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Africa, Countries

Under African skies

16th October 2025 funtime65

And, of course, at Victoria Falls it’s spray under African skies.

Which is the best way to wake up in the morning.

And where visitors to Ilala Lodge Hotel can catch views of the actual water from Mosi-oa-Tunyi.

And if you’re really lucky some drops from The Smoke That Thunders might blow your way.

Or maybe the warthogs and impala bring them in to the hotel’s lush gardens.

But leave the warthogs there to do what they do.

Under the stars

While you dine at the Cassia Restaurant, which has al fresco dining under the stars and African sky.

While Ilala Lodge Hotel is located just eight minutes from the entrance to the Falls.

The newer Palm River Hotel is set peacefully on the banks of the Zambezi.

Fun on the water

Now our Zimbabwean friends know the banks and the game like the back of their hands.

And they will help us explore the lush wilderness surrounding the town on a game drive.

Or surf the rapids on a Zambezi River white-water rafting expedition.

While for the ultimate, then really get your heart racing as you bungee jump off the Victoria Falls Bridge.

While for those who want to keep their hearts in their bodies stay on terra firma.

And view the Falls from the exhilarating angle of Devil’s Pools on the edge of the plunging water.

And, of course, for the best sunsets take it all in from the comfort of the elegant Ra-Ikane river cruisers.

Check out Ilala first hand for your bespoke package.

Africa, Countries

Get me out to Kruger wonderland

4th September 20254th September 2025 funtime65

David Haye, Gemma Collins and Harry Redknapp can be heroes if they like, but get me out to Kruger wonderland, and we’ll do it our way.

As the I’m a Celebrity all-stars ready themselves to decamp to South Africa we, of course, aim our sights higher.

No slumming for us as we check out the Untamed At Satara offer, in the exclusive Satara Plains Camp.

Now we know money is no object to the likes of The GC but we save hard to go on holiday.

So we need to make every rand of the 4,950pps (£206) per night until the end of the season in 30 September, count.

Too tense, this is suite

Fourmidable: Mark, Randanaman, Issy and Iain

Our campers will be housed in tented suites, with no comfort spared.

All meals are created by on camp chefs, no amateurs here.

And all house beverages, including selected South African wines (remember to put your ice in your white wine.

And there are two safari activities per day.

Ignoring, of course, the evidence of this picture of this South African game reserve Gang of Four.

You’re the celebrity

You are treated like a real celebrity on safari.

With the best rangers who use high-tech equipment, and even better, their wits to track the Big Five.

Although we can’t promise that you’ll be as lucky and find a new cheetah mum Thandie and her cubs.

Nestling under a bush.

You’d need intrepid Zimbabwean tracker Hewart, for that.

And we can’t see our old Scots-Springbok pal and host Iain at Mount Camdeboo letting him go.

Carry on camping

Now our pals at Satara will be packing up camp to return it solely to the animals before pitching again in May.

So whether you do watch the antics of the C-listers on I’m A Celeb or SA has always been a bucket list.

You’ll probably be thinking like me and saying get me out to Kruger wonderland.

Africa, Countries

Ethiopia is so much more than Live Aid

13th July 202513th July 2025 funtime65

The eyes of the world are on east Africa again today just as they were 40 years ago but as I have discovered for myself, Ethiopia is so much more than Live Aid.

It would be safe to say that Ethiopia was on the radar of very few of us before the famine of 1984.

When, of course, that catastrophe was but a moment in time, albeit tragic.

Made worse by the rich heritage of a region with a very real claim to be the Cradle of Humanity, the Cradle of Civilisation.

Ethiopia’s women from history

The First Woman, Lucy, originated here 3.2million years ago and was discovered in Hadar ten years before the famine.

So unknowingly we have more insight into Ethiopia beyond the famine than we thought.

And any time we heard growing up a grannie or grandpa (it was usually them) call a flashy woman a Queen of Sheba.

They were really referencing an Ethiopian monarch, Makeda.

Who showered King Solomon with lavish gifts, considered huge even by the standards of the day, on her visit to his court.

And her modern marvels

Regular readers, my loyal Bandanini and Bandanettes, will be familiar.

With how one particular Ethiopian powerhouse and an Irish Ethiopiaphile crossed my path.

The magnificent Meseret Tesalign Berkeley, who championed her country in Ireland and Caroline Smith who promoted Ethiopian Airlines.

Who invited us out to Addis Ababa on an all-female crew to mark International Woman’s Day.

And left it to me to decide to go myself, well I do rock a Scottish kilt, or send a female colleague.

And I chose the latter to avoid a mutiny in the office.

Breaking injera bread and coffee beans

Mesalign, Caroline and I broke injera (a type of sourdough flatbread).

Scooping up the doro wat spicy chicken stew for the Enkutatash New Year.

And coming away seven years younger and check it out and it is a thing because of the difference in our calendars.

Although we’d maintain it is the magical qualities of the food, dancing and the coffee with Ethiopia its birthplace.

When a goat herder Kaldi saw his goats energised from eating coffee cherries.

Out of Africa

Of course Ethiopia is so much more than Live Aid

Boasting the most UNESCO sites of any country in Africa.

Take in the splendours of the Simeon Mountains, where someone tell Midge Ure there is regular snowfall.

And Simeon wolves and Gelada monkeys.

While the Denakil Depression (don’t be put off by the name, it’s a geological feature) boasts the Dallol hot springs and the Erta Ale volcano.

And the Blue Nile is a stunning waterfall and the largest lake in Ethiopia, offering boat trips and scenic views.

Yes, Ethiopia is so much more than Live Aid.

And the best we can do for this vibrant country and its people is to invest in its present and future and visit for ourselves.

Africa, Countries, Sustainable Tourism

A real-life Kenyan souvenir

10th June 202510th June 2025 funtime65

I’ll soon need to move on from fridge magnets but I don’t know if even I have the ambition to bring home a real-life Kenyan souvenir.

For keepsakes of a destination nobody I’ve met comes close to Siobhan Byrne Learat.

Who fell in love with Kenya and a Kenyan, Maasai Mara warrior Kasao Learat, and took him home as a memento.

Now Siobhan, the caring, sharing woman that she is is a living testament to work at something you love.

Spread the faith

And she and Kasao spread the faith for Kenya and Africa through their high-end travel company Adams and Butler.

Now nights spent with Siobhan and Kasao and Ethiopian powerhouse Meserut in Dublin came flooding back.

After the Kenyan Tourist Board reconnected to update us on their delights.

They remind us, of course, what Kenya is best known for, its animals and safaris, while at the same time focusing on its people.

Through the Kenya Social Good Experience.

Which immerses travellers into the communities through traditional activities curated by the resident Maasai community.

Warrior people

The Saruni Mara lodge is nestled under the tutelage of the Moran (warrior).

And you will get to know, enjoy and understand the tribespeople.

Saruni Mara lodge, nestled in the heart of the exclusive, is a private Mara North conservancy.

So you will get all the rest you need after a day’s activities in the Bush.

Now if you want to explore further then there’s an Avatar on the site, Leo (naturally) there to help.

A real-life Maasai Mara

Of course, we prefer having a real-life Maasai Mara Moran to call on.

And in Kasao we are fortunate enough to be able to access the real thing.

And he and Siobhan have curated this sample 13-day Kenya experience which they will discuss with you, including.

Explore the Giraffe Centre and David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage
Spend a day with the Maasai Community Trust who are working to preserve wildlife and culture in Southern Kenya
Gain insights into the conservation model at Lewa Downs Conservancy
Spend time with the Africa Foundation representative in Maasai Communities, understanding the needs and successes in sustainable development.

Siobhan, of course, has her Maasai Mara man for keeps.

For the rest of us we have to get out there and find a real-life Kenyan souvenir for ourselves.

Africa, Countries, Cruising, Deals

Slave ships to rave ships off West Africa

3rd April 20253rd April 2025 funtime65

They’re pleasure cruises on the horizon now and we’re invited to track the voyage from slave ships to rave ships off West Africa.

Our friends at cultural expedition cruise pioneers Swan Hellenic have plotted routes north to the south of Africa for us.

From Cape Town to Casablanca and on to Lisbon, or south from Lisbon to Luanda.

And all at a generous 15 per cent saving thousands compared with the individual fares.

The first departs Cape Town on 25 March 2026, combining five northbound cruises.

To create a 51-night Grand Voyage, sailing the entire West Coast of Africa to Casablanca and on to Lisbon.

The second is a 35-night Grand Voyage sailing south from Lisbon to Luanda from 7 September 2026.

The passage of history

Swan Hellenic doesn’t skirt the fact that for hundreds of years the ships sailing out of West Africa carried slaves around the world.

But rather they introduce passengers to the forts of the transatlantic slave trade.

While at the same time getting up close and personal with the coastal elephants.

The lakeside dwellings of Benin and the pristine Bijagos Archipelago.

And from exploring the twisting cobbled streets of ancient medinas to falling in love with Lisbon.

Each Grand Voyage is on the purpose-built boutique ship SH Diana.

Which, of course, we know all about after spending time with her.

When she came up to see us in Leith last summer.

And saw how she can host 192 guests in 96 staterooms and suites, the majority with large balconies.

Oh Diana

SH Diana features a state-of-the-art gym, spa, panoramic sauna, club room, swimming pool with poolside grill.

And three dining venues: the Swan Restaurant, Club Lounge, and Pool Bar & Grill.

The five northbound cruises in the first half of 2026 range from seven to 13 nights long.

And are all still available separately or daisy chained as desired.

With an 11-night Cruising in Namibia: the Skeleton Coast offer, departing Cape Town on 25 March 2026 and arriving in Luanda on 5 April 2026.

The 13-night Southwest Africa Cruise, departing Luanda on 5 April 2026and arriving in Tema (Accra) on 18 April 2026.

The 13-night Cruise West Africa: The Slavery Coast, departing Tema (Accra) on 18 April and arriving in Dakar on 1 May.

The 7-night Cruise from Senegal to Morocco, departing Dakar on 1 May 2026 and arriving in Casablanca on 8 May 2026.

The 7-night Morocco to Portugal Cruise, departing Casablanca on 8 May 2026 and arriving in Lisbon on 15 May 2026.

The incredible expedition cruise leads in from £42,999 pp in a balcony stateroom based on two sharing.

Beautiful south

The three southbound cruises in the second half of 2026 are:

The 9-night Atlantic Cruise from Portugal to Senegal, departing Lisbon on 7 September 2026 and arriving in Dakar on 16 September.

The 13-night The Slavery Coast: from Senegal to Ghana, departing Dakar on 16 September 2026 and arriving in Tema (Accra) on 29 September 2026.

The 13-night West Africa Cruise from Ghana to Angola, departing Tema (Accra) on 29 September 2026 and arriving in Luanda on 12 October 2026.

The incredible expedition cruise leads in from £23,664 pp in an Ocean-view stateroom based on two sharing.

And though we all live these days in what they call ‘uncharted waters’ with Swan Hellenic they remind us.

How much better off we are as we have progressed from slave ships to rave ships off West Africa.

Africa, Countries, Cruising, Culture, Ships

Travel Department Egypt bargain we Sphinx

8th February 20258th February 2025 funtime65

And with Daddy’s Little Girl en route already our eyes lit up at a Travel Department Egypt bargain we Sphinx will suit you too.

You’ll see the pyramids along the Nile of course on this 12-day special with seven cruising.

On the luxurious 4* Star MS Radamis II.

And enjoy a twin city/resort visit by taking in bustling Cairo and Hurghada on the Red Sea.

Giza look

Your holiday begins in the Egyptian capital.

And be treated to a full day city tour with a Travel Department guide, a visit to the Egyptian Museum and a trip to the Khan El Khalili bazaar.

And this being Egypt where cats are worshipped then we imagine that they’ll have the run of the stalls just like in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar.

The Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx is next on you itinerary.

Before you embark on a relaxing river cruise down the Nile.

With a range of excursions along the way.

Including the Temple of Horus, the Valley of Kings, the High Dam and the Temples of Karnak and Luxor.

And wrap it all up with a three-night stay in Hurghada.

All 40km of it stretching along the Red Sea coast.

And a word to the wise to all you men, shave your top lip before you snorkel or your nostrils will get blocked.

Nile high club

Now with our old TD friends from Dublin kindly extending their New Year you’ll want to get on this.

With flights from €2,829pps.

And full board basis on cruise and B&B/half board in hotels.

Now we’ll hear all about it when DLG gets back… she’ll toot and come in.

And maybe give ourselves a New Year sale treat.

After all this is a Travel Department Egypt bargain we Sphinx.

Africa, Countries, Culture

Marrakech Fashion Week it’s pure Moroccan roll

6th February 20256th February 2025 funtime65

Spring/Summer Collection stretches to a new lumberjack shirt here but at the Marrakech Fashion Week it’s pure Moroccan roll.

Where the coloured cottons hang in the air and striped djellabas we can wear at home.

And they put on a higher-end fashion to what you’ll find in Jemaa El-Fnaa.

In among the charming cobras in the square which a trader wrapped around my neck for a photo.

And I was hawked out of my dirham to buy a Morocco football top which has had a few outings at five-a-side football.

Haven in the hustle

Jemaa El-Fnaa can be a daunting experience for a first-time visitor to the Rose City.

And the bustling souk will bring you cheek by jowl with shopkeepers only too keen to lure you in for a Turkish tea.

And not allow you out until you part with said dirhams for a threadbare carpets.

The riads with their verdant courtyards are your solace and solitude from the chaos.

And Dar Darma, an 18th-century boutique in the heart of the medina, is a haven of calm.

Up on the roof

From where you can look out from the rooftop on all the madness of the hippy heaven.

And the Atlas Mountains and the adventures that await over the horizon to the Sahara Desert.

Surrounded by a swimming pool, a shaded area, a solarium and hammam.

Spice up your soup

Now at DD a breakfast, lunch and dinner are all served at the time and in the place of the guest’s choosing.

And just as a sample the riad tells us that just one of chef Maria’s specials is seasonal vegetable soup.

Served with sour cream and a hint of spices.

There’s also briouats, meat or chicken tajine with citrus fruits and honey, meat or vegetable cous cous.

To finish with fruit or creme desserts.

Africa, Countries, Cruising, Europe, Ships

MSC killing it again on their whodunit drama

15th January 202515th January 2025 funtime65

And of course we never have to leave our armchair with MSC killing it again on their whodunit drama it’s just more fun if we do.

We jumped right on board when we heard that our old cruise chums had lent their name.

Ship hot: Kate and Jack and The Good Ship Murder

And showpiece ship Virtuoso to the Shayne Ward and Catherine Tyldseley series.

Now we’re glad to say that we’ve enjoyed the pleasure of sailing with MSC.

And can vouch for the unmatched entertainment and hospitality they offer.

Although we never did see any passengers get killed.

Although The Scary One might have been tempted on more than one occasion and had me leaning over the edge too.

Hopping around the hotspots

Viewers have been hooked since on the scrapes Shayne’s crooner Jack and the ship’s First Officer get into as sailing sleuths in The Good Ship Murder.

Now it’s no reveal that the plots are thin but it never bills itself as Morse .

And is of course just an excuse for some escapism and a glimpse into the ship and the exotic destinations.

And so we have been transported at our leisure around the hotspots of Europe and North Africa, many which we’re glad to say we’ve enjoyed.

La Rochelle, the pride of south-west France, Lisbon, the gateway to the New World.

Precious Palma in Majorca, mystical Sicily, operatic Barcelona and the jewel of the Med, Malta’s Valletta.

And of course the Moroccan legend that is Casablanca where they always say ‘Sail it again’.

From Rome to Dubrovnik

We were caught out somewhat when Jack and Kate returned to the high seas in Rome.

To find out that Claire Sweeney’s ents manager Beverley was no longer on board.

And worried that someone had done her in but phew there was a Christmas episode lurking in our Catch Ups.

And in the Pearl of the Adriatic too, Dubrovnik, where we had spent our Pearl Anniversary year at the end of last year.

Ports of call

Good Ship Murder has promised us a whistle stop tour of other magical destinations over the coming winter weeks.

While we shiver back here in damp Britain and Ireland.

And we’re looking forward to some more of our favourites like the Canaries, Gozo and Athens.

And maybe they’re keeping the glorious and supernatural Norwegian fjords for the next series.

Either way we’re happy to see MSC killing it again on their whodunit drama.

MEET YOU ON THE SHIP

Africa, Asia, Central America, Countries, Europe, Pilgrimage

Celebrating Jesus and a Happy Hanukkha

29th December 2024 funtime65

As Christmas and the Festival of Lights coincide only four times a century this year we’re celebrating Jesus and a Happy Hanukkah.

If the prophecies were right then it was on Kislev 25, 3757, or 5BC, that the Light of the World emerged.

Six hundred years after the Maccabi recovered Jerusalem and the Second Temple was rededicated.

Jesus being a Jew he would naturally have celebrated Hanukkah with Mary, Joseph and his siblngs.

And the Gospel of St John cites Jesus in the temple telling Jews: ‘I and the Father are one.’

Hanukkah holidays

All of which Sabbath lesson for the day brings us round to Hanukkah holidays.

Now the good news is that they last eight days, roughly the same time frame as your average family holiday.

Jewish families, and friends, have been gathering to light one additional candle in the menorah multibranched candelabra.

To replicate the actions of the Maccabi in entering the temple way back then when they made a little oil go a long, long way.

Diaspora around world

Now the Jewish diaspora has led to slight variations on the agreed customs.

So look out in your part of the world, and bear in mind that just like the Irish and the Scots Jews have enriched the whole planet.

We are grateful here to our friends at Reform Judaism for sharing some of the differences from near and far.

Which we will give you a tchotchke, or trinket of, to impress your Jewish pals.

Aleppo to Africa

Now Syrians of all shades and faiths don’t have their troubles to seek but Syrian Jews have long been resilient to the challenges.

The Jews of Aleppo descend from Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492.

They light an additional shamash (helper candle) on Hanukkah as a sign of thanks.

And in solidarity with refugees who have fled their homes in search of shelter and peace.

And for Kurds they have a take on the giving of Hanukkah gelt, but with a twist.

A week before the holiday, children lock the doors to their rooms and their parents must give them coins to get in!

More is always more in exotic Morocco and they have a ninth day where children collect leftover candles.

They then throw them on a bonfire where the grown-ups jump over them and wish for a partner or to get pregnant.

Vin and games

It’s not surprising to find French Jews blend in the country’s vintage into their customs.

With the celebrants of Avignon ending the Shabbat that falls during Hanukkah by opening a new bottle or cask of wine.

After Havdalah, the end of Shanbat, Jews travel the neighborhood to various homes, tasting the wines and toasting the holiday.

Similarly Mexicans blend in local mores to their celebrations, in their games.

And often break a dreidel-shaped piñata filled with Hanukkah trinkets and treats.

In the Promised Land

Of course, every Jew would want to be in The Promised Land for Hanukkah.

Cantor Evan Kent eulogises about Hanukkah as every pleasure is multiplied as opposed to the sacrifice of other holy days.

And particularly ‘the sufganiyot which help the atmosphere as it’s impossible to be in a bad mood while eating a jelly donut.’

And who’s to say a certain Nazarene carpenter 2,000 years ago didn’t do the same with his family.

Worth thinking about as we join in celebrating Jesus and a Happy Hanukkah.

Africa, Countries

TUInisia ten years back

23rd December 202423rd December 2024 funtime65

The biggest challenge a destination can face is rebuilding trust after a tragedy, which is why we celebrate here TUInisia ten years back.

Tunisia was a firm fixture on the tourist map in 2005 when terrorists tarnished its reputation.

When 38 people were killed outside the Marhaba Hotel on al-Soussa beach in June 2015.

Through no fault of their own the North African country’s tourist market on which they relied crashed.

And it took years, hard work and faith. before visitors started returning to Tunisia.

Missed opportunities

It is a challenge which most countries, cities, destinations have faced.

Back in the day we were discouraged from travelling through the north of Ireland during the Troubles.

But, of course, it would have taken more than young men with berets, balaclavas and bullets to stop her annual pilgrimages to her Donegal homeland.

Many’s the destination we’ve pulled back from at the last moment.

Either through virus outbreaks in Albania from our Corfu, Sharm el sheik again through tourists or Firenze through family bereavement.

But I’m rarely put off and make a point of trying to correct missed opportunities as I did in visiting the Hollywood sign this year and hopefully tear it up in Chicago next year.

Book me in

Just swimmingly: And the kids will be sorted

Everybody has their own story of missing out and for those who had Tunisia pencilled in but pulled out and haven’t returned after that terrible event then it’s time to think again.

Because TUI have a Christmas sale just for us and you know what they say about TUI and putting the ‘u’ and ‘i’ in.

Well ain’t they in the name… TUInisia.

From today, thousands of holidays for next summer will be reduced as part of their sale.

Customers can also save up to an extra €250 off per booking and secure their holiday with a low booking deposit from just €50pp.

Marhabba marvel

Meet you in the lobby: Brighten up your visit

With Tunisia a new route, alongwith Cyprus, from Dublin then it’s worth delving deeper.

Particularly with all-inclusive holidays available from €499pp and flights, luggage, transfers and accommodation all provided.

The Hotel Marhaba Club is billed as primed for fly-and-flop holidays.

From cabaret shows and karaoke nights, to a private swathe of sand that’s scattered with sun loungers.

And little ones looked after too with their own pool, a playground, a mini-disco and activities led by the hotel’s activity team.

At €321.99pp (€642.58) which represents an almost €600 discount.

All of which will be safe as houses and a testament to the good people of Tunisia.

Or if you will, TUInisia ten years back