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Africa, Countries, Food & Wine

South Africa is a rand old team to pay for

5th October 20245th October 2024 funtime65

Special delivery just in on long-haul value… South Africa is a rand old team to pay for.

We’ve been along to the post office to this week to exchange currency.

And, of course, listened intently to our postmasters on where people have been going.

And for those who like to get well away from it all, the long-haulers, that is South Africa.

That is backed up by a survey from Post Office Travel Money.

Pot of gold over the Rainbow Nation

Get the Braai on: Port Elizabeth township, South Africa

They reveal that the Rainbow Nation has beaten 31 other resorts and cities to claim top spot for the first time in six years.

Which is about how long it has been since we visited the Capes.

We’ll put the gap before Post Office customers came to their senses.

And restored SA back to its rightful top spot down to things like Covid and cost-of-living crises.

Because it seems a no-brainer that the jewel of southern Africa should be the best value.

And most rewarding of any of the options out there.

Now the natural beauty, wildlife, versatility, culture and history of South Africa speak for themselves and are entertainment on tap.

Time of your life

Table is set: And food and drink flowing

But what separates South Africa for British tourists is that it lies on a similar time range.

Just an hour ahead which means that there is no jet lag.

And, of course, they speak English, although it is fun and is recommended to try any one of the 11 other official languages.

With our favourite being Xhosa, the back-of-the-throat clicking language spoken in the Eastern Cape.

For the Post Office survey destinations were rated by ten staple items.

So that would be a cup of filter coffee, a 330ml bottle of local lager, a 330ml bottle of cola, a 175ml glass of wine and a cocktail for drinks.

While the staples also include a small chocolate bar, a 1.5l bottle of supermarket mineral water, a 200ml bottle of suncream, a 50ml tube/bottle of insect repellent.

And a three-course evening meal for two adults including a bottle of house wine.

And remember that to go truly native then you need to drink your wine with ice cubes in it.

While every self-respecting South African pines for a braai, or barbecue.

Now Cape Town comes out on top with this basket costing £55.59.

Where the price is right

For Asianophiles Tokyo and Hoi Ann in Vietnam come in second and third.

While we are heartened to see that St James in Barbados sits in a respectable 26th with their basket costing £141.29… without the rum!

Of course we would urge not to penny pinch on holiday and not to be put off your dream destinations for a few dollars more.

And if the Post Office basket of staples does cost £163 in New York, £164 in Costa Rica and £165 in Sydney don’t let that be your dealbreaker.

You can always economise when you get home.

That said we’ll always jump on the chance to big up the Rainbow Nation.

And are glad to confirm South Africa is a rand old team to pay for.

Africa, Countries

Holidos & Don’ts Mpox and safe travel in Africa

24th August 202424th August 2024 funtime65

And because we’re a public service too here we’ve drawn in the experts for Holidos & Don’ts Mpox and safe travel in Africa.

Andre Van Kets, founder of Discover Africa answers your questions and debunks the myths.

How is it spread

The Mpox virus (Monkeypox) is in the same family of viruses as smallpox.

Although Mpox is generally less severe.

It is spread through close contact with an infected person or animal, including skin-to-skin contact, respiratory droplets, or skin lesions.

It can also be transmitted via contaminated surfaces, bedding, clothing, or towels.

Symptoms of Mpox can include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.

New strand Clade 1b is spreading in east Democratic Republic of Congo and 13 other African countries, primarily in “sexual networks”.

Over 15,600 cases and 537 deaths have been reported in the DRC in 2024 alone.

Most recently, Sweden, Taiwan and Pakistan have reported mpox cases.

Window into another world: Bergamo stays strong

And as I found out when I visited Bergamo where Covid entered Europe trade is how it is carried.

Andre advises: ‘Not all of the area is a high-risk zone.’

‘Regional tour operators are committed to maintaining high safety standards.

‘And are actively collaborating with local authorities to monitor the mpox situation.

‘And help curb its spread, as revealed by the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association.’

More of us are taking in the joys of Africa through the surge in ‘experience economy’.

Similarly, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control emphasised the risk of transmission across Europe remains low.

The ECDC recommends travellers visiting affected regions to consider vaccination.

Burning questions

Will there be another lockdown? Mpox has not reached the global severity of Covid but it remains a concern.

And Covid spreads through respiratory droplets, making it more contagious in public settings.

Severity and Mortality: Covid has caused millions of deaths worldwide due to its severe respiratory effects.

Mpox, while uncomfortable and sometimes severe, has a lower mortality rate.

Public Health Response: Mpox has been managed through targeted interventions, without the need for wide restrictions.

Andre tells us: “To minimise your risk while enjoying a safari, consider the following health precautions…

Consult a Travel Clinic: Visit a healthcare provider who can advise on vaccinations, preventive measures, and travel info.

Pack a Medical Kit: Include essential items like hand sanitisers, face masks, insect repellent, and first-aid supplies.

Monitor Local Health Alerts: Stay updated on any mpox outbreaks in the countries or regions you plan to visit.

Speak to a Travel Expert: Discover Africa’s travel experts are based in the continent, and have first-hand experience of top safari destinations.

‘They are able to help you plan the safest itinerary suited to your tastes, and help you avoid any health concerns.

‘For more detailed information and personalised travel plans, visit their siter for expert guidance on planning your ultimate safari in Africa.’

Africa, Countries

Life is slow for Jonathan Tortoise on St Helena

22nd August 202422nd August 2024 funtime65

He predated Queen Victoria and the abolition of slavery in the UK and is still going strong… but then life is slow for Jonathan Tortoise on St Helena.

JT, as we’ll presumptuously call him, is closing in at half a mile an hour on his 192nd birthday at the end of the year.

When the good islanders of the second remotest habitable settlement in the world after Tristan da Cunha will treat him to a birthday feast.

Of cabbage, lettuce, apples, bananas, guavas and maybe the secret of eternal life, monkey’s ears herbs.

Now my own little nutritionist at home has been trying to get me off my morning diet of bagels and tea so JT’s diet might be the way.

Two world wars, a Moon landing and Taylor Swift

Hop on board: But JT is an old boy now, so it’s no longer allowed

Of course, having lived such a long life JT, observers have naturally chronicled everything that he would have seen.

The industrial revolution, two world wars, the rise and fall of communism, Man walking on the Moon and Taylor Swift.

Although living on a tiny British outcrop 3329 miles west of South Africa he probably only heard of such seismic events.

JT is, in truth, more interested in his tortoise buddies on the isle and one in particular Fredericka.

Who legend has it was only discovered to be male years later leading to suggestions that JT is gay.

That’s just not croquet

Now it would be a mistake to think that JT might be slowing up and is past his shell-life because he is 192.

But the old rogue still likes to cause mischief, particularly disrupting the tennis and croquet games on the island.

Now you would think with a tortoise at the age of 192 the clock must be ticking.

Going through hoops: On the croquet field

And that we’ll need to get out there to see JT while we can.

And that is what we were planning back in 2021 and mark the bicentenary of Napoleon Bonaparte’s death on the British colony.

Only for Covid to close down travel around the world.

Of course, the virus thankfully could not touch the indestructible JT.

St Helena’s biggest celeb

And now that we have all come out the other side we’ve all got the chance again to come out and meet St Helena’s biggest celebrity.

So if you want to take in the ultimate in slow tourism then he’s not going anywhere.

Life is slow for Jonathan Tortoise on St Helena.

Africa, Countries, UK

Britain will be hotter than the Sahara so head-dress up

10th August 202410th August 2024 funtime65

It’s a favourite tabloid fall-back for warm weather, look for a sunspot comparison… and this weekend Britain will be hotter than the Sahara so head-dress up.

The meteorologists and the headline writers have swooped upon Dhakla in Moroccco this week for their reference point.

With Morocco 29C and East Anglia in England 30C on Monday.

Heads we win: Our G Adventures trip in Jordan

Now while Sahara dwellers and Arabs generally are noted for their keffiyehs the Essex and East Anglians go bare-headed.

Of course, as a confirmed bandana-wearer I’d always advise covering your head in the heat.

And that, of course, is the origins of the keffiyeh.

Though, of course, in the Arabs’ case their head-dress became a buttress against the winds and sandstorms.

Keffiyah, my lord

These days the keffiyahs are sold to tourists across North Africa and the Middle East.

And despite the cultural appropriation campaigners trying to stop our fun the traders don’t mind our coin.

And your friendly G Adventures guide will even show you how as happened in Jordan.

So just like the bandana, you fold the keffiyeh into a triangle and drape it over your forehead.

Wrap the shorter end under your chin and wrap the longer end across your face.

So that it covers your nose and mouth.

Pull it up and over the top of your head, meeting the end of the other side.

And tie both ends together.

Get ahead, wear a hat

Just like my St Lucian pal Jerry ‘The Big Dipper’ rocked in the Wadi Rum desert.

And I have done wearing a Mr Benn collection of headgear around the world.

From cowboy hats and Davey Crocket raccoon skins to French berets and Soviet bearskins.

And yes you’re welcome too to don an oversized Paddy’s Day tall green felt hat or Scottish Tam O Shanter.

Although that might be a bit hot here in the coming days.

When Britain will be hotter than the Sahara so head-dress up.

Africa, America, Asia, Canada, Caribbean, Countries, Europe, Oceania, UK

Your train is early after 200 years

7th July 20247th July 2024 funtime65

What’s this… your train is early after 200 years?

Yes, the Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham has only stolen a march on the birth of the railways.

By announcing that 2024 should be the year to mark the bicentenary of the first train journey.

On account of the creation of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company.

Do the Locomotion

Only that it was not until the next year, 1825, that the first passenger train took off.

When George Stephenson’s steam-powered Locomotion No. 1 travelled 26 miles between Shildon, Darlington and Stockton.

Which is what Railway 200 have begun planning.

It is no exaggeration to say that trains transformed Britain.

And that makes it all the more galling to see the state the service is in today.

So it is understandable that Mayor Burnham should want to claim the genesis of railways.

And push for a 35-minute super train journey between Manchester and Liverpool.

On the right track

Steamin’ ahead: Channel your Casey Jones

For the full story of how Britain’s trains used to work then the train has moved on from Darlington south to York.

And so should you to the National Railway Museum, a wonderland for all Casey Joneses and their train-spotting daughters.

If trains could connect this island and expanded our work and early travel horizons.

Just think what they could on a larger scale in the US, in South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

America we know was built on the backs of Irish navvies.

And north, south, east and west there are towns and states celebrating how railroads were at the heart of their story.

Station to station

We all have our own romantic visions from cowboy movies of train tracks snaking through the Wild West.

All of which I saw for myself at the Colorado Railroad Museum with a nod to a far more patriarchal time.

Trains tell us so much about a society and we all have pictures in our mind of Indians hanging off trains.

Japanese crammed into theirs and eastern Europeans and mid-Asians making palaces.

Those, and the great train journeys of the world are in safe hands with, erm, oul’ Casey Jones’s recommendation, Great Rail Journeys.

Now whether you make rail journeys your centrepiece and tick off an Orient Express…

The Lake Titicaca in Peru, the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada, the Darjeeling Train in India, the Indian Pacific in Australia.

Or just get your tickets stamped on the way.

Whether it is up the highest rail route in Europe, the Jungfraujoch, a Bajan steam train, up the Norwegian fjords, or Amtrak it around New England.

Stephenson’s train on time

Enjoy and remember it all started in Old England with Robert Stephenson.

When 550 passengers were transported , making this the world’s first steam-powered passenger railway.

Put your back into it: A bit of fun in Barbados

From Shildon, Darlington to Stockton.

Although the opportunistic Mayor Burnham would like to assure you that your train is early after 200 years.

Africa, Countries

Join the Mandela Line and vote

26th May 202426th May 2024 funtime65

With this year seeing more people getting to elect their leaders than at any time in history let’s not waste our hard-earned right… let’s join the Mandela Line and vote.

Apathy when there’s a democratic deficiency and change is dressed up as a broken status quo is understandable.

And when we’ve fallen into the trap Aldous Huxley warned us of that our leaders would anaesthetise us.

By giving us exactly what we’ve been asking for, rampant consumerism and instant gratification, it is understandable.

And will explain why we’re more interested in voting contestants in and out of Love Island, I’m A Celeb and Big Brother than politicians to parliament.

A line of election activists

Not to sneer, of course, at those who think Big Brother is a Geordie voiceover rather than the OG (that’s Gen Z for original) George Orwell’s all-seeing dictator.

And that’s because our ancestors struggled, protested and often fought and died for our right to vote.

Much like they did, and more, in South Africa.

So that the 98% of the population could have the government that reflected them.

And have their moment, as they did, 40 years ago.

Queueing overnight in most instances to vote for the Great Man.

Everyone a voter

You will meet them when you visit the Rainbow Nation and be sure to ask them of their experience.

All parts of the republic from Amos, the waiter we met in Graaff-Reinet, who was involved in the armed struggle.

To game reserve owner Iain in Mount Cambedoo.

The vast majority of whom will wax lyrical.

About how heroic Madiba, the Father of the Nation was, and continues to be.

Port of call

The Voting Line is reflected and symbolised in the metal installation we found in the Donkin Reserve in Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha since we visited.

Where our guide par excellence Siseko got us to the end of the line to stand next to South Africa’s saviour.

For South Africa, of course, we can read America, Britain, India, and anywhere around the world.

And a reminder that 60 countries of four billion people which is half the population of the world are voting this year.

So get to the polling station because it is everyone’s duty to join the Mandela Line and vote.

All major airlines fly out to South Africa and remember it is on the same Greenwich Mean Time so there will be no time adjustment.

Only the South Africans appreciate so much more the gift that is a free vote.

Africa, America, Asia, Countries, Europe

Northern Lights mania

11th May 2024 funtime65

So in nearly nine years in Aberdeen, ‘the home of the Aurora Borealis’ I never saw them once but now in my little rock at the top of Europe and across the continent there is Northern Lights mania.

OK, so I was messing in science in school so don’t really follow any of the reasons for this phenomenon.

But here goes… the arrival of a Coronal Mass Ejections from the sun can cause the annulus to expand, bringing the aurora to lower latitudes.

That Aberdeen has dined out on the boast of being ‘the home of the Aurora Borealis’ is mainly due to the salesmanship of concert pianist Mary Hall.

A Brummie no less, who never set foot in the Granite City, but who wrote the song with her husband Mel for a homesick Aberdonian, Winnie Forgie, who they befriended.

Heavenly dancers

The ‘Heavenly Dancers’ as they are known in these parts were once again celebrated when Local Hero, a Burt Lancaster movie mostly set in Aberdeenshire, just up the coast became a cult hit in the 80s.

The story being that an oil baron switched his plans to pump the North Sea for fuel in favour of building an observatory after falling in love with the area.

Those who have seen the Northern Lights say that it’ll do that to you.

Of course, while people up and down the country and across Europe are claiming to have seen the Northern Lights from their back gardens the best place to view them is in remote areas.

And in spots unaffected by street lighting.

Now while we bask on this British island and wherever you live Dark Skies resorts cater for us at other times of the year.

Tenerife star trekking

Now you’ll have seen the Tenerfenos protesting the overtourism on their island but that’s mainly in the southern hotspots.

The real jewels on the Canarian island are in the interior, the west coast and the volcanic peak in the north that is Mount Teide.

Europe’s most visited national park there is still plenty of space for us all to trek.

And as for stars, you’ll get an unspoiled view too of the milky way and Saturn’s rings from the top of Tenerife.

Night out with stars in the States

Now when you think of a night out with the stars in the States you immediately think of Hollywood.

And yes, that was one takeaway from a week in LA LA Land.

But while there at the American Travel Fair, IPW, I was introduced to a wider galaxy of stars.

Utah really is more about the Milky Way than the Mormons with the highest concentration of International Dark-Sky Association-certified areas.

The Salt Lake State boasts 26 International Dark Sky Places within the state.

That accounts for 13% of the 200 locations around the globe formally recognized by DarkSky International.

Utah is also home to the first international Dark Sky Park, Natural Bridges National Monument.

Jordan jewels and Moroccan marvels

Of course, the desert is always a go-to for reaching for the skies.

And Wadi Rum in Jordan is designated an international Dark Sky Reserve.

Which means that you can spot stars that are over 100 times dimmer in Jordan than in your home town.

While if you find yourself inconvenienced in the Moroccan part of the Sahara Desert then what else is there to do?

Than watch the cycle of the night and day and shooting stars in Fezland while you’re shitting stars.

MEET YOU IN THE SKIES

Africa, Countries

Heading for a fall, I say Victoria Falls

17th April 202417th April 2024 funtime65

It’s been levelled at me my whole life.. but when the naysayers claim I’m heading for a fall, I say Victoria Falls.

Like so often the Vic Falls were in my diary en route to Namibia when the trip was pulled at the last minute.

Livingstone I resume

I daresay that my fellow Scot David Livingston had similar setbacks before becoming the first white man to discover them.

Livingstone, you might say was an early pioneer of solo travel.

So much so that the Times of London sent out a reporter, Stanley.

Who went down in immortality for the seemingly prosaic question on meeting him… ‘Dr Livingstone I presume.’

Flying solo

All this sprang to mind obviously on hearing of the Victoria Falls Safari Collection and how they are putting solo travellers front and centre.

VFSC is offering no single supplement during their ‘Green Season’ in Zimbabwe from 1 January to 30 June.

Solo travelling is very much in vogue which is why my voyages this year will be on my Todd.

That and Herself got tired of me going off piste whenever we’re away.

Go your own way

The popularity of solo travel is borne out by recent research from ABTA.

With 16% of travellers saying they went on a holiday by themselves in the 12 months to last August.

Compared to only 11% of travellers during the previous 12-month period.

And because the awe of waterfalls are often best taken in on your own then spoil yourself to a stay at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge or Club.

Where you’ll be surrounded by verdant greenery and a direct view from the pool of the busy watering hole below.

We are amused

Relax at the nearby Victoria Falls Safari Spa, or visit the Falls, a mere 4km from the hotel.

The hotel is set amidst the rich landscape of the Zambezi National Park.

And dotted with riverine forests and elephant trails.

Rates at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge start from US$ 255 pppn B&B.

Rates at the Victoria Falls Safari Club start from US$ 352 pppn B&B. Visit www.africaalbidatourism.com

Fly to Harare with Ethiopian Airlines for a sample £683 25-hour round trip with a stop off in Addis Ababa.

So let them say what they will about me heading for a fall, I say Victoria Falls.

Africa, Caribbean, Countries, Deals, Europe

My Valentine’s Day proposal

13th February 202413th February 2024 funtime65

Alas, it’s gone, the restaurant where I got down on one knee for My Valentine’s Day proposal. But the love lives on.

Of course, I had merely gone to tie up my laces when the eager Miss F screamed ‘yes’ and that was it.

And yes, as my old mucker and travel blogger par excellence Tom Sweeney has since advised ‘slip-ons old boy, slip-ons.’

While Malta, the jewel of the Med, was an idyllic location in truth I had my eyes on another gem.

Istanbul, the crossroads of Europe and Asia, had long been my aspiration.

And I have visited since and laid back on a booze boat on the Bosphorus singing Abba.

As I would have 31 years ago… and want to with The Scary One soon.

Now for Istanbul, you can also read Venice and a number of other go-to destinations to consider.

So we’ve put together a triple helping of romantic destinations for you to pop the question.

House of Mara

Masai Mara, Kenya | JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge

Future is orange: The sunsets in Kenya, ah!

And I get a tingle when I think back on Siobhan Byrne, of Adams & Butler, who found love in Africa with a Masai warrior.

Sprawling 580sq miles, the expansive reserve is home to an abundance of wildlife, with over 100 mammals species.

And travellers can share the thrill of spotting one of the legendary Big Five as we started doing in South Africa.

JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge is the first luxury safari lodge to sit within the Masai Mara National Reserve.

It offers 20 private tents, each with their own terrace, to soak in the vistas’ spectacular sounds.

Room rates start from £1,278 per night. For more information, visit www.marriott.com

Bermuda short

Bermuda | Rosewood Bermuda

And anywhere that’s good enough for Sean and Micheline Connery should be good enough for the rest of us.

So knowing already that they like Jocks, then myself and by-now Tartanised other half would be made welcome.

On the pink sands at Horseshoe Bay Beach, one of the world’s most Instagrammed beaches or Astwood Cove Beach.

Or if you like an ancient natural cave then the Grotto Bay Beach Resort’s Natura Spa is where you want to go.

Room rates start from £253 per night. For more information, visit www.gotobermuda.com

Anyone for Venice

Venice | The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice

And si, we’ve stood on the Rialto Bridge a-gazing longingly… at the prices, but what price love Venice for us romantics?

Of course, one way of saving more for your Aperol Spritzes for my Valentine’s Day proposal is to sacrifice a gondola ride for a vaparetto (a water taxi).

Now, if money is no object and romance is always worth it then the The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice is steeped in Venetian history.

It was commissioned in 1525 as the residence of the Doge of Venice, Andrea Gritti and later used as the official residence of the Vatican’s ambassadors to Venice.

And it has been a favourite with top-tier travellers since the palazzo became a hotel in 1895.

For that oh-so-special moment, we would recommend guests embark on the Riva Yacht Experience, where they can follow Head Concierge Ivan Schultz on an exclusive cruise.

Room rates start from £1,003 per night. For more information, visit www.marriott.com

Of course, you may already have your romantic day set out but it’s just that this is my Valentine’s Day proposal.

Africa, Countries

Happy Exile on Saint Helena

12th February 202412th February 2024 funtime65

It wouldn’t seem much of a disincentive to try to take over the world… send you to an idyllic island away from the sound and the fury, Happy Exile on Saint Helena.

Forward fast 200 odd years and all I wanted was an all-inclusive trip to the world’s second remotest inhabitable island.

Only for Covid to intervene.

Napoleon’s getaways

Of course, back in 1814 when Napoleon Bonaparte was trying to rule the world.

And he fled from the holiday resort that was Elba, off Italy.

Not easily pleased that one…

Nor indeed was he enamoured by the alternative accommodation provided for him,.

Saint Helena, off the coast of South Africa.

With him getting his Irish doctor Barry O’Meara to write back to England.

To complain of his English captors’ treatment of the former Emperor.

And even suggesting that they were trying to poison him through arsenic in his wallpaper.

Chapter and verse

Now if you want to get up close and personal to Boney then Saint Helena will give you chapter and verse.

All of which is an entry point to what else the island has to offer which they also do through their newslettering.

Such as the return of direct flights from Cape Town from December, running until March 2025.

They also showcase the Festival of Walking which started in November and runs through next month with prizes to win too.

Of course, the best and biggest prize of them all is the chance to win the trip of a lifetime.

Win a holiday

They have invited us to enter the St Helena Tourism social media competition for a trip to their island.

The package includes a return flight from South Africa or the UK and as well as a variety of on-island activities.

Now maybe it was the long sea journey which did for Napoleon and coloured his views.

But for the rest of us this sounds pretty special.

And I, for one, know I’d love to have a Happy Exile on Saint Helena.