Africa Archives - Page 5 of 14 - Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel

Your Year’s Day around the world

1st January 2023 funtime65

We’re probably all nursing sore heads today but the good news is that this isn’t the only New Year’s Day celebration, we’ve got Wu Year’s Day to look forward to now… or Your Year’s Day around the world.

And a bunch of other New Year’s Days for those who love a good oul’ firework.

Which is where the Wu comes in with Wendy Wu all over the Chinese version.

And us all over her annual legendary get-together.

Which believe me keeps us fed and watered for an entire week.

Happy New Hare

Well, we don’t have to wait long for Chinese New Year which is on January 23 and is the year of the Water Rabbit.

Rabbits are said to be vigilant, witty, quick-minded, and ingenious.

I’m a snake (behave)!

More of rabbits and snakes later in the month.

But what of the other new years around the world.

Because not everyone looks at the world through Western eyes.

Jewel of India

Or the skies with those on the Indian subcontinent disagreeing.

On the place of the sun and the moon in setting their calendar.

And so in India, West Bengal celebrates their New Year, or Pohela Boishakh, on April 14 or 15.

Whereas Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and few other southern states celebrate Ugadi and Puthandu on April 6.

In Maharashtra state, New Year, or Gudi Padwa, is celebrated on April 14.

We’ve always been a little jealous of those who live in the Southern Hemisphere who get to enjoy their January 1 in the sun.

Forever young

Across the Islamic world the big dates are in July or August.

And this year it ranges from July 19-21 depending on which country you’re in.

The calendar is a lunar one and so is only 354 days long.

Islamic New Year is celebrated on the first day of Muharram, the first Islamic month.

And compared to Western calendars the Islamic year goes backwards by about 11 days every year.

All of which sounds great as you get time back.

Just like they do in Ethiopia and Eritrea where you can become seven years younger.

And which I saw first hand in the company of Ethiopian Airlines‘ evergreen Meseret Tekalign who would lay out a feast for us every year in Ireland.

So whether you’ve had your New Year or it’s still to come then we hope you enjoy Your Year’s Day around the world.

MEET YOU ON THE ROAD

Africa, America, Countries, Europe, Ireland, UK

How happy on the mountain

11th December 2022 funtime65

How happy on the mountain are the feet of He who brings good news… that today is International Mountain Day.

And yes, of course, while there is a day of the year for almost everything, our mountains are there every day.

It took the United Nations until 2003 though before they advanced our peaks for an International Day.

Of course being from the mountainous top half of this septic island they call Britain I’d been to the roof and looked down.

And admired Scotland’s valleys and glens and looked out and wondered of the view from other peaks.

Nothing as adventurous or backbreaking as mountaineering, or bagging Munros, those Scottish peaks, of which there are 282.

Border force

Cross country: At the Austrian-German border

But leaving it to our dream makers, our holiday makers, to take us up where the air is fresh and sweet.

For some who are lucky enough to live in the mountains then gorges can be part of their daily routine.

And so it is nothing to locals who cross the border through a mountain gate between Austrian Tirol and the Bavarian Alps.

While others will trek across the Alps into northern Italy.

The mountains have long been routes through which people have traversed for trade, adventure, or in flight.

Although, as we’ve tracked already in these pages the most famous fleeing family most certainly never climbed every mountain.

But rather the Von Trapps took the train into Italy instead.

Mountain people

Only way is up: Jungraujoch in Switzerland

The most romantic way through the mountains is of course by foot but we’ve hit the peaks in all of those… trains, planes and snowmobiles.

Trains… on the Jungfraujoch Railway, the highest train route in Europe.

Planes and helicopters in the mountains above the Grand Canyon.

By coach up the Rockies on Colorado and Graaf-Reinet in the Eastern Cape in South Africa.

In the frame: With my fellow Jim in the Pyrenees

And with half the Atlas Mountains descending on your Scooby Doo van during a rainy Ramadan.

Mountains are to be admired, of course, but to be respected too.

And we continually wonder at the skills of those who keep an eye on them when they are stirring.

And point out nonchalantly when we’re in the Pyrenees that there’s an avalanche in the distance.

Slope off on your hols

This time of year is, of course, reserved for those who put planks on their feet and zig-zag down the mountains.

And whether that’s in our northern tip of Britain, my favoured ski slopes of Soll in Austria and Val D’Isere in France.

And on the dry slopes of my other land, Ireland, at Kilternan.

We’re all on the same page…

How happy on the mountain are the feet of those who bring good news.

Our dream makers, our holiday providers.

Africa, Countries, Deals

Paying for the jerseys in Marrakech

10th December 202210th December 2022 funtime65

And as Morocco roar in the riads and the Portuguese souk it up a personal tale of paying for the jerseys in Marrakech.

Twas back in the day when I was playing five-a-sides and awaiting the inevitable call-up from the Scotland national manager.

And I would collect football tops on my travels to show off to my pals when I got home.

And so I’d channeled my inner Cristiano Ronaldo by buying a Sporting Lisbon top in Portugal.

And my Pierre Van Hooijdonk with my Fenerbahce jersey in Turkey.

Marrakech express

I don’t know who I’d be following with my Morocco top from Marrakech.

The only Moroccan player I knew being a little-known winger Hicham Zerouali, plying his trade with Aberdeen.

Following Morocco’s heroics in the World Cup quarter-finals we’ll know a lot more of their players.

Back to Marrakech though and I was on a mission.

And having had an early introduction to bartering in Turkey earlier that summer I was ready for the Moroccans.

Only I wasn’t.

Square deal

Marrakech’s main square Jemaa-el Fna is Barter Central.

Where savvy traders play tourists for every last dirham.

And send you on your way with a polyester jersey which wares in the wash.

While you’ll always lose out to the market hustlers in Jemaa-el Fna then it’s good that there’s always someone you can fall back on.

And when it comes to Morocco then Sunway certainly know one end of the camel from the other.

Sunway to go

Take it as red: The Moroccan national team

As it happens Sunway is offering a band of offers this month.

With three night breaks from €448, seven nights from €396.

Or 10 night breaks from €495.

Or next month three night breaks from €214, 7-night breaks from €310 or 10-night breaks from €382.

Who knows where we’ll be by the time you get out to Morocco this month?

You may be on the lookout among the fez-wearers for a World Cup winning top.

But be wary that could mean paying for the jerseys in Marrakech.

Africa, America, Asia, Countries, Cruising, Europe, Oceania, South America

Swanning about the world

7th December 2022 funtime65

So all we do is go swanning about the world. Wrong, we let somebody else pilot the ship.

And that somebody would be Swan Hellenic who will show you the Arctic, Antarctic and rest of the world – from Brazil to Papua New Guinea, Norway to New Zealand, Australia to Africa, and Madagascar to the Mediterranean.

Swan Hellenic are introducing a new lady to the fleet for next year with SH Diana joining SH Minerva and SH Vega from the past two years.

So as with all things cruise let’s see the numbers.

There are 192 guests across 96 staterooms and suites, many with balconies.

Diana rules the waves

Diana’s passengers features a multifunctional room next to the observation lounge, a private dining room and two tenders.

And so the polar class 6 ice-strengthened hull plus extra-large stabilisers make the journey as smooth as silk for you to enjoy the Arctic and Antarctic.

There are new itineraries too on the roster, such as New Zealand in Depth and immerse yourself in its Maori culture and its Long White Cloud.

Then there’s Papua New Guinea with its active volcano and Eclectus parrots.

For Japanophiles then you can explore the Land of the Rising Sun further than ever before.

And its Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples and the forested island of Yakushima.

Of course, all these exotic destinations bill themselves as the Land of something or other.

And that is no different with Iceland, the Land of Ice and Fire.

In Iceland in Depth you can cruise along the fjords, something we’d encourage anybody in the Nordic or Scandinavia, nations.

And so to the Land of Carnival, the Spirit of Brazil will give you those rhythms, beats and buzzing cities.

But you’ll also get to see humpback whales in the Abrolhos Archipelago.

While if Africa is more your thing then you can check out their Unspoilt Wilds of Southwest Africa.

And talk to the animals… the elephants, buffalos, lowland gorillas and chimps. And you’ll feel good.

Before learning about the wonders of voodoo in Benin.

Deal us in

Antarctic explorers: Off to see wildlife

Prices range from £2,500pps to £19,000pps depending on the length and location of the expedition cruise.

That includes return regional flights to the port of embarkation and/or disembarkation (where specified)…

Group return transfers from the airport to the cruise port, one night pre-cruise accommodation with breakfast in a four/five star hotel or onboard, all meals onboard, 24-hour room service, coffee, tea, soft drinks and selected alcoholic beverages available 24-hours per day.

There will be a lecture programmes by Swan Hellenic’s experienced expedition team and guest speakers, Wi-Fi, onboard gratuities and port taxes.

And one selected shore excursion/expedition activity per port of call, and branded Swan Hellenic expedition parkas and use of rubber boots in Polar Regions.

Phew. So get swanning about the world.

Africa, Countries

Cheetah’s day

4th December 2022 funtime65

It comes around swiftly at this time of year… cheetah’s day.

And on this day which is designated to the big cat, my thoughts naturally turn to Thandie and her cubs.

Not sure how much Santie figures in animal reserves.

But I’m hoping in this season of giving her little ones get spoiled.

It’ll be four years in a couple of months since I left Thandie mothering her new-borns.

In the Mount Cambedoo Reserve in Graaf-Reinet in the Eastern Cape in South Africa.

Power Ranger

Made it: With Hewart and Reserve owner Iain

Of course being such speedsters, they can hit 70mph in just three seconds, cheetahs can be hard to keep up with.

And that’s where rangers come in.

Zimbabwean Hewart uses guile and knowledge of Thandie’s movement and electronic equipment.

To track down the majestic pussycat to her shelter under a tree.

Until we are looking in awe at this wonderful specimen in her natural lair, ensuring that we don’t venture too closely.

Protective animals and their young, and all that.

And more so as their men folk don’t tend to stick around.

Male cheetahs prefer to live in a band of brothers known as a coalition.

While it may be difficult to spot a cheetah, if you do it’s easy enough to identify the spots on the big cats.

Laying a Marker

The chita, from the Hindi word ‘chita’ or ‘the spotted one’, they have between 2,000 and 3,000 such markings.

Now every day is worth celebrating the cheetah, I think we’d all agree, but why this day?

Well, we have Dr Laurie Marker who founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund in 1991 to thank.

In 2010, she designated today, December 4th, as International Cheetah Day choosing it after the birthday of a cheetah named Khayam.

Save our cheetahs

Dr Marker trained this cheetah for her first research project on teaching captive-born cheetahs to hunt.

When she reintroduced Khayam to the wild, she realised how endangered the cheetahs were becoming.

With less than 8,000 cheetahs living in the wild, a 50 percent decline in the last four decades, and still being hunted for fur.

All good reason to celebrate Cheetah’s day, and we’re sure you’ll be spoiled Thandie.

Africa

Cop Sharm El Sheikh

29th October 20221st November 2022 funtime65

Well, our lords, ladies and leaders were never going to slum it again in a Northern European post-industrial city which is why they’re going to cop Sharm El Sheikh.

Glasgow may very well mean Dear Green Place but it’s not known as baking hot.

And the River Clyde is hardly the water playground the Red Sea offers which I know from Jordan.

You sphinx you know Egypt

For some that’s not enough because it doesn’t have a pyramid or a sphinx.

You’d need to head 395kms south-west from the Sinai Peninsula.

And of course that’s why many visit Egypt.

And why The Scary One passed on our invitation to go to write about Sharm back in the day.

TUI puts U in the middle

With the eyes on the world’s leaders at Cop27 from November 6-18 there will be renewed interest in the Egyptian resort.

All things aside it is refreshing to see Sharm recover its status from the 2005 atrocity that saw 88 people lose their lives.

And the credit there is to the people on the ground and the holiday providers who have restored confidence among tourists.

Our old go-to package holiday favourites and one-time employers TUI who look after everything for you.

So we can enjoy turtles on the coral reef, take a Jeep across the Sinai desert and party in Naama Bay’s nightclubs.

And yes if it’s good enough for the Bidens, Macrons and Trudeaus why shouldn’t we get along for the ride?

Oh Coral

TUI are offering four nights all inclusive at Coral Sea Water World from November 6, going out of Birmingham for £1,014 for two.

And that’s a £936 total discount.

Coral Sea Water World boasts two huge pools and a waterpark.

You’ll have three restaurants from which to choose, two Asian and an Italian.

Nabq Bay is a 35-minute drive from the bars, shops and restaurants in lively Na’ama Bay.

The best resort

The resort itself is jumping with a football pitch where you can channel your inner Mo Salah, a tennis court and spa.

And there are various live shows and music to get things going after dark.

And so what if our leaders are spoiling themselves wherever they are, they won’t be having the fun we will.

So cop on and cop Sharm El Sheikh.

And rock like an Egyptian.

Africa, America, Countries, UK

Get Black History Month

8th October 20228th October 2022 funtime65

He’s a bit of a forgotten Commander in Chief but he is the US President who did get Black History Month… he brought it to the masses

Gerald Ford officially recognised the programme in 1976, the bicentenary of the USA.

When he called on the public to: ‘seize the opportunity to honour the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavour throughout our history.’

Of course theirs is February to mark the birthday months of the Great Emancipator Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

Ours in Britain is October and dates back to 1987 to mark 150 years of emancipation in the Caribbean.

Of course black history isn’t and shouldn’t be restricted to either February or October.

And while I’ve had to seek out black history myself around the world thankfully it is taught now in schools.

And, of course, it isn’t a black and white issue, these black icons should be everyone’s icons.

We share your dream

Dr Martin Luther King: A leader for the ages and how we could do with his like today.

You can follow in Dr King’s footsteps throughout the Deep South from his birthplace of Atlanta, Georgia.

Through the bridge protest in Selma, Alabama to his final days in Memphis, Tennessee.

And his memorial in the unfinished statue in Washington DC, unfinished because it can’t be completed until the struggle is.

Sweet Harriet

Harriet Tubman: And even before the film of her life Harriet was immortalised in song in Swing Low, Sweet Harriet.

And you thought it was an England rugby song…

No, she was coming for to carry me home (the black slaves of the Civil War era, that is).

And you can see how she did it at the Slave Haven in Memphis.

Rightly now she stands proud on pedestals in the modern-day Oo Es of Eh, and most poignantly in her home state of Maryland.

The long march

Nelson Mandela: Mandela’s status and reach marks him out as the only statesman icon of our age.

With nearly 300 locations named after the first post-Apartheid President of South Africa.

Of course there were those, take a bow Glasgow who would rename the street on which the SA embassy was after Mandela.

So correspondence would be delivered to Nelson Mandela Place.

Mandela rests for eternity in his native Eastern Cape in inland in Qunu where they still speak his gullet-clicking Xhosa language.

Redemption Song

Bob Marley: And while there are other deserving black legends of music none pioneered black political empowerment quite like the King of Reggae.

Marley emboldened black people through his musical message at a time when racism was institutionalised throughout the UK and the world.

Of course pilgrims pay homage to Bob in his native Caribbean at mases (concerts) like the One Love gog I attended at Barbados Crop Over.

But most especially in his native and much-referenced Kingston in Jamaica.

Sweet Mary

Mary Seacole: Much though still needs to be done to level up with those we put on a pedestal.

And it is instructive that when the British government set up their emergency hospitals during Covid they called them Nightingales.

After Florence, whose harsh matronly rule of the hospitals out in Crimea are now being revisited by historians.

While Jamaican-born Mary is only recently being studied in schools.

Flo, we should remember, also turned Mary away, probably on account of her race, but she went on to set up her own hospital.

But Flo gets her own museum and gentle Mary must make do with a reference in the London Museum.

All something then to explore as we get Black History Month.

Africa, America, Asia, Countries, Ireland, Oceania, UK

A 94-year Mum odyssey

14th September 20221st November 2022 funtime65

Happy Birthday Teasy, for you it’s been a 94-year Mum odyssey, and thank you for bringing me along for some of the journey.

I say that, but latterly I have done most of the heavy lifting…

And this Donegal Diva has fallen back on the credit she has built up over the years.

Like how she hounded me on a trip to New York when I was her plus one for my cousin Eddie’s wedding.

Teasy’s Travels

Or when I took her up to Ballybofey where my American cousin Kath and Dublin cousin Monica had also congregated.

And she tactlessly complained within my earshot that she had a husband, four brothers and three sons and I was the most selfish of them all.

The thing is as My Scary One, my wife, will tell you she’s the only one who could get away with that.

Teasy, or The Squeezy, as we affectionately call her, has infused me with much, not least my looks.

And a love of travel although she has a fair jump on me there with South America and the Antarctic the only continents she hasn’t visited.

And I dare say she’ll get there yet.

When she does she’ll be able to regale them of her travels around the globe after she empty-nested.

A holiday Saga

Wall, what is it good for? Great Wall of China

It was quite the Saga… the Squeezy dragging my Dear Old Dad up mountain, down dale and across ocean.

They were Ying and Yang, no, not twins on their China trip but opposites.

My mum was up for anything which meant she jumped at the chance to fly over Mount Everest.

While Dad was back in the bedroom with Delhi Belly.

They also took the helicopter over the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon with me retracing her footsteps years later.

While Mum followed the pilgrims on their knees up the steps of the Catholic Cathedral in Mexico City.

Probably though it was the tequila. Dad, of course, got Montezuma’s Revenge.

The rest of the world

There was Australia, South Africa, Russia and all points in between all while I was having a very different Saga experience.

Not, not early onset dementia, but working for Saga during summer holidays in Aberdeen University student halls.

Africa, Countries, Europe, Ireland, Oceania, Sport, UK

An Irish rugby conversion

30th August 2022 funtime65

As an Irish-Scot it’s when I’m at my most conflicted when it comes to international sports, but when it comes to egg-chasing mine’s is increasingly an Irish rugby conversion.

It wasn’t always so but then that’s 13 years in Ireland, and working in rugby heartland Ballsbridge in Dublin for you.

Scotland the grave

Scot the lot: Springjock Duhan van der Merwe

My own native land is Scotland of course, and let me remind you I followed them as a schoolboy through thin and thin in the late 70s and reported on them in even thinner times in the early 90s.

And now while the same can’t be said for Ireland in a football sense, in rugby the Boys in Green are actually for the most part Irish.

As opposed to a Scotland side which is filled with players who have been discarded by New Zealand, Australia and worst of all England.

In fact we’ve even coined a name for the legion of South Africans who have rebranded themselves as Scottish… Springjocks.

All of which running around aimlessly brings me to the imminent Rugby World Cup in France next year when I will more than likely be waving my Tricolour instead of my Saltire.

Now if you want to put yourself in the safest travel hands then get on board my old Irish pals Cassidy Travel‘s deals for France RWC 2023.

Deal us in

Cassidy’s packages include return flights, return airport transfers, hotel accommodation (unless it’s a day trip) and t tickets,

So, whether you want a quick day trip, a longer 2-3-7 night option or a bespoke tailor-made sport holiday then Cassidy have you covered.

Game on

So without further ado here are the matches you can be at, starting with the Romania mania.

Rugby World Cup 2023 – Ireland v Romania

Day Trip Package to Bordeaux!

9^th September 2023

Don’t have time to stay? No problem at all! Make it a day trip!

Ireland meet the European runners-up in Bordeaux.

Package Includes:

Return flights

Return Airport Transfers

Match tickets

All from €599pp!

Rand old team

Rainbow nation: South African support in the townships

Bok your team, if your team is Ireland, against South Africa.

Rugby World Cup 2023 – Ireland v South Africa

2 Night Package to Paris!

23^rd September 2023

The perfect two-night deal for rugby fans!

Package Includes:

Return flights from Dublin or Shannon

Return Airport Transfers

2 Nights in a 3* Hotel

Match tickets

All from €1099pp!

From Bok to Jock

And one where any Irish-Scot can’t lose.

Rugby World Cup 2023 – Ireland v Scotland

2 Night Package!

7^th October 2023

Two-night deal for you to enjoy one of the best

Rugby World Cup France 2023 events.

Package Includes:

Return flights

Return Airport Transfers

2 Nights in a 3* Hotel

Match tickets

All from €899pp!

Pieces of eight

Rugby World Cup 2023 – Quarter Finals!

Tickets to both matches included!

14^th & 15^th October 2023

Should they progress, Ireland will then meet the winners or runners-up of Pool A,

which includes France and New Zealand, at the Stade de France.

Package Includes:

Return flights

Return Airport Transfers

2 Nights in a 3* Hotel

Match tickets for Both Games

All from €1599pp!

And, of course, if Ireland beat the All Blacks (and everyone defeats them these days) they get to keep them!

So get your green out and support the Boys in France next year.

And that even includes Irish-Scots looking for a proper team to support… it’s an Irish rugby conversion.

Africa, Countries, Deals

Thandie baby in South Africa

25th August 2022 funtime65

You know when you see the kids you last saw when they were babies… well, that’s my Thandie baby in the Eastern Cape in South Africa.

Thandie is one cat but before you go squealing to My Scary One that I’m a cheater, Thandie is a cat, a cheetah.

I first laid my eyes on the beautiful Thandie in Mount Camdeboo Game Reserve in the Great Karoo in the Eastern Cape in South Africa.

And when I say I first laid eyes on Thandie, our tracker Hewurt does that for a living and brought us to see Mother and Children.

They’ll be three now and I bet they’re a handful… ‘appen I should pop around and see for myself.

Cool for cats… in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

My old pals at Hayes & Jarvis are my go-to people for bespoke long-haul adventures.

And they will be there from the very beginning with your personalised passport folder right through your vacation.

But don’t just take my word for it but I got my own video message from ‘African Queen’ Catherine after checking out their offer.

Two for the price of one

And because we’ll be in the vicinity anyway why not visit the neighbours?

And I had Namibia waved under my nose by my old pal Tony when he represented the south-west African country in Ireland.

H&J have a 16-day Namibia and South Africa holiday with a guide price of £5,199pp.

The highlights

H&J have handily bullet pointed out some of the highlights for us.

*Look out for The Big Five on an exhilarating safari drive.

*Drive along the scenic Garden Route on your way to stunning Cape Town.

*Take a cable car up Table Mountain for views of Cape Town and Table Bay.

*Discover the tallest sand dunes in the world in the heart of the Namib Desert.

On the road

Right, it’s a self-drive holiday but firstly they advise you board an internal flight from Johannesburg to Kruger National Park.

Situated in Mpumalanga and covering 19,633 square kilometres, Kruger boasts over 100 mammals, over 500 bird species and more than 300 tree species.

It’s a spectacular spot for wildlife and nature lovers, with luxury lodges dotted throughout the park.

Travelling onwards to Port Elizabeth on the Eastern Cape via the Garden Route, you can uncover sandy beaches, great museums, galleries and excellent restaurants.

Before heading on to the iconic Cape Town.

H&J recommend the SA vineyards, the 600 million year old Table Mountain and Boulders Beach, home to the African penguins.

Wham bam Namibia

Right, what to do with the other 12 nights.

Take in ‘The Beauty Queen of South Africa’ at your ease.

Namibia’s capital Windhoek boasts a Zoo Park, castles and alluring restaurants, shopping and places to stay.

And for the adrenaline junkies, there’s exciting water sports and paragliding and kite surfing.

For a complete change of scene, strike out on a trek of the 1,600km Namib Desert and enjoy the red sand dunes of Sossuvlei.

The coastal town of Swakopmund is popular for walking tours, shopping and expanses of beach.

And it’s an ideal stop-off before continuing on your way to Etosha National Park, close to the salt desert of Etosha Pan.

And we’re back to the wildlife and the elephants, rhinos, leopards and lions, prior to flying back home.

But all after I see my Thandie baby in South Africa.