Covid-19 2020 –
this word has spread panic, uncertainty and a huge fear of the unknown.
Such an
invisible threat has caused, the world as we know it, to change, to shut down
and basically come to a grinding halt. Not a war, not the politicians, neither the
general mass of humanity has been able to bring about this unprecedented
lock-down that our universe is currently experiencing. A global threat of epic
proportions from a tiny virus has basically destroyed the economies of powerful
nations.
We cannot
apportion blame on anybody in particular – maybe it really was time for the
earth to say “Please give me a few months of calm, less pollution and less
scurrying around”
So, the
doom and gloom remains, many have lost loved ones and medical personnel are run
off their feet trying to cope with a pandemic of epic proportions.
On the
positive side, we now have more time to reflect, to appreciate our “previous”
lifestyle and to regroup, rethink and challenge ourselves to come up with new
ideas. It is a time for those IT specialists to hone their skills, invent or
perfect tools for social interaction in the new norm of lockdown.
For those
of us who love the world of travel, we cannot even begin to plan ahead as
nobody knows when countries will open up their borders again, when airlines
will take to the skies again or when the currently empty coffers will get
filled up!
Our Italian
trip for May 2020 has been cancelled so in a bid to banish the travel blues, I
decided to take a look at past travel experiences rather than focusing on the
“where to next” scenario.
Although I
did not realise it at the time, my love for travel started early in life when I
wrote to my many pen-pals around the globe. This also sparked my hobby of stamp
collecting.
Born and
raised in the small, sleepy town of Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo this
interaction brought me immense pleasure – writing to somebody far, far away
when the air was dead still, the heat was blistering, nothing moved and it was
sometimes difficult to breathe during the long, hot summer months. Winter was
when chilblains were the norm on fingers from being crouched around the
fireplace as the cold crept in, blowing off the snow on the Swartberg Mountains
surrounding the town.
My first
trip out of South Africa was with a soccer tour to UK. Our contact in London planned
it all and I was the silly mug who handled the finances for the group of kids!!
New country and my first duty was to collect the tour vouchers. This ended up
in the London Underground being closed due to a bomb scare!
A never
forgotten highlight (besides the soccer!) was sitting in the front row for
“Phantom of the Opera” – boy, did I scream when that chandelier came flying
down. Yep – small town girl!!!
After this
trip the travel bug truly had me in its iron grip and I was fortunate enough to
enjoy many trips abroad.
A few memories in no particular order:
The Scottish
way of saying it’s a “wee, bonny day” even when the raindrops are very, very
wet.
To this day
I don’t know how I had the courage to drive all over Scotland in my son’s
clapped out 2nd hand car (who sold him this piece of rubbish?) with no
brakes and no indicators. It certainly did not have any MOT and it is a miracle
that I only got hooted at once in Inverness for changing lanes on a circle!
In Austria,
we were caught in a rainstorm whilst walking to an upmarket restaurant. Whilst
the staff were a bit taken aback, they allowed us in, gave us towels and served
us with friendly smiles! The male diners were mainly dressed in traditional
garb so we truly stood out as total foreign nut cases. Nobody batted an eyelid though
and we even received a few friendly nods as earlier diners left. It was still
raining by the end of our delicious meal so we were handed 2 umbrellas and
asked to return them in a few days!
Vienna – I am not normally a “museum”
person; however, the Music Museum in Vienna is an absolute must see.
Namibia is a vast, fascinating country. The
early morning start to get to SOSSUSVLEI is so worth it. Once I had
climbed that massive dune, the views were incredible – it was just myself and a
tiny lizard like creature, together we stood virtually on the top of the world.
Namibia is a photographers’ dream, the vastness, the dusty roads, the
flamingoes in Walvis Bay, the taste of Germany in the beautiful town of
Swakopmund, the wild Skeleton Coast loved by fishermen, the game in Etosha.
My biggest
scare was coming face to face with a giraffe whist staying in a lodge close to
Etosha. I am not sure who got the biggest fright but I think it was myself as
the giraffe looked at me with his big eyes, decided I was not a treat and
carried on munching!
Whilst I
really do not enjoy the food in Germany, it was fun to eat the tiny
sausages at the oldest Sausage Kitchen in Regensburg. Built in 1135 AD as a
construction office, this tiny building looks over the Danube and the historic
12th Century Stone Bridge. The other favourite (and cheap for us
South African’s) was HELL beer – we bought it by the crateful!
Croatia – our guide had us in fits of
laughter on many occasions and especially so when she related how she used to
line her pockets with stones to ensure that the BURA wind did not lift
her up and blow her away. This wind has been known to reach speeds of 304 km
per hour so it’s not inconceivable that it could blow a person away!
Slovenia
– this tiny country
has the best of both worlds – you could be skiing in the morning (Alps) and
swimming in the Adriatic in the afternoon! How cool is that?
UK –
Canal Boating – anything
can happen and it did. We were moored outside a pub in our boat named “Castaway”
The next morning I awoke to banging and crashing and thought that James had suddenly
gone totally beserk. Only to find that we had been cast off by some late-night revelers
and were now without our moorings afloat in the middle of the canal. In
hindsight it was hilarious, at the time not at all!
We also
loved to walk in the fields while moored somewhere peaceful. During one of
these walks we chanced upon an elderly farmer who kept us entertained for ages.
When I asked if I could take a photo of him and his tractor, he suddenly said “Oooh,
I don’t have me teeth in”
Mauritius – we loved our taxi driver who
regaled us with tales of locals and their way of life, despite their
differences of religions.
Istanbul,
Turkey – we stayed
very close to the Blue Mosque and after the initial rude awakening, I grew to
love the melodious calls to prayer coming from all over the city. Apple Tea
became a firm favourite and the Spice Market is total, never to be
forgotten, sensory overload.
USA – The one experience that will forever
be a highlight was our helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon. This
brought instant tears to my eyes and I don’t think I have ever seen anything
quite as spectacular, except from explorers filming for BBC Earth.
Corfu – finding a tiny restaurant that
served THE most amazing Sofrito – the owner gave us the recipe but it
has never quite tasted the same back home.
Rhodes – checking in to our resort we
argued with reception that it was not the Self-Catering apartment that we had
booked. It turned out that we received a bonus – full meals every day at no extra
cost! Boy, did we enjoy those delicious buffets. And it was the first time that
I realized French guests drink coffee out of soup bowls!
Cyprus – driving into the country to get
away from the beach crowds, we chanced upon a local farmer with his goats,
totally blocking the road. The tinkling bells fading away gradually as they
trotted further and further down the road. The farmer was happy to pose for a photo with a
huge smile. And who can ever forget those cherries??
Skiathos – if you ever wanted to watch a
plane land or take off and feel that jet blast, Skiathos Airport is the place
to be. But take care, it truly is pretty dangerous! We also loved the walks in
Skiathos, often ending up at a beach Taverna for a cold beer!
Crete – being woken by the bed violently shaking
was something else and, once again James got the blame! It turned out to be an earthquake!!
Zanzibar – too much Mango juice caused
me to be violently ill the night before we were due to fly home. Thankfully, a
doctor was available and the hotel allowed us to stay on at no charge. I now avoid
mango……!
India – the people of India must be the
friendliest on earth. Smiles all the time, no matter whether stuck in a
never-ending traffic jam or just walking down the street. I will never forget
the 5 young chaps who approached me on a rather deserted beach….I was nervous….yet
all they wanted to know was my name, where I was from and to give me some
shells. I still have the shells. And the food in India – it’s just wow.
There are so many more memories of holidays gone by, but never forgotten.
So will
travel ever be the same again? I don’t even dare to guess.
Let's pray for new beginnings as we learn to treat our earth with more respect.
© Judelle Drake
For Accommodation Cape Town, South Africa
www.bradclin.com
Please share - if you did not enjoy this post .....Shhh - but please still share!
Thanks!
