from the beach. It deepens to several metres so ideal for snorkelling. It's an amazing place - like swimming in a huge aquarium with fish (and starfish) of every size, shape and colour swimming among the spectacularly coloured coral. If you just float on the surface, some of the fish swim right up to your mask.

We stayed at Bwejuu for seven days and on quite a few mornings enjoyed a swim before breakfast. One morning, a small jellyfish tried David's arm for breakfast! - resulting in pins and needles for half an hour or so (to David not the jellyfish). I'm sure you all know the best way to relieve the effects of a jellyfish sting? It involves having a very close friend nearby. Without going into all the wee details I can tell you it works!

There was a small restaurant at the hotel, overlooking the beach, with wonderful food - the main courses being prepared by the ladies in the village, with the hotel kitchen adding a delicious sauce (maybe tomato or coconut or masala, for example) and presenting it all nicely on the plate.

During our stay here we made a trip to Jozani Forest, mainly to see the Kirk's Red Colobos Monkey, Zanzibar being the only place in the world to see this rare and endangered species. The monkeys live in families - thirty to fifty members - and do move location in the forest, but the knowledgeable Rangers usually know where to find them. We travelled on half a mile or so into the forest and were rewarded with a very playful, mischievous and unafraid family group. We could have stayed and watched them for hours!
Although wild in a forest environment, they are used to human visitors and just went about their daily business as if we weren't there. Swinging from the branches, scratching, eating from the trees, carrying their young and play-fighting. It was truly amazing. Many of them were within a couple of metres of where we were standing. As with the fish in the lagoon, it was as though we were being allowed into the monkey's private world
About 10 years ago, the Red Colobus were close to extinction but their protection in the forest appeared to have reversed the trend. The current population in and around Jozani is now estimated at around 2,500. This species are unable to digest ripe fruit. However, their four-chambered stomachs can cope with unripe and potentially toxic fruit.

We made a short journey through the forest tracks to the tropical mangrove forest. The Mangroves are found in many places around the coast of Zanzibar and are one of the world's most specialized plants - their roots are above ground but mostly submerged at high tide and they are resistant to salt from the water making them unique amongst trees. There is a carpet of strange spiky aerial roots which provide the trees with Oxygen at high tide. The tangle of roots also traps fallen leaves which decompose and provide homes for fish and crabs. Mangrove trees are vital as they protect the coastline from tidal action and erosion. As the Ranger explained, "Without the mangrove trees there would probably be no Zanzibar!"

On the way back from Jozani Forest we visited Zala Park, founded by a school teacher in 1994 mainly for educational purposes. It's a small family-run zoo where you can see reptiles, chameleons and snakes at (very!) close quarters. The picture here shows David handling a snake whose bite causes temporary paralysis of the affected area! If the photograph isn't too clear it was caused by his trembling hands! We were told the snake would not bite, providing David didn't squeeze it - just let it slither over his hands and arm. Yeah, right!
So after a great stay at Bwejuu and a fairly busy time snorkelling, looking for monkeys and snakes, we left by car to our next port of call - Kendwa on the North coast.
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