Sri Lanka with lashings of Ginger Beer...and tea.

Sri Lanka has been known by many names over the centuries. Ceylon was the name given by the British and before that it was famously known as Serendib. Ceylon can be traced back to root Sanskrit in names such as Sinhala, Selian, Seylan whereas Serendib comes from Arabic, which became Serendip in Persian and led to one Horace Walpole coining the word Serendipity in 1754 - meaning “ happy accident “. I can easily imagine over the centuries the many explorers and travelers indeed feeling like that had encountered a happy accident on visiting this most beautiful country. The island was renamed Sri Lanka in 1972, meaning “ resplendent land “ and it is a most accurate description.
 

We happily arrived on purpose, on Boxing Day, which infamously is the day 7 years ago where much of the coastline was devastated by a massive 9.3 magnitude earthquake generated tsunami that hit many other countries shores and so many lives were lost.

Sri Lanka's main international airport is near Negombo and about 30 km's from Colombo. It had been our intention to get to Colombo by possibly train or taxi or tuk-tuk, then hopefully catch the train to Kandy. Due to our plane being a little late for this option plan b came into effect. Plan b hadn't really even been considered so it was a quick check of Official Airport Taxi prices followed by observation of what was happening transport wise outside the terminal. Local buses were deemed too old and too slow ( some understatement ), small crammed mini vans were not really that much cheaper than a taxi, so taxi it was. After some friendly hard sell from various touts we decided on one jovial chap who bought his price down a bit from about $70 to $55. We initially thought this was pretty expensive and were sceptical of the “ but Sir, Madam it takes many hours to get there and the price of petrol here is so high “ lines that we were given, however they turned out pretty true. It is only about 80kms from Negombo to Kandy and we soon found out that the many hours to get there was indeed accurate. The roads are narrow and not maintained, full of pot-holes either lumpily repaired or not and once you get on the main roads very congested which prohibits any idea of fast travel.

We left the airport at about 7.30am and we were immediately mesmerised by the riot of colour that is Sri Lanka, from the lush verdant multi shades of green of the landscape to the bright colours of the shops stocked with all manner of goods, peoples dress, the brilliant decorated trucks and tuk-tuks cluttering the roads, indeed everything is a wonderful colour contrast.

Our driver who's name I forget ( his card is in my wallet so somebody somewhere might know it ) was a very friendly and humble man, his english very good and he was full of information. We stopped after about 45 minutes for refreshment at a roadside restaurant. After egg rolls and delicious tea we were ready for the big drive. You soon start steadily going uphill and the driving is something to behold. First thing you notice is the tooting. People toot the vehicle in front just to let them know they are there, and they toot gain when passing. Passing is a story of it's own. Due to the large volume of traffic much passing and tooting is required in order to get anywhere. It was not uncommon to have 2 or 3 vehicles all doing different speeds, simultaneously passing and tooting at a truck with a blind bend looming. No problem as any oncoming traffic is completely used to this sort of thing and either moves over or stops to allow the passers to accomplish their task, or, some or all of the passers fall back into line again and wait for the next opportunity, most often at the next blind bend. Initially this is all quite alarming as nobody is doing much more than about 50kph so you will have a truck doing 20kph, one passer doing 30, the next 40 and the next 50...but you soon get used to it and there are surprisingly very few accidents and there is not one bit of road rage to be seen.

Sri Lankans seem imbued with a kind of peaceful happiness and don't appear to get upset very often, if at all. They need quality this in abundance for the roads and driving I am convinced. We soon found that Sri Lankans may just be the some of the most contented people on the planet. Wherever you go people are friendly, if eye contact is made a smile and a hello seems almost compulsory. This in direct contrast to the level of poverty. I use the word poverty with caution in the sense of monetary wealth only. There are undoubtedly wealthy people but in general most are not. They most certainly aren't poor in so many other areas of their lives, they accept their place in their society and get on with life generally with a smile and kind words.

At 9.28am we stopped on the side of the road to observe 2 minutes silence in remembrance of the tsunami which has affected and still does so many peoples lives. Over 36,000 people lost their lives to the tsunami, 90,000 homes and buildings were destroyed and an estimated 1 million people displaced by this tragic event. Evidence of the tsunami can still be seen on the coast, although much rebuilding has been done, and this undoubtedly has ongoing implications in Sri Lanka's fragile economy.

Nearing Kandy we stopped at a tea factory for a tour and obligatory cuppa. We left bearing bags of tea and smiles.

We got to our guest house, the Forest Glen, after some difficulty finding it, but our driver once again was invaluable through being able to phone,get directions, drive and toot simultaneously. It was about 1pm and we were pretty much exhausted. After a wee rest and a nice pot of tea we felt restored enough to venture off in to Kandy for a bit of a look around.

We had visited Sri Lanka in 1980 and felt pretty sure that we had been to Kandy, however we soon figured that we mustn't have as who could forget this very pretty hill town and it's lovely central lake. Being somewhat hungry we found a good restaurant and tucked into some deliciously spicy samosas and pastries washed down with an invigorating and delicious local ginger beer.

Back at our guest house, Indra our wonderful host soon had dinner ready and what a feast. Some of the best Sri Lankan curries were enjoyed at Forest Glen thanks to Indra's culinary ability, every dish being spicy yet subtle and so many different tastes with each curry. The hard beds at the guest house are worth suffering for the magnificent food. We were usually pretty exhausted after each days exploration so a good sleep was almost assured anyway.

Breakfast the next morning was fantastic with local fresh fruits, eggs any style you wanted ( I opted for a fine chilly omelette ) and endless tea if you wanted it. Friends Alan and Joy, then Colin and Cookie, who had stayed here at different times had recommended this place and we would as well with no hesitation. Just don't forget to shut your windows during the day as the monkeys will almost invariably come in for an inspection if you forget. Mayhem no doubt would ensue.

That day we explored Kandy town, found an internet cafe ( at a ridiculous 3 cents for 1/2 hour ) to check on mail and visited the Temple of the Tooth. The Tooth Temple majestically stands beside the lake and is one of the most revered and visited temples in Sri Lanka. Beautiful buildings and pretty grounds can be explored and enjoyed for hours.

 We were beginning to discover how inexpensive things can be in this country. From the 3 cents internet charge - they almost could give it away at that price, to so much delicious food where you could easily have a generous lunch for two costing $2 - 4. A cup of tea if you look around costs between a third and half a cent, a heavenly choc bomb type ice cream about half a cent. A large bottle of beer about $2.50 and the delicious ginger beer less than a dollar for a large bottle.

Of course you can go more up market where a pot of tea in a hotel is more like $2.00, an espresso about $3.00 and lunch or dinner around $10.00. The most we ever paid and possibly one of the best seafood meals we've ever eaten, which included 2 bottles of beer, juice and water was about $35.00 all up for the two of us. This was at a delightful small cafe/ restaurant right on the beach with views to die for – it doesn't get much better.

Next day Indra had organised a driver for us ( all day for $40 ) to take us first to the elephant orphanage at Pinnawala and then onto the botanical gardens at Peridiniya and finishing with a spectacular display of traditional Sri Lankan dance. We can highly recommend all of these visits if you are ever in Kandy. A possibly interesting and little known fact that is, that about 80% of elephant poo is fibre – they are very poor digesters apparently. As a result of this, and an excellent local money earner both for the locals and the benefit of elephant health and upkeep, their product is recycled into paper goods such as calendars, books, envelopes etc...it can also be compacted into moulds of you guessed it elephant statues. Watching the elephants go down to the river for their daily wash and swim was magic. Many elephants were either injured ( bullet wounds, land mines etc.. ) or orphaned during the time of the wars with the Tamil Tigers. The orphanage does such good work looking after and rehabilitating elephants from small babies and juveniles to large adults.

The botanical gardens were beautifully maintained with plants, palms and trees from around the world, including giant Queensland Agathis Robusta ( looks exactly like NZ Kauri – Agathis Australis ) and Seychelles Coco-de-mer. A seemingly popular pastime, and there were 100's partaking, was snuggling. Wherever we ventured young couples were entwined in each others arms in the shade of many trees and palms. All very decent and quite romantic.

The dancing that evening was spectacularly colourful and very energetic with some exceptional bouts of acrobatics and super speed whirling.

Day 4 in which Brian has an intriguing no wallet experience and discovers the healing abilities of the excellent local stout.

Most times I am blessed with the ability to express myself fluently and pictorially with language considered by some to be bad or of an expletive nature...it's my opinion that they are just words and often no worse and at times better than some words deemed to be ok...If you hit your thumb with some force with say a hammer, words like damn and blast don't quite cut the mustard. They certainly don't assist the pain relief process one little bit. Jumping up and down and intermittently exchanging sucking your thumb with a steady stream of well considered expletives has an immediate and therapeutic effect.
Suffice to say my normal easy descriptive ability abandoned me when I discovered that familiar bump in my back pocket was absent...I was gob smacked...literally and I think from memory about the worst that escaped my mouth was something like Gosh my wallet has gone, I can't believe it but it has definitely gone...what will I do. Blimey.
Lynne says she remembers me at least mouthing a certain undesirable word, but I'm unconvinced – she has an unreliable memory and is never one to let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Shock I suppose does strange things to people. I still can't quite believe it happened...Ok it was in my back pocket, not a brilliant place I now realise to keep it, however the pocket was rather deep and has a good stick Velcro fastener ( I'm not going to buy Velcro shares now that's for sure ). It was a busy platform change of trains and although I thought I was pretty aware of anyone around me I must give credit to whoever was able to extricate the wallet from my back pocket. Within seconds of boarding the new train and I think this is when it happened I noticed it was gone. Too late already to do anything as the train had started moving. This sort of thing can happen anywhere in the world and could result in bodily damage or loss of life, before wallet removal, in many countries so I suppose I am lucky. I can't imagine violence being used in Sri Lanka for this sort of thing – your'e more likely to be accosted by someone politely asking “ Sir may I have your wallet I could really do with the money “, “ No please go away “, “ Ok, sir, sorry to disturb you, have a nice day “.

I would prefer to still have it but $150 gone won't kill me and I think somebody somewhere is having a real good time spending it. If you had a good job in Sri Lanka that could be more than half a months salary and for the many not so fortunate, months and months.

The loss of the wallet itself was the hardest, as it had been a present from a friend, then the hassle of having to report and cancel lost credit and ATM cards, health cards and drivers licences. All of these can be re-issued with a bit of time...I do miss that wallet though, it was a beauty. That $150.00 could have been useful too I suppose if I'm honest and who knows the US$100 bill I had secreted away in that wallet, for an emergency, may never have been discovered.

On to Nuwara Eliya. After a solemn start it soon turned to be a pleasant trip viewing the tea plantation countryside. Trains are not much faster than cars although this was difficult hilly terrain and quite a gradual climb from Kandy, so not many kilometres ( about 70 ) took about 6 hours. Arriving in Nuwara Eliya at the magnificent old Grand hotel we were able to freshen up and then head off to the Police Station to report my loss. A Sri Lankan version of Keystone Cops awaited us. What a bunch they were....lovely people abandoned by any modern form of electronic communication except the telephone and typewriter. I had to write out my own Police Report which they typed up for their own use, signed, dated and added a CID number to my original and bid us a good day without the tea they had promised when we first arrived. On the way out one officer implored us to stay for the tea...it wouldn't be long apparently. We politely declined and had a quick look around Nuwara Eliya town, changed some money into local currency ( which we were now a little short of ) and headed back to the Grand to check out the bar and billiard room.

While watching the one day cricket we met and chatted with a nice young couple and it was at this time that I thought I might avail myself of the stout. Having so far drunk only the local Lion lager, the stout seemed appealing. After a few tasty mouthfuls I thought this stuff is starting to have an interesting affect and thereby discovering printed on the label 8.8%. Serious beer then. After 2 big bottles I was feeling very mellow and it had certainly taken the wallet episode off my mind. It is no wonder my shots at snooker later that night were haphazard at best.

During the 2 day stay in Nuwara we visited another tea plantation and factory, walked everywhere and found the Franciscan Nunnery where they sell ( and we bought ) the most divine pickles and sauces.

Day 6 involved a long shared taxi ride down from the hills to the south coast. Wherever you drive in Sri Lanka the scenery is just magnificent, from the variety of lush greenery to majestic waterfalls, interesting little villages and then having to quickly stop as a large monitor lizard decides to cross the road in front of you. This happened quite a few times. Also observed on the road were many high speed squirrels and one mongoose and a lady walking 2 porcupines on leashes. Our driver saw a snake but we missed that fellow.

After a 6 hour drive we finally arrived at out destination Tangalla Bay where we were to spend the next 6 days and what a heavenly place it is. Beautiful coconut palm fringed beaches fronting crystal clear and vivid blue/ aquamarine seas. The water temperature was just perfect and much time was spent swimming and sunbathing, snorkeling, lazing about or relaxing at a beach cafe/ restaurant and for one of us most early mornings and evenings were spent on the rocks fishing. I think I must have quickly become the talk of the area - ah that crazy kiwi out there every day with fishing rod and assortment of colourful lures. I met so many interested and very friendly locals, either on my way out to one of the rocky points at each end of the beach, or out on the rocks fishing. My bag of tricks was always keenly inspected and talked about and advice given. I had so many asking me to give them ( as presents ) my lures, fishing rod and reel. By the end of my stay most of my lures were given away, a few were lost to being busted off on the rocks when a fish was hooked and lost, my rod was swapped for an assortment of beautiful shells, one fish was successfully landed and I had the most enjoyable fishing I've had for years. One morning I will especially treasure is where one of the local fishermen took me out on his traditional outrigger boat, a fantastic experience.

Our hotel the Tangalla Bay Hotel is a fantastic and to my mind enduring piece of 1970's architecture.

The brainchild of local Tangalla identity Dr. Wickramasooriya who commissioned Sri Lankan modernist architect Valentine Gunesekara for the design. Gunasekara is apparently an admirer of Le Corbusier’s work and created a hotel incorporating many of his ideas: a central corridor from the entrance to bedrooms that soars/ floats over a ground floor dining room while stairs lead down concrete flues to lower levels. The building’s layout resembles a lobster spread-eagled on the rocks although others liken it to a ship. It is certainly unique.

Besides just taking it easy we did a couple of day trips. One started as a trip to nearby Matara to organise future train tickets, however upon arrival at the station we found that there were no trains due to the main line being relaid. Our tuk-tuk driver suggested a ride out to the local and famous Weherehena Buddhist Temple which was a fascinating place. An artificial cave, decorated with many hundreds of colourful somewhat gaudy paintings, it was like being inside a comic book life story of the Buddha. Then on to Dondra Head, the southernmost point in Sri Lanka and the site of a magnificent old and still operational lighthouse. I did the climb to the top and was rewarded by spectacular views up and down the coast.

Our tuk-tuk driver was a lovely bloke and told us of the loss of his daughter during the tsunami. His wife was 8 months pregnant and amazingly both parents survived. They now have a lovely 7 year old son. A tragic story, just one of the many thousands of similar stories of the loss of family and loved ones, the legacy of the tsunami lives on and has had such a huge effect particularly on those living on and near the coast.
With time still to spare we decided to go further along the coast to Galle.

Much of Galle's interest is centred around the huge old Dutch fort built on the southern promontory.
A fascinating maze of streets with splendid old buildings, buzzing with activity. We only had a few hours but you could easily stay here for days and explore the fort and its many shops, cafes, restaurants and beautifully restored houses and buildings or observe the goings on in many of the still operational courthouses, administrative buildings, the waterfront etc...The wall, beside the sea, late in the afternoon is very busy and a popular place to unwind at the end of the day and wait for the sunset.

On another day trip ( and the only rainy day ) we caught a tuk-tuk to beautiful Dickwella beach, ( interesting name, nearly as interesting as Wackwella near Galle – what goes on there I wonder? ) and explored the nearby Ho-o-maniya blowhole, which unfortunately only really goes off during the months of June to August where the large southerly swells force water up a 23 metre high natural chimney then another 18 plus metres into the air – must be something to see. That day we also visited the impressive Mulkirigala rock temples. A decent climb of over 500 steps brings you to a series of cave temples with reclining buddhas and adorned with some amazingly colourful wall and ceiling paintings. On return to the hotel I discovered that I had left my glasses at the temple site. A hurried tuk-tuk ride there and very luckily, thankfully not too many steps up, one of the monks had found them and put them aside on one of the collection plates - they got an extra late donation that day.

We cant speak highly enough of this southern part of the coast, it is far enough away from the more popular and busy beaches like Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna to allow complete peace if you want it, yet close to so many interesting places to explore if you feel the need. I could have stayed here for months.

Sadly our holiday was near an end. A local bus to Matara from Tangalla takes an hour and costs $1 for two people. The smaller a/c bus from Matara to Colombo takes about 4 hours and cost $6 for two plus another $3 as our bags took up one seat. Seemingly no luggage compartment, we didn't even care to ask. Arriving in bustling Colombo we stayed just long enough to have a cup of tea and then catch the bus to Negombo where we were to stay our last night, before flying out the next day. Negombo is a busy beachside city handily located near the airport. It has an interesting array of shops, restaurants, bars and tour companies on the street immediately parallel to the beach where many of the hotels are.

Our hotel, the Golden Star turned out to be completely and utterly misnamed. It was neither golden or star like in any sense apparent to us. It was the worst hotel of our vacation, had no in room tea and coffee making facilities ( which is the norm ), a dirty bathroom and shower, no TV, uncomfortable beds, mosquitos and no mosquito net. No power adaptor could be supplied and the next morning no hot water.

They tried to add a 10% service charge on top of our bill and I had great delight in carefully explaining to them, when they offered no service whatsoever, why we wouldn't be paying this extra charge. As they couldn't give any examples of the service we were supposed to pay for, they quietly relented and dropped the charge.
The beach itself warrants less recommendation than the hotel. It looked pretty enough during sunset the night we arrived, but an early morning walk presented us with rubbish strewn everywhere, the sea was a dirty brown colour and there was evidence of human waste along the beach. Yuk!! We observed one old fellow having his morning constitution right next to one of the traditional boats on the beach - it may have been his boat, who cares, if you haven't got or can't find a proper toilet then at the very least dig a deep hole first and bury it you silly old coot. Perish the thought of beach cricket or sun bathing anywhere near that nasty bit of business.

Suffice to say we opted to swim in the hotel pool which was one of it's very few redeeming features. Breakfast was ok and they did have free and fairly quick wireless internet at reception...not really enough for a recommendation. I did enjoy reviewing this hopeless excuse for accommodation on booking.com and as it turns out I am not alone in the department of scathing comment.

Thats it really....we flew out later that morning...could have stayed forever...beautiful country, beautiful people, beautiful food...A resplendent land? You bet.

Photos left to right and top to bottom are:

Tea sign at Pedro Tea Estate, Nuwara Eliya.
Sunrise at Tangalla Bay.
Elephants bathing at Pinnawala.
Overtaking truck with elephant.
Monkey at Forest Glen Guest house.
Lynne enjoying view over Kandy.
Kandy lake.
Elephant at Temple of the Tooth.
Tea sign Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya.
Tea plantations near Nuwara Eliya.
Sunrise Tangalla Bay Hotel pool.
Tangalla Bay Hotel.
Pole fisherman near Marissa Beach.
Reclining Buddha at Mulkirigala.
Sunset at Matara.

Falcon Festival

A couple of days ago we caught up with Hannah and Noel at the Al Ain Falcon Festival. What an interesting event with falcons and falconry displays from all over the world. Especially colourful were the men and women  from the stan countries such as Krgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan along with some of the European countries in traditional clothing from centuries ago. There was even a Kiwi tent ( complete with All Blacks Flag ) and they had bought a native falcon with them from home although we didn't get to see it. It was also just fantastic to see the traditional Emirati dancing where the men face each other in lines chanting to each other and with the drummers providing the beat. The festival was held at the magnificent Al Jahili fort which has been wonderfully restored. Very special indeed.

Also of interest to me anyway were some of the Yurts ( and a few teepee's ) with brilliantly coloured inner ribs and intricately painted circular openings at the peak. Having been involved in the construction of Miranda and Rob's Redhills Road Yurt back in Auckland ( my last job prior to leaving for Qatar ) it was interesting to inspect the construction technique which was surprisingly similar to Redhill's Road ( an 8 metre Colorado Kitset Yurt ), with wooden lattice panels forming the side walls. These Yurts although quite a lot smaller were just beautiful.

" Falconry, an integral part of desert life for many centuries, was practiced originally for purely practical reasons, i.e. the necessity to supplement a meager diet of dates, milk and bread with a tasty hare or well-fed bustard. In time it developed into a major sport enjoyed by rich and poor alike. Falconry, or the upkeep of falcons is a traditional and highly valued custom in the UAE, reflecting the Bedouin love of this sport. The falcon itself, known as the Saqr is a bird that is much admired by Arabs because of its fascinating beauty, posture, sharp eyesight and grandeur.Training falcons requires both courage and patience and it is an operation that is carried out by the Saqqar or the trainer. The ability of a predator to be tamed and made to obey the call of its master is a mystery of nature that adds fascination to falconry for Arabs.

During the training process, the falcon sits on a round wooden mushroom shaped movable block (Al Wakr) or on the trainer's hand, which is protected from the sharp talons by a cylindrical-covered cuff called the Manqalah. This is usually made from material stuffed with either straw or cloth, on which the falcon perches. The falcon is held by a pair of jesses, usually braided cotton or nylon (Al Sabbuq) attached to a swiveled leash to allow the bird a certain freedom of movement.  

The main prey for falcons are: Houbara or MacQueen's bustard, Stone Curlew (Karawan), and Hare (Arnab). The Houbara is a powerful bird that can weigh up to four kilograms (nine pounds) and stand as much as 75 centimeters tall (30 inches) and it is known for its great speed both in flight and on land, a feature which makes the nature of the chase more exciting for the falconers." ( from ArabHunter.com )

Falcons and falconry are of huge importance  and have a long history all over the gulf countries as they are in many countries. Up here men get together with their mates to discuss, compare and preen their falcons and when get the chance take them out into the desert for a spot of traditional hunting. Falcons are pretty expensive by all accounts although traditionally they were caught with elaborate traps and then trained. Along with the falcons were peregrines and owls - they were all just beautiful.

Winter in the Emirates

It's a great time of the year with temperatures being near perfect for getting out and about and exploring this fascinating country.
Check out this great time lapse photography expose of shots around the U.A.E. by Lewis De Mesa. Just beautiful.

Emirates Winter from Lewis De Mesa on Vimeo.

She sells Seychelles and the sea shore

Actually it is a he, but more of that later.

We caught the overnight flight ( 4 ½ hours ) from Dubai and arrived early in the morning. With time to kill before check in at our guest house, and having picked up our hire car, we stopped in Victoria for a bit of a look around and breakfast at the Pirates Arms which looked rather pleasant.

Victoria the main city, its a large town really, is nestled in an amphitheatre shaped basin between towering granite hills surrounding it and a sheltered bay which also serves as the port.
The Seychelles islands are comprised two distinct regions, the granitic islands ( the inner Islands ), the world's only oceanic islands of granitic rock and the coralline outer islands. The granite islands are the world’s oldest ocean islands and the highest point on Mahe is 905m.

Lynne had a traditional bacon, eggs, beans and toast and I thought, well, here we are on an exotic island in the Indian Ocean why not try the Creole Soup. Bad choice – there was nothing noticeably creole about it, about the only time it got slightly spicy was when I added pepper. Never mind the food was to get much much better.
Having fuelled up, changed some Euros into local money we set off around the top of the Island.The roads are pretty narrow and windy but the cars are small and driving is a pretty sedate affair. What a spectacular introduction to the beauty of Mahe ( Seychelles main Island ) with drop dead gorgeous bays, crystal clear azure blue water, white sandy beaches and the famous remarkable rocky outcrops making up the stunning coastline and lush tropical greenery from the edge of the shore inland up the steep hillsides.




Timing was good and we arrived at Panorama Guesthouse at check-in time 12.00. A pleasant wee spot overlooking Beau Vallon beach which is the most popular and one of the longer beaches on the island. It was midday and rather warm, the humidity high and the temperature perfect water was impossible to ignore so after unloading our bags it was straight down to the beach for a swim.
Then after organising our room, making a cuppa etc... we headed off down the beach again for an explore. There was a kind of carnival thing happening with food,crafts and drinks stalls set up just inside the palm tree line and a big barge anchored just offshore complete with stage and large speaker systems pumping out reggae music which the locals have adopted ( along with dreadlocks ) as the music of choice.
Our hosts were not too happy with the loud music playing till fairy late but it didn't worry us a bit. I guess they are more used to the quiet life and I imagine that it is pretty quiet most of the time. Before dinner we found ourselves a nice spot on the beach amongst some of the iconic boulders that are dotted everywhere around the island, settled down, opened a bottle of NZ Pinot Noir and took in the blazing sunset slowly washing everything with a sumptuous purple hue. Heavenly.
We dined that night at our closest restaurant, a Pizzeria which although seemingly out of place served up the most fantastic pizzas, better than most we have tried including Italy. Lynne had the pizza and I had fresh fish which we could share and was very much enjoyed.





Next morning after a good breakfast we set off in the car to explore the south western coast. To get there we first had to cross back over the island to Victoria where we stopped in to check out the colourful local Market. We then had to take another road across the middle of the island. We weren't in any hurry and this was a good move as the road is narrow winding and steep and we had to cross very close to the highest point. On the way up we came across a fenced in area housing about 30 tortoises. It seemed a little strange having them way up in amongst the lush vegetation so far from the sea, but they seemed happy enough ( it's actually kinda hard to gauge tortoise happiness ) and one male seemed particularly ecstatic having successfully mounted a female ( well I think it was female – do you get gay tortoises ) and was making quite a din. After that interesting voyeuristic interlude it was over the top and down the other side where we came across tea plantations and stopped at the Seychelles Tea Tavern for a cuppa. High hopes for a nice cuppa were ruined upon tasting this poor excuse for tea – it was really rather awful. What a pity as I am sure the tea can't always be that bad – maybe it was just the way it was made, teabags in a pot seemed plainly wrong at a tea plantation. We bought some green tea from them anyway and can report that it is actually rather tasty.





Around this time it started raining and we're talking about serious tropical downpour rain here. Not having seen the wet stuff for many months it was all quite exciting.
Prior to leaving the UAE I had checked out all the likely good fishing possibilities on Google Earth and it was becoming apparent that these exciting looking places were all but impossible to access for a few reasons. Firstly most of the best spots on the islands have been bought up by overseas resorts and unless you stay you cant get in ( more on this later ) and secondly the size of the rocks and boulders along the coast don't allow for easy rock hopping and the rain as delightful as it was prohibited any safe rock clambering. Never mind as we travelled further down the coast the rain subsided and we found the most devine little beach - Anse Soleil. To get to the beach you had to go through an appealing little restaurant overlooking the beach. This has to be one of the smartest business ideas I've come across and I'm pretty sure most people stop in for a bite or a drink. It was after lunchtime anyway so we stopped ate and drank.
The local beer Seybrew is quite a tasty drop, enjoyed on a few occasions and was really savoured as we tucked into spicy Creole fish curry for me and fresh tuna for Lynne. Wow this was seriously good food and what a little bit of paradise to be in and would have to rate as one of the prettiest places we've ever dined in. A pleasant swim and some sunbathing were halted by threatening drops which soon turned tumultuous and so we got wet getting back to the car, never mind as we were still in our togs anyway and when you live in a dry desert country rain like this was just so invigorating and fun. Back to Beau Vallon with the rain on our tail arriving only a few minutes in the lead. Plans for dinner out that night and checking out the carnival were thwarted by the downpour which didn't seem to want to stop. We have found when travelling it pays to go prepared so we always take some food and nibbles, nuts, dry fruit, wine etc...when we can. That night we were able to concoct a sufficient home made dinner in our room of spicy noodles and afterwards lay back listening to the rain on the roof as we nodded off for the night. What a great day.





Day 3 dawned with the rain gone and clear blue skies. After another hearty breakfast we were off again to check out the remaining southern parts of the island. The airport is about 5 kms south of Victoria and not far past that we rounded a corner to discover, yes, another beautiful beach where the car park seemed to be fairly full - about 8 cars. After finding a park we could see immediately that this was to be a great place to snorkle. No disappointment as within a few metres of the shore tropical fish of all shapes, sizes and colours cruised in and out of the rocks – spectacular and the beach itself was also just stunning. An explore along the rocky shore at the end of the beach I found schools of fish in barely knee deep water in picture postcard surroundings with palm trees growing almost right down to the crystalline waters. A salt water fly fisherman I found assured me that he hadn't caught anything and I'm quite convinced he was just happy casting away, surrounded by such beauty and just filling in the time. Fair enough too – what a fabulous place to not catch fish. Although I had packed rod, reel and plenty of tackle I really only had one half hearted attempt at fishing myself. At first I was a little disillusioned about not getting the chance for some serious fishing, but soon came to realise that just doing nothing was plenty enough to occupy ones time and with only 4 days we were pretty busy going from beauty spot to beauty spot successfully trying to fit in as much doing nothing as possible
It was hard to up and leave this magnificent little spot but off we went to explore the remaining south. The bottom tip of the island is majestic in it's own right being where the swell brings fairly large waves crashing on the shore. I had read that this was a dangerous place for swimming and it sure looked powerful so we stopped briefly for a few obligatory photos and carried on around and up the remaining yet travelled part of the south west coast. A few more beaches, a swim, and it was after lunchtime already. A small roadside cafe restaurant was found and more fish curry and fresh fish with a couple of beers was again heartily enjoyed. We had been told that the smaller local places were where the best food was to be found as the larger places and the hotels tended to bland down their fare for the tourists and this was good advice.
Back home to Beau Vallon to check out the carnival's last day. The beach was humming with beach soccer games and a band from the barge competing for entertainment with the food, drinks and craft stalls. Families were out in force and kids were just having a ball playing in and out of the water. Plenty of alcohol was being consumed and it seemed to us that there was no loutishness at all, people were just having a great social time and everyone was very friendly not only that evening but everywhere, wherever we went.
Some of the stall food was sampled and a T shirt purchased but we were still a bit peckish so it was back to the pizzeria as this would be our last chance for their delicious pizza washed down with a few cold beers. This place is always busy and I imagine you cant always get a seat straight away as we got some of the last seats both times we visited.

Last day and as planned we caught the 1 hour high speed ferry trip across to Praslin, the second biggest Island, and the only place in the world where the famous Coco de Mer palm grows in a beautifully lush Unesco heritage park in the middle of the island. The female part of the plant, the coconut is very interestingly shaped like a woman's bottom and unsurprisingly the male part of the plant is appropriately very masculine. Some stories talk about the Seychelles being the original Garden of Eden and something, apart from the absolute beauty of the place, sure is going on here with this suspiciously erotic looking plant.
Staying on this island and the next little island La Digue was originally on our itinerary, but as our holiday got shortened from 9 to 4 days ( thanks Ministry of Education - most of the kids and teachers, as predicted, didn't turn up for the 2 days you took away ) that became impossible, but is on most tourist agendas and would be highly recommended. We didn't have time to visit and swim at Anse Lazio, a beach at the far north tip of Praslin, which is said to be the most beautiful in the Seychelles. A good thing, possibly, as there have been two fatal shark attacks there in recent months – not so good for tourism and according to locals caused by the over fishing of the tuna resource ( thereby messing with the oceanic eco system ). The sharks ( big notoriously aggressive Bull Sharks in these instances ) are now coming close in to shore in search of food – seems to be a world wide problem.





The return ferry ride coincided perfectly with sunset as we arrived back in Victoria. Having some time to fill in before heading to the airport for our flight back to Dubai we thought we would give the Pirates Arms ( not many restaurants to be found in Victoria ) another try. Surely they could do a good curry. Unfortunately not. The chicken creole curry could only best be described as a bland chicken casserole and not even a very good casserole at that.
We ought to have tried the only other restaurant we could find that evening even though their prices were well over twice the Pirates Arms. Next time maybe.
I doubt we will ever go back to the Seychelles although it is tempting and such a beautiful place.
We did it pretty much on the cheap and quite successfully, however the place can be very expensive.
Given that there are quite a few plane loads arriving every day we were surprised by how few tourists we saw on our travels. It is because they all hiding away at the big hotels and resorts along the coast. Largely the place is geared to staying at these resorts costing upwards of 300 Euro per night ( we paid 80 Euros ). We did hear of one place costing Euro3000 a night. That's an insane amount and is an indication of more than just wealthy insensibility.
Many opt for game fishing and diving and this is another expensive option, and I imagine a pretty amazing experience for those who can afford it.
The upshot of this is that most of the tourist spending doesn't make it past the resorts ( ultimately going back offshore ) and out into the general community which is a shame. The locals by and large appear to be fairly poor partly due to this tourism mismanagement. Millions of Euros and Dollars come in with tourists but very few locals benefit.
The country is governed by one James Michel who is self described as a man of the people and by people as a man for himself.
Corruption is rife. Elections are said to be rigged and votes bought. He is rumoured to be super excessively rich, yet the country is seemingly quite poor. Much infrastructure is run down ( roads, health, schools ) and too often hefty price rises for food, electricity etc eat into the locals already low incomes. Places where locals arent allowed to buy have been sold off to the mega rich from overseas. One Abu Dhabi identity has recently built a humungous multi stories holiday home on a prime hilltop, possibly the biggest building in the country. He bought in his own labour force and they apparently toileted in the bush surrounds and polluted the water supply making the down stream locals quite sick ( in more ways than the literal ).
Scratch the surface anywhere and the nasty stuff oozes to the surface. Politics in Paradise – you go away on holiday to get away from this sort of thing.
Maybe if we'd stayed at one of those big expensive resorts instead of mingling with the locals we would still be blissfully ignorant. Poorer in more ways than one I suspect.

Back in NZ

The end of another 1 year contract and its back to NZ for a 4 week catchup with everyone and in particular 1 special new guy!
Its been a year of highs and lows workwise. I have worked with and become friends with 3 wonderful Emirati ICT teachers at 2 schools in Baniyas. Next year I will be at 2 boys schools, working with male ICT teachers. It wont be quite the same. I'll be needing a catchup with Asma, Huda and Fatima for some girly chats.
The flight home was excellent - got the upgrade to Business class; being able to be horizontal is a major bonus. Unfortunately only 1 seat, Brian slept half the journey in Economy.
We were met off the plane by Mack, and his parents. So neat to be able to finally have a hold and cuddle with the wee fellow.
First impressions of being back
fresh, drinkable water from the tap
birds singing in the morning outside the bedroom window
rain on the old tin roof
lushness and greenness
crisp sunny warm walks pushing Mack

Abu Dhabi 2011

This is where we are living. A guy named Beno Saradzic created this visual. I especially like the beginning black and white film as it gives a glimpse of what Abu Dhabi looked like only 50 years ago. I've been reading an interesting account of the changes that have taken place - "From Rags to Riches - A story of Abu Dhabi" by Mohammed Al-Fahim.

Abu Dhabi - 2011 (ver #3 FINAL) from Beno Saradzic on Vimeo.

This link gives some more background info about the time lapse photography used.
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/time-lapse-a-different-view-of-abu-dhabi

WOMAD Abu Dhabi

It has been a big weekend with Womad in town and what a fantastic weekend it has been. Again this year the event was held on the beautiful Corniche ( beachfront ), again free, the weather is warm at this time of the year, there was a pleasant evening cooling breeze, fantastic artists and a few that, for me anyway, were among the best I have ever seen. There are two main stages and a smaller open tent area where workshops and Taste The World shows were held as well as a childrens fun space, food and drink and some craft stalls. It was extremely well organised, the sound was pretty much faultless and everything went to schedule. And of course there were flags, the odd monster and happy faces everywhere.

Photos are in order of artist performance.

Evening One.

Starting with Orchestra National de Barbes from France. This bunch of guys were immediately enjoying themselves and the crowd soon joined in. A great start to the proceedings.
Next we moved to the small stage to see Khyam Allami, who plays Oud, from Iraq and Andrea Piccioni, percussion, from Italy. After some excellent instrumental duets these two entertained us with some cooking. Khyam cooked up some Iraqi Kababs ( meatballs ) and Andrea with usual passionate Italian flair, some pasta pomodoro. Being right down the front relaxing on comfy cushions we were lucky enough to get to try a little of each dish.
After that pleasant interlude we ventured off to South Stage for Paloma Faith who hails from Hackney in London. She was certainly colourful and enthusiastic and had a good voice, but, to my mind not what Womad is really about. Although the crowd enjoyed her she was a bit run of the mill Pop for my tastes. She did however have the most interesting shoes of the weekend so she scored points for her footwear selection.
On to the event of the evening, the staggeringly amazing Manganiyar Seduction by Royston Abel. Now this is what Womad really is about and much more. Arranged on the stage were a stack of boxes 9 wide by 4 high, with red velvet curtains and lightbulbs around the front perimeter. Interesting.
The Manganiyars are a caste of muslim musicians who traditionally played for the kings of Rajasthan.
The performance started with the curtains opening on one lighted box revealing a turbanned and well moustached fellow in traditional Rajasthani dress playing an Indian violin. Slowly more and more lighted boxes opened their curtains as other musicians and singers ( all wearing turbans and every one moustached ) joined the production and the level of intensity increased, decreased then increased again in usual Indian raga type fashion, slowly building to the most amazing finale where all the boxes were open, the performers all singing and playing for all their worth. Lasting about an hour this had the crowd completely awe struck. To see the ecstatic looks on the faces of the many Indians in the audience was a real treat. Most often Indians are the poorly paid workers over here and seldom get the chance to attend events so this was their big day and they were in heaven. I've noticed that this show has travelled the world, playing in Auckland, Sydney and many other cities so I hope that at least some of you have witnessed this unique masterpiece.


























































Evening Two.

I had been rather looking forward to this evening as one of my very favourite musicians was to play - I was very excited. I have written about Toumani Diabate in previous blogs, his instrument the Kora has such a beautiful sound and he is undoubtedly the master.
First up was a pleasant performance by the Terem Quartet playing folk songs from Russia.
There are 2 big screens at each of the main stages and coupled with the sound system playing you can watch and listen to what is on at either stage. I had decided to grab a front row middle position ready for Toumani and so was able to enjoy Aurelio Martinez from Honduras on the other stage. This proved a wise decision as Toumani and his band came on early for sound checks and instrument tuning and this was a little taster for what was to follow.
I have previously described the Kora as being like chocolate for the ears and I'm quite partial to chocolate and the Kora. So it now seems are many others.
Toumani's set was with his Symmetric Orchestra and they have great african beats. Around the middle of the performance Toumani was able to tell us a little about the Kora - it is a kind of African harp, has 21 strings and has been around for over 1000 years. He is the 71st generation in his family, passed from father to son, to play this incredible instrument.
It was a very special night indeed to witness this beautiful man playing such beautiful music.
Next up were the Afrocelt Sound System. I had seen these guys before at the 1st ever NZ Womad at Western Springs and they still have the ability to get the crowd moving.
Last act for the evening was ( Dr. ) Jimmy Cliff. Again a crowd pleaser, everyone was up dancing and having a good time especially when he did a medley of his old hits – The Harder They Come, Many Rivers To Cross, You Can Get It If You Really Want and I can See Clearly Now. Great stuff.


























































Evening 3.

Tonight was a bit of an unknown quantity, having heard only a little of the performers from the Womad sampler issued a week beforehand. Some surprises were in store.
First show of the night was Sain Zahoor, a Sufi poet from Pakistan, having spent most of his life, he is over 70 years old, singing and playing outside small neighbourhood shrines in return for applause, food and maybe a bed for the night. He was only recently discovered by Pakistan radio and T.V. And also the BBC. He was a real find and he and his band of percussionists and harmonium were delightful, colourful and lots of fun.
Next up was a pairing of Tarab El Emirat ( music from the Emirates ) and Omar Bashir a Hungarian oud player of Iraqi descent ( and not a dodgy Sudanese dictator president of the same name ). This local group was a very pleasant surprise, and I hope to be able to hear them again. There are so many very good Oud players and I will be looking out for more of Omar Bashir's music.
Another big surprise of the weekend was the next group up - El Tanbura from Port Said, Egypt. They are a collective of master musicians, singers, fishermen and philosophers. This large ensemble had been playing most nights in Tahrir Square during the demonstrations in Cairo. With this sort of uplifting, inspirational revelry happening it is no wonder the people of Egypt managed to overthrow Mubarak so quickly.
Joined for the evening by Hindi Zaira, a great singer from Morocco, this was a performance of such exuberance and the many many Egyptians in the crowd along with everyone else were partying like mad.
I managed to catch most of the next act, the very energetic Speed Caravan. Fronted by Mehdi Haddab who has been described as the Hendrix of the electric Oud. High energy, fast paced, fusion Middle Eastern and rock.
The final performance of the weekend was from Goran Bregovic Wedding and Funeral Band from Serbia/ Macedonia/ Bulgaria. A great party act to close out a wonderful Womad. If this is what funerals and weddings are like in their part of the world I wouldn't surprised if they are not booked up for years to come – they must be real fun events indeed.

Well done again Abu Dhabi for hosting such a wonderful event. Everyone I know who went or talked to discovered something or more probably a whole lot, of new, exciting and wonderful music from around the globe...Too much good as they so rightly say over here and very, very excellent.