Blogpost 13 Oman Salalah

Sunday 28^th February.

Oman turns out to be a land of major surprises. The town of Salalah, now a major port of the Indian ocean positioned on the south coast of Oman bordering the Arabian sea, is almost entirely new. The present much loved sultan has transformed his country from a somewhat backward nation into a prosperous country all since 1970 according to Ali, our excellent guide. There are new buildings and dual carriageway roads everywhere, including to Muscat 1000Km to the North. It is a sprawling modern town with ambitions to build resort hotels all along the beautiful coast where previously stood a shanty town of rundown shops and houses. There is water and green grass, with a backdrop of not too distant desert mountains. The oilfields are 300 km to the east and the main industry here is tourism and the export of limestone and cement to India.

 

The air is dry, a very pleasant change from the humidity of the Seychelles, and although the temperature is in the 30’s it doesn’t feel too hot. First stop on our tour is the new Grand Mosque built in 2 years 2007-9. It can hold 6000 worshippers in the main hall, which is quite different in style from the ancient mosques we have seen in Istanbul. The decoration is simple with no elaborate arabesques, the centrepiece being a magnificent chandelier in the central dome.

 

The region is renowned for its frankincense, grown since ancient times. This is the only place in the world where the frankincense bush [see photo]is known, and it cannot be artificially cultivated. It is therefore certain that the frankincense resin taken by the three wise men to Bethlehem came from here.

We visit an excellent new museum with sections devoted to Archaeology, maritime history, political and trading history. The sultan is very keen on education – we are told that even if a village has only one child a school and teacher will be provided free, along with free healthcare and secondary education for all. Unemployment and crime are very low here and we feel quite safe even in the souk, where John buys a dishdash and headgear to keep himself cool when we get to Petra later on. He wears it over his clothes back to the ship causing Ali to say “now you are my cousin” and to give him a great big hug! All a little embarrassing for Jan. Ali has also got us a great deal in the purchase of the best quality frankincense.

 

We stop for a drink of milk from freshly cut coconut at a roadside stall selling fruits before moving on to the souk and finally back to the ship. We sail at 1600 travelling at maximum speed with all the anti piracy procedures in place as we pass towards the area of maximum risk past Yemen towards Djibouti and the Red Sea.

Blog 12 Seychelles

Blog 12 – Seychelles

Tuesday 23^rd February

We arrive in Victoria, capital of Mahe, Seychelles in the early morning. We arranged our own tour for the day along with a couple of fellow guests, so after breakfast we walk down the gangway (a blast of heat and humidity hitting us immediately!) and find Alrick  our guide for the day from discoveragritours waiting for us on the quayside.  He escorts us to a spotless and more to the point air conditioned people carrier and off we set full of excitement and expectation to explore the island for the day. Firstly, he shows us a bit of Victoria, one of the smallest capitals in the world. We visit a Hindu temple and then the colourful daily market – a lot cleaner than the one on Zanzibar! Our next stop is at a restaurant where Alrick produces a coco de mer nut from behind the building. It is the heaviest and largest nut in the world, endemic to the Seychelles and I think you will agree quite an amazing shape!!

 

We then ascend up a winding road called Sans Souci Road, through incredibly lush tropical vegetation and with spectacular views until we come to Mission Lodge in the Morne Seychellois National Park. There is an excellent vantage point here, also the site of an old school for freed slave children. As well as enjoying the sea and mountain views we are lucky enough to spot tropic birds flying in the valley. We descend to the west side of the island where we stop at several beautiful (underlined) tropical bays in idyllic settings Alrick tells us that the beaches are narrower than they used to be due to climate change/effect of the tsunami. As we drive along he stops suddenly as he spots a Blue Pigeon at close quarters in a tree. A brilliant sighting of an endemic Seychellois bird.

 

We stop for a late lunch at a beachside restaurant. Have to wait quite a while for the food to appear, but it doesn’t really matter as the setting is more than agreeable and there is shade.

 After lunch we stop at a quiet, beach and have a swim. Perfect end to a great tour in which we not only got a really good overview of Mahe but also learnt a lot about the way of life here, and the flora and fauna.

Having said our farewells to Alrick, we embark Boudicca. In the early evening there is a local Creole song and dance group. We get inveigled into dancing with them – only briefly thank goodness.

Boudicca stays overnight in port here, just astern of Costa Romantika. We think Boudicca looks much more the business than Costa!

Wednesday 24^th February

Boudicca leaves Mahe early in the morning and by 0800 we are anchored off Praslin Island, close by. Another HOT and HUMID day! We are on a Fred Olsen tour today – the Trail of Franz Ferdinand. We go ashore on the first tender and from the quayside there is a very short bus ride to the start of the trail through this Coco de Mer forest.  Our guide leads us up the trail – and up it certainly is! We did not realize that it was going to a 1100 ft ascent with MANY steps! 

The path is good and Gemma our guide takes us slowly, both to explain and show us things en route, but also because of the humidity.  We see many indigenous palms over and above the coco de mer palms, also ghekkos, skinks, birds including the Black Parrot. By the time we reach the summit we are dripping in sweat, but we are rewarded by a stupendous view of the entire island archipelago and the wonderful, turquoise colour of the water. We are so lucky to see this view as just as we start to descend it starts to rain heavily. Actually that is quite refreshing! Down at the bottom we have to wait a while for the bus to take us back to the ship. Another memorable day out. The anchor is raised at 1700 and we sail away and later pass lots of neighbouring islands in the beautiful twilight. The stuff of dreams!

Thurday 25^th February

We are now en route to Salalah, Oman. We cross the Equator this morning so that is us back in the Northern Hemisphere. Can’t say we notice any change in the temperature! An extremely hot day with humidity too.

It being a sea day we return to life on board – interesting lectures by port lecturer, naturalists, historians etc. Walks round the deck to keep a modicum of fitness, swim in the pool, piano recitals and choir.

Blogpost 11 – Zanzibar Friday 19th February

Blogpost 11 – Zanzibar Friday 19^th February

Zanzibar

We didn’t expect much of Zanzibar – and because we had to pay quite a lot for a visa for a visit of only a few hours we debated whether we should go ashore at all, especially as the heat is rather debilitating. Well, what a surprise! The visit and tour we had were really interesting. Firstly we visited the Anglican Church built in 1874 on the site of the Great Slave market, once a hub of the slave trade for Eat Africa. There was a very moving sculpture depicting the slaves in front of the cathedral (repair work was being carried out on the cathedral, the scaffolding looked extremely rickety) and then we were taken to underground chambers where the slaves were held before they were sold. 

It was a real shock to see the tiny space that 75 men were kept in with 3 tiny slits for air, and opposite an equally small space for 20 women and their children. In the cathedral there was a crucifix made from the wood of the tree under which David Livingstone died. Adjoining the Cathedral there was St. Monica’s [John’s mum’s Christian name] nursery school where the children were lining up for their two rolls and water, looking very smart and smiling in their school uniform.  

From there we proceeded on foot to the morning market – all hustle and bustle, sights and smells. The most potent of these smells was in the fish market – nothing left to the imagination! We all opted not to visit the live chicken market!  We walked past fruit and vegetable and spice stalls and were glad to have a guide as there was plenty of scope to get lost in the maze.  Next we visited the fort made from coral lime and from which we could see next door the House of Wonders so called because it was the first house in Zanzibar to have electricity. We also stopped at the Sultan’s palace, now somewhat decrepit. We were relieved to get back into the air-conditioned bus which drove us out of town to a village where we saw a display by the children at a Koranic school and where we shown the trees of  different spices that  are grown locally in the spice farms.

It is constantly amazing how many people and children are everywhere, and with unemployment at 33% there is an awful lot of hanging about going on. It is not that there is nothing to be done – and some work very hard. This country is 95% Muslim and the schoolgirls wear a compulsory and smart uniform with headscarves of differing shades of white according to their age.

We got back to Boudicca in time for a late lunch and we set off from the busy quayside full of containers at 1800. 

It was quite a sight seeing Zanzibar spread out before us in the late afternoon light with dhows and their lateen sails in the foreground. We are now bound for the Seychelles which is three days sail away so a bit of time to recover from this lively, fascinating port of call.

Blog 10 Madagascar

Madagascar

Madagascar – Diego Suarez and Nosy Be

Monday 15^th February – Diego Suarez Madagascar

John’s birthday today! Madagascar seems like quite an exotic destination in which to celebrate it!  Boudicca docks in the early morning. We are booked on a tour to the Emerald Sea, a large coral lagoon with crystal clear turquoise waters. There is a bit of disorganised chaos on the quayside getting everyone away on their various tours, but eventually we set off in a small bus with our guide Julio. It is a culture shock driving through the town where there is a great deal of poverty though the people look happy going about their daily business. The roads are not good, potholes everywhere, so we make slow progress to our embarkation point a few miles away for the Emerald Sea. Julio tells us that his parents live 500 km away and it takes him 5 days to get there because of the state of the roads.  At Ramena Bay we get in local wooden boats, wading in the water and up a tricky boat ladder to get in. Its much further to the Emerald Sea than we thought but a lovely trip and they even get the sail up. The description of our destination is accurate the sea is VERY emerald and the uninhabited  island has a beautiful beach.

We spend our time there snorkelling and soaking up the  setting. We enjoy fresh fruit before heading back. The return journey takes an hour and a half in the boat – no shade so glad we had plenty to cover ourselves up with. See dolphins and flying fish as an added bonus. We get back to Boudicca much later than advertised but before the deadline (as we are on a Fred Olsen tour we don’t need to fret that they will leave without us!). This evening there is a beautiful sunset and then we meet up with 3 other couples we have met and celebrate John’s birthday with a pre-dinner glass of fizz. At the end of dinner, John is serenaded by some of the crew singing happy birthday and presenting him with a birthday cake. A great day and a birthday to remember!

Tuesday 16^th February

We have sailed round the north cape of Madagascar overnight and anchor off an island in the North West called Nosy Be. We have been attending lectures on the history and flora and fauna of Madagascar on sea days and today we hope to spot some of the endemic wild life on our tour to Lokobe National Park. After breakfast we get ashore very promptly on the tender and board our bus. The town of Hellville (named after that Admiral again like Hellbourg on Reunion) appears a bit more prosperous than Diego Suarez, relatively speaking. We drive out to the countryside past ylang ylang plantations and arrive at our departure point for our canoe ride. We do not have to do much paddling – the front canoe has an outboard and we are all pulled along by ropes! – in this heat and humidity it is a big relief not to expend too much energy.

 

John slightly excited as he is in the bow of the lead towed boat and notices that the prow is being gradually pulled apart by the strain of towing 6 canoes. However the water ingress is not dangerous so he keeps quiet until we beach the boats for fear of causing a mild panic among the pampered passengers! We land at a little village beside a beach and set off on our hour’s hike through the forest. It is quite difficult terrain with protruding roots, mud and a bit of an incline so we probably spend more time looking down at the path than up in the trees to spot the wildlife! However, we do find a couple of lemurs and a boa constrictor, but much less than we had hoped for.

Still its all a bit of an adventure and ‘the real thing’ traipsing through the forest rather than seeing lemurs in  a Lemurworld type scenario.  We are given lunch in the shade of the beach and then back whence we came. We are very lucky to see a panther chameleon  on our way back to the port so a good end to the day. Boudicca is a haven of cool. Everyone is quite tired!