Homeward Bound - Day 8

Day 8 was our final day and does not have much to tell. Our alarms were set for 7am and being tired we didn’t get up until twenty to 8 so we didn’t have time for a final swim before breakfast. We were the first into breakfast and had our usual fayre of croissants, bread and fruit.

During breakfast we decided to have a whip round for Pierre who had been a great guide. I was nominated to be the spokesman to give it to him at the airport. When we got back to our room I counted €105. I took a few photos of the hotel before going back to our room to brush our teeth and finishing the last bits of packing.

Just before 10am I took the room key back and we met the others at the entrance to the car park where Pierre was waiting. We loaded our gear and began the two hour drive back to Malaga airport. The journey was uneventful and we arrived, as expected, at 12 noon. Pierre parked the van and we took the lift up to the terminal.

Gabriele was the first one to be flying, at 2.30, so before we split up I had to hand over the money we had collected. I had been thinking about what I could say on the journey and so had a fair idea when it came to saying it.

I told Pierre that we had all had a great time and that seeing the Orca on Monday was wonderful and more than made up for the problems with the boat yesterday and the weather earlier in the week. I then said that his enthusiasm and knowledge of the animals had made the trip doubly enjoyable, and that we had noticed yesterday the other Turmares staff all in the cabin when the long trip looked like being fruitless, but he was on the roof with his binoculars looking out for things, and that his enthusiasm rubbed off on others and made the trip better for it.

I went on that his knowledge of the town and area had enabled us to get more from our holiday than any of us would have without him. His willingness to make sure everyone was happy and (as far as possible) could do what they wanted was great and most importantly he tried to make sure we had as much time at sea as possible.

I told him that we had had a collection and that he could maybe put it towards a new lens. I also said that I was sure he knew a good restaurant where he could spend it (he always knew a good restaurant wherever we were) or maybe even blow it all on mojitos. I said he should have a mojito when he got back to the hotel with his next group and remember us.

Gabriele then went for her flight and the rest of us began our five hour wait for our plane. Poor Silvia had even longer to wait for her flight to Madrid and then connecting flight home to Frankfurt. We had a bit of food, did a little shopping and then eventually boarded the plane home, which is where I am writing this up until this point. We are due back a little early, at 6.30 BST.

The plane landed as expected at 6.30 and we said goodbye to Mike and Gill as they went off for their connecting flight to Manchester. Our bags were through quickly and we said our last goodbye, to David, and caught the bus back to the car. Roadworks on the M25 caused a delay and we finally got to Nanna and Grandpa’s to pick up Henry at about twenty past nine.

We left about an hour later and stopped in town for some KFC before eventually getting home at about 11pm, thirteen hours after leaving the 100% Fun. I sent a text to Pierre telling him we were home and thanking him again for the week. Despite being after midnight he replied with the following text. “Thanks very much for your mssage.it was very nice having you here!hope 2 see you soon again.we’ll keep you posted on what we see this week!cheers pierre & sara”.

And so a fabulous week came to an end.

The Last Day - Day 7

Day 7 has been a very long day, and also a frustrating day, but still good nonetheless. We got up for breakfast as planned and left the hotel for Tarifa to catch the boat at 10am with the intention of being out on the water for four or five hours.

Before setting off on our final voyage the above photo was taken. It shows Pierre, David, Fran, Me, Mike, Silvia, Gill, Gabriele and Sara.

We left harbour and headed towards the place where we first found the killer whales on Monday. Very soon we come upon a group of Bottlenose dolphins. These were not residents, but passing through from further east to the Atlantic to feed. We didn’t stay long with them as we wanted to try and find Orca on our final day.

As we continued west it became clear that there was a problem with the boat. It kept losing power when the captain tried to accelerate. The captain thought it was a fuel filter that was the problem so we went back to port to get the boat repaired after only an hour at sea.

We arranged to meet up at ten to 12 at the Turmares (the whale watching company) office to find out how long it would take to fix, and if it wasn’t fixable to go on the Jackelin again which sailed at 12. When we met we found out that the part had arrived, but that the mechanic was going out on the Jackelin so couldn’t do the repairs. We then arranged to meet again at 1pm while another mechanic was found. What made it even more frustrating was that Orcas had been seen in the Straight.

When we reconvened again we discovered that the boat actually needed two filters and only one had been brought, plus the mechanic that had been found was inexperienced and didn’t know how to fix the problem. We were given the option of going out on Turmares’s third (middle sized boat), the Dolphin Safari. This would be a two hour trip(from 1 til 3) and there was then a possibility of going back on the Rainbow before it was booked out again by another group at 5.

We boarded the Dolphin Safari, having been briefed by Pierre on the best places to stand, and hoped for the best. The boat didn’t leave port until 1.30 and due to the lack of sightings (they offer money back or a free trip if nothing is seen) we stayed out a long while, before eventually seeing a group of Striped dolphins just before heading back to Tarifa. We did also see an Ocean Sunfish jump out of the sea in front of the boat a couple of times, which is apparently very rare.

By the time we got back to port it was 4pm and we were a bit dejected that that would be it, and it was a disappointing end after such a good week. Then we were given the surprise news that the Rainbow booking had been cancelled and that we could go out on it for a couple of hours. It had been a long day and Gabriele decided she would rather go back to the hotel, so took a taxi while the rest of us set out onto the sea again at 5pm, 7 hours after we had initially done so.

We immediately headed west and after a while found a group of Moroccan fisherman, but sadly they had seen nothing, and once again were not going to start fishing until later. So as time was short we turned and went east and then saw some Striped dolphins with a few Common dolphins coming towards us. We followed alongside and watched for a while before heading off again.

A little later we found some Bottlenose dolphins swimming west and watched them briefly. They were not resident, but another group passing through as Pierre did not recognise any of their dorsal fins. The Bottlenose dolphins turned out to be both our first and last sightings of the week as we had to reluctantly head back to Tarifa for the final time.

We drove back to the hotel and had a swim before showering and going over to the bar for a drink before dinner. We then went in to eat with the others for the last time. We ate our meal and were given a free drink by the hotel staff afterwards which was a very strong drink that tasted like Lemsip and vodka.

After dinner we went over to the bar and had a last cocktail together. Fran had her large Bacardi and Sprite while I had one of Pierre’s favourite Mojitos. Then it was back to the room to pack and type this before falling asleep at about 1am.

Another New Species - Day 6

Day 6 was a bit different from the others as we didn’t go out on the boat first thing. The forecast was for the Levanté to keep blowing for a while and die down later on, so the boat was booked from 4pm for four or five hours.

We had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, but when we went back to our room we had a bit of drama. When I opened the bathroom window a snake reared up on the windowsill. I shut the window quickly, but caught it’s tail in the window. Every time I tried to open the window to flick out the tail it reared up again. We did eventually manage to get it free without it getting inside and it slithered off down the passageway. We were then picked up at 11am and headed into Tarifa. Fran and I had planned to spend the morning in town before meeting the others just before 4 for the trip.

The first thing we did was go to the castle and had a look around and a climb on the ramparts. Much of the tower was built by Guzman el Bueno who had a son captured during one war against the muslims. The muslims told him that they would kill his son if he didn’t surrender the keys to the castle (and city), so he apparently threw down his knife and said (in Spanish I suspect) “go on then”...so they did, by slitting his throat with the knife that had been thrown down. He still refused to surrender and so to the towns people he was a hero.

After the castle (where my bag split and I bounced my 40D and 100-400 lens on the concrete) we spent the rest of the morning shopping and getting presents for people. Then when the shops started to close at 2pm we went for lunch. We both decided to have pasta at the El Torreon restaurant which was quite nice, and then had an ice cream before heading down to meet the others.

We left harbour at quarter past 4 and just 25 minutes after heading east we found a large group of Striped dolphins. They were feeding amongst the fishing boats, but we couldn’t get that close because of the fishing lines from the back, but some of them came to see us. There were a number of them swimming around the boat, along with a few Common dolphins, another new species for us.

We bobbed around in the water watching the group for about 20-25 minutes before heading off to see if we could find any sign of the Sperm whale that had been seen in the area. There was no sign of it, even though the water was flat calm and we could see a long way, so we went to look for Orca. We travelled west for just over an hour before seeing anything, and then saw some Bottlenose dolphins. We watched them for 10-15 minutes before taking up the hunt for Orca again.

We continued west and sailed amongst the Moroccan fishermen again. They had not seen any Orca, only Swordfish but there were no Pilot whales about so we were still hopeful. The problem was that the fishermen were in position, and were ready to cast their driftnets, but were waiting for dark so there was no activity.

We headed back east for another search for the Sperm whale, but again there was no sign of it although we did see some jumping Sardines on the way. It was now 10 past 8 and as we struck out for home we came upon the Striped and Common dolphins again. They were jumping all around us. We were surrounded and wherever we looked there were leaping dolphins, almost as far as the eye could see. It was an incredible sight.

After watching them for 15 minutes we had to make port, so reluctantly left them to their fun and headed back. When we returned we walked to the beach to watch the sun go down then had dinner. After that we headed back to the hotel, stopping briefly at the beach across the road to look for shooting stars and bioluminescants in the sea, before getting to our rooms around midnight.

Coping with the Levanté - Day 5

Day 5 began with a trip into Tarifa to catch the boat at 10am. The sun was hot and the sea was calm as we headed out of port. We headed south-east to see if we could catch sight of any Striped or Common dolphins, or even a Sperm whale.

The African coast was shrouded in mist as we headed out, and we soon came across a small group of Bottlenose dolphins. We didn’t stay for long as we continued eastwards, and before very much longer, while we were looking out for the blow of a whale, we saw some fins. Just a few at first, but then more and more.

We had found a pod of Striped dolphins. Much smaller that Bottlenose but striped along their flanks they sped through the water jumping as they went. The group seemed to be of about a hundred or so, but we were told that with Striped dolphins you count how many you can see and multiply by 5.

We watched them jumping, hunting, swimming and generally playing about, and then at one point when a big ship went past they suddenly all sped off in a big line, like they were having a race. The sea was becoming a little rougher now and the mist was creeping westwards too. Although we had only been out for about an hour our captain said that the Levanté was coming and that we would have to head back into port.

Our original plan when we got back to port was to do a bit of bird watching and then visit the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia at Bolonia. Having got back to port early we had the option of going out on the biggest Turmares boat or carrying on with the rest of our day a bit early. All except one wanted to go out on the other boat so we joined the other 120 or so members of the general public who had bought a ticket and headed out to sea once more.

The sea had got a bit worse since we came in, but in the bigger boat, the Jackelin, the captain set a south-easterly course and away we went. We sailed for about an hour before eventually we came across a group of Bottlenose dolphins. There were maybe around 20 or so, and although we had good seats near the edge, there we so many more people about that the experience wasn’t as good as on the Rainbow.

As this was only a 2 hour trip the boat then turned and began to head back. The sea was getting rougher all the time and each time the captain tried to turn across the swell, the boat rolled huge amounts and he had to change course to steady it up. This continued all the way back, so much so that the boat sailed well past the harbour and into slightly calmer water to enable it to turn. A number of people were sick on the way back.

When we got back to dry land Pierre took his friend Sara, who arrived last night, back to her hotel (she was one who had been sick), Mike and Gill went off on their own and Fran and I went for lunch with Gabriele, Silvia and David. After lunch we went back to the hotel for a swim to cool off before heading off in the van again at about 5pm.

We went up into the mountains a little way and saw some vultures and bee-eaters, although from quite a distance away. On the way back we stopped at the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia at Bolonia and had a good look around there. When we had finished, at 8pm, we returned to the hotel for a quick swim and a shower before going out for dinner at 9pm.

Dinner was at the Hotel Punta Sur less than a mile up the road from ours, and was very nice. After dinner we headed back to our hotel and went to the bar for cocktails. I had a Mojito and Fran had a Bacardi and Sprite, with lots of Bacardi. We had a great evening and got back to our room just before 1am.

Orcas - Day 4

Day 4 was a good day. No, day 4 was a very good day!

I had a swim before breakfast, which was our first at the hotel, and a very nice it was too. There was all sorts of bread, croissants, etc. as well as a large selection of fruit, yoghurts and even muffins. With a good meal inside us we left the hotel and headed into Tarifa to catch the boat which had been booked for 11. The weather forecast was right and the wind had dropped and the sea was calm.

As we walked to the pontoon with the sun beating down I said to Fran “I’ve got a feeling that this is going to be a good day”. The seven of us along with Pierre and the captain, José María Caballero (who looks like Ilie Nastase), set off just after 11, and headed out into the middle of the Straight of Gibraltar where we came across our first sighting before 11.30.

Just as on Saturday it was a group of bottlenose dolphins that we found first. They didn’t come up to the boat in the same way that they had previously, but there seemed to be more of them and they played happily around us. There was a very young one in the group that Pierre thought had just been born. We watched them tail slapping and jumping up into the air for about half an hour before we moved off.

We headed west, towards the Atlantic, where a small fleet of Spanish fisherman were doing their days work. The Orcas (Killer Whales) in the area tend to gather near the fishermen and try to grab the Blue Fin Tuna that they are fishing, so we hoped to find some nearby.

It took us about three quarters of an hour to reach the area where the fishermen were, and on the way we saw a flock of storks making their way to Africa. Apart from a few seabirds we saw little else on the way but we were told that the lack of Pilot Whales was a good sign as they tend not to be around when the Orcas are in the area.

At twenty to one, in the distance, we caught sight of a couple of fins briefly. They seemed quite large and it looked like a flash of white as well as black. We had seen our first Killer Whales! There were three groups in the area, one of 3, one of 5 and one of 9. We got closer and managed to get some great views of these magnificent creatures. It was the group of five that we were watching. They would come to the surface three or four times, then dive for about 5 minutes and we were watching all around us to see where they would come up again.

Fran was very good at spotting them when they resurfaced and was often the first to see them when they did. She was very excited. When we had been watching them for about 40 minutes, and at a time when they were diving and we were watching for them, we saw two smaller fins appear. This it turned out was a swordfish, and both fins were on the same animal.

The Orcas soon started heading off in a south-easterly direction. It turned out that there was a fleet of Moroccan fishermen out too, and so we followed the Orcas into Moroccan waters. These fishing boats were not much bigger than rowing boats and were manned by 3 to 5 men each with no nets or winch, just a line with which to catch the Tuna. The Orcas knew that snatching a meal from these guys would be easier than from the Spanish.

The Orcas moved amongst these boats and we followed them, just 3 miles from the coast now. Although we didn’t actually see them with any food, Pierre thinks that they may have got a Tuna from their behaviour. We hope so, as this may encourage them to come back for more tomorrow. Another boat turned up to watch them while we were there, along with a sport fishing boat looking for Tuna. We left them and headed back towards Spain and came across another group of 3 Orcas moving in amongst the Moroccan fishermen. We watched these for a short while until our time was up. We had been out for nearly 4 hours of which the last two were spent in the company of Killer Whales.

On our way back to port I mentioned to Pierre the fact that I had said to Fran that I’d had a feeling we were going to have a good day, and he said we were very lucky. They have a day like today maybe 4 times each summer. But it still wasn’t over. Just before the harbour we came across another small pod of dolphins moving west as we headed north across their path.

After returning to port we went to the Tarifa Eco Centre, one of the few restaurants still open at this time (most shops and things are closed between 2pm and 6pm then open again until late into the evening). We had a fantastic, and very filling pizza. After that we came back to the hotel and have swam, read, had a few snacks and generally relaxed.

I’m going across to the bar now to have a beer and see if I can post this. Tomorrow we are leaving port at 10, and if the day is half as good as today it will be great!

African Experience - Day 3

Day 3 was a third consecutive early start. Once again we had to miss breakfast at the hotel as Pierre picked us up at 8am to drive us to the ferry port in Tarifa. We were told we had to be there for 8.15 for the boat to sail at 9am. We were but the boat didn’t leave until nearly half past nine. The Levanté had picked up overnight and the weather meant that for the first time this week we couldn’t even see Africa as it was shrouded in mist.

We set sail and within three quarters of an hour we were docking at Tangiers in Morocco. On the way off the boat and into the terminal we were scanned with these weird instruments that it turns out were checking our temperature. I guess they didn’t want swine flu. We left the building and stepped into Tangiers where we could find our guide. We were in a group of about 20-25 people of various different nationalities. Quite how the guide knew everyone was there is a mystery, but he suddenly decided we were going and we walked to a (thankfully air conditioned) coach.

We drove around Tangiers and he gave us a brief overview of the city and pointed out various buildings and streets. There are many Moroccan flags around at the moment and photos of the king on advertising boards. He has reigned for 10 years and is visiting the city soon so they are trying to make it presentable. Apparently he doesn’t like things not being finished so people are working hard to get things done.

After a short drive we stopped at the side of the road where there were some men with camels giving rides. This, it seemed, was the Moroccan equivalent of Donkey rides on the beach. It was a complete con though as for €1 you got a ride of no more than about 20 yards. We didn’t ride the camels but Fran did have her photo taken with a baby one. This was a mistake as it cost me €1 as well, so make sure you get my money’s worth by having a good look at the photo. There were also various vendors around trying to sell their goods, but we were warned beforehand that the quality is somewhat dubious.

We were told that Sunday was a good day to come as although many places in Europe are closed on Sundays, in Tangiers it is a market day (along with Thursdays). We passed a market and saw a minibus that was filled to the ceiling with watermelons and a man selling them from the back.

We got off the bus again and set off with our guide on foot into the (or a) Kasbah. There were a number of small shops selling basic food and street sellers following the group like wasps around a jam jar with their cheap (and not very nice) jewellery and other souvenirs. We made our way out of the Kasbah (without rocking it) and into another part of the city, the Medina. Here each neighbourhood has five elements to it – a mosque, a school, a bakery, a steam bath and a tap for those houses without water. We saw a man doing his washing at one such tap.

Although we were wearing factor 30 suncream we didn’t really need it as the city is made up of many narrow alleys and passageways so we were rarely in direct sunlight. We made our way through the streets past various people selling fruit and veg (including the watermelon seller pictured) until about 11.30 (clocks there are the same time as the UK) when we went into a restaurant for lunch. This had all been pre-arranged and was included in the price, but there was no choice, everyone had the same meal.

Having been played into our seats by a Moroccan four piece band we were brought some soup. We weren’t told what it was but it was a spicy meat (probably lamb) with minestrone. After that we were served two skewered kebabs. These were quite bland but OK. For the next course we had chicken kus kus, but although we ate the chicken and a carrot left most of it. Glasses of steaming hot mint tea were brought out next which was very sweet and was follows by an even sweeter pudding of some kind of cookie smothered in syrup. We couldn’t eat more than a small mouthful as it was just too sickly.

After dinner as we made our way into the streets again we passed a man with what looked like a basket of toy chicks in various colours. We couldn’t quite believe it when we realised they were real chicks that had been coloured. We didn’t ask how much they were but you can see the colours available in the picture if you want one!

Now was the time to do shopping, and we were led to a series of shops, probably run by the guide’s friends, where they were obviously waiting for us. Firstly we went into a carpet shop and were given a short presentation in the techniques used for making carpets. Afterwards as we were milling around the shop we were asked which one we liked best. When we told them they acted as if we really wanted to buy it. “We ship to anywhere by DHL next day delivery and we take credit cards. This one is only €250”. When we then turned away he dropped his price to €245 and when he didn’t get a sale wanted to know, before we left the shop, how much we would pay for it. It wasn’t exactly aggressive, but it was a bit intimidatory.

If we thought that was bad though, when we walked out of the other door to the shop into another alleyway the street traders were waiting to pounce with their stuff. They hold their wares right out in front of you be it leather bags, purses, jewellery, carved wood ornaments, musical instruments and even hookahs (not ladies of the night) and say “€10, very nice price, just €10 ... €8, it’s a good price ... €5 which one do you want ... €3?” at which point they tend to give up and move on to the next tourist. All this goes on as you are walking, and as soon as one gets the message another one tries.

The next arranged shopping opportunity was in a pharmacy. The man giving the presentation (in the last photo) was fantastic. He was very funny and got everyones confidence by making them laugh. Having given his presentation he then gave everyone a carrier bag and proceeded to try and put things into it for you. He did it in a good manner, but you just had to be firm. I was the only man there who didn’t get some Moroccan Viagra put into his bag. This man had a (herbal) cure for everything you can think of, from snoring to headaches as well as various cooking spices.

From here it was another trip through the streets and the vultures that are the street sellers to the coach and then back to the boat. It was an experience that we’re glad we had, but are even more glad that tickets for the boat without the tour were more expensive as we would have either (a) got lost, (b) got scared and definitely (c) not seen as much as we did. Since getting back to the hotel we’ve then spent the afternoon relaxing. Fran has been reading while I sat and typed this.

We are going to have a swim in the pool in minute then go and have a drink in the bar (and post this) before going to get some food in the restaurant here. Pierre has just popped in to tell us that the forecast is good for tomorrow so we should be in the boat from 11 til 3 or so watching whales and dolphins again.

Between the Pillars of Hercules - Day 2

Day 2 has turned out to be almost as long as day 1, lying in bed typing this seems an awfully long time since we got up. Our alarms were set for 6am and we were ready to go at 7. Breakfast in the hotel doesn’t begin until 8 so we missed that, but Pierre took us to a little cafe in Tarifa where we had freshly squeezed orange juice and some churros, which was basically strips of fried dough – a straight doughnut. It was very nice and as we sat outside and ate there were loads of swifts flying around us.

We then made our way to the harbour and our boat, the Rainbow. We got our life jackets on and at 8.22 we set off into the second busiest shipping lane on the planet (after the English Channel). The many large ships use two lanes of traffic, along the African coast into the Mediterranean or the European coast if heading for the Atlantic. By quarter to 9 we were in the middle of the Gibraltar Straight, roughly 7km from both Europe and Africa.

Almost immediately we were surrounded by a pod of bottlenose dolphins who were in playful mood. One or two we saw leap right out of the water, others rode the bow wave of the boat, and we saw plenty of fins (and took a few photos of them too). A couple of them would leave their tails sticking out of the water and wave them at as...at least that’s what it looked like they were doing. One even came out of the water, tail first, and was doing something like a headstand (with just it’s head in the water). Pierre said he’d never seen this before.

As we moved further westwards we saw a large number of long finned Pilot whales. These were in small groups of about 4 or 5, but there were lots of groups. One group even had a tiny calf which was only a couple of weeks old.

When we had been out for an hour and a half we went further west to try and get a glimpse of Orca (killer whales). Chances were slim as they don’t tend to mix with Pilot whales, and they also tend to appear when the Spanish fishermen are out as they can steal their tuna. We came across more Bottlenose dolphins and Pilot whales, but the Orca proved elusive. Some fishermen did make an appearance but they were not fishing for Tuna, sadly, to attract the killer whales.

We had been out for nearly 4 hours and the weather was changing. The westerly wind was giving way to an easterly one, the Levanté, which is not so good for sailing. We headed back and the sea was definitely a little rougher. The bad news is that it will be too rough to go out tomorrow so we will have a cetacean free day.

After the boat trip we had lunch in a local restaurant. Fran had carbonara and I had seafood with fresh pasta, which was both large and very nice. We popped into the supermarket on the way back to get some fruit and other bits and pieces.

When we got back we had a swim in the pool. Fran then read for a bit and I went down to the beach to watch (and photograph) the kitesurfers.

After a (very) quick dip to cool off in the pool we got changed and met the others to head into Tarifa. Pierre gave us a brief tour, then we explored by ourselves for an hour during which we got lost as well as seeing a wedding and a christening. We met up again at 8.30 and had Tapas for tea along with a selection of Sherry. After eating we headed back to the hotel.

In the outside bar in the garden there were some acrobats performing and I watched them as I sipped a Mojito. With that safely drunk I walked back to our room to write this, and now I will stop to go to sleep as we are going to Africa in the morning.

Andalucian Arrival - Day 1

Day 1 of our Out of the Blue trip to Spain to watch whales and dolphins has been a long and tiring day, but it has been good. We left home at about 2.45 am and arrived at Gatwick about 2 hours later. By the time we had checked in, had a croissant and a drink and looked in the shops we only had half an hour to wait. We boarded on time but were then told that we wouldn’t take off until 8.50 which was 40 minutes later than scheduled.

Despite the late departure we arrived only 15 minutes late and by the time we had reclaimed our bags it was about 1pm local time. We were met by our local guide, Pierre, and were introduced to a couple, Mike & Gill from Hull, who had already flown in from Manchester . We were joined soon afterwards by David, from Cambridge (who had also been on our flight), Gabriele, an Austrian living in Brussels and Silvia from Frankfurt who flew in via Madrid. The 7 of us and Pierre then set off in the minibus for the two hour drive to Tarifa.

Along the way we saw Gibraltar and, across the straight, Africa. Pierre said he had never seen it so clearly, and we stopped briefly for an ice cream and to take some photos. We then piled back into the minibus and arrived only about 15 minutes later at our hotel, the Hotel 100% Fun.

Our (air conditioned) room is on the ground floor, it has no windows but the doors open out to the pool area and the pool is just about 10 metres from our door. We quickly unpacked and then met up again in the outside bar for a drink and a quick briefing. Tomorrow we are going out on the boat, but the wind is due to change (from Ponienté to Levanté) and it will be rather choppy.

After we finished our drinks we arranged to meet up at 8pm in the restaurant for dinner, then went and had a swim in the pool. It was lovely and cool after a long day. After this (at about 6pm) we took a stroll across the road to the beach. There are hundreds of kitesurfers and windsurfers and with the backdrop of Morocco to the sea it was very nice. The photo shows us at the waters edge with Africa in the background.

The outside bar where we had our drinks has a WI-FI connection so after dinner I will try to post this, which I am now writing at ten to eight. I will then try to write an update each night which I hope to publish to the web, hopefully with some good photos too.

Quick update – just got back from dinner, it was very nice. Tuna steak was excellent and Fran’s chicken fajitas were very sizzly. That’s all for now, as we’re meeting at 7 in the morning to get on the boat.

Extreme Measures

The news today that 100 under 18s are convicted of rape in Scotland per year just reinforces the theory that there is no deterrent to those who break the law. Kids nowadays know that no-one can touch them or reprimand them for their wrongdoings. This is something that has filtered through society over a number of years under the misguided hand of those who believe that those people who behave badly have rights.

I'm sorry but they don't. Those who commit, and are convicted, of a crime lose their right to be a member of a civilised society for the length of their sentence. And while on the subject of sentence - imprisoned criminals should be locked in a 12-15ft square cell for 23 hours a day. Meals should be brought to them and they should be let out for one hour a day for compulsory exercise. If they want to better themselves and undergo a programme of education, that's fine, but they can do that in their cell from books.

This would increase the potency of a jail term as a deterrent, but there is a further solution to the lack of respect for the law, and other people, exhibited by some criminals. Quite simply those who are convicted (without any shred of doubt - ie DNA evidence) of crimes such as murder and rape should be fed to the lions. Quite literally.

Not only that, but all schoolchildren who reach the age of 16 (or maybe 14) would, without exception, be made to attend a stadium where this occurred. Obviously no cameras (even media) would be allowed, as the prisoners family needn't suffer the horror of seeing thier loved one torn apart. The realisation of what would happen if serious crimes were committed would soon stop those tempted to commit them. Yes some would be upset at the sight before them, but it would lead to a more civilised and safer society.

The time has passed for the failed methods of caring and counselling prisoners. Punishment is what is needed, and sooner rather than later.

A Day at Lord's

I spent the day at Lord's yesterday for what was my first taste of an Ashes test match, and a pleasant day it was too. Play was restricted by a couple of showers in the afternoon session but it was still a more than enjoyable day.

It didn't start so well with England resuming on 364-6 with Strauss 161 not out. It took the Australians just two balls to remove the skipper without further score. This was followed by wickets in each of the next two overs leaving the home team on 378-9. A great last wicket stand between Anderson and Onions though took England to a respectable 425.

In the field England's start was almost as good as Australia's as Anderson followed up his work with the bat to have Hughes caught behind in the 3rd over. When he also had Ponting contraversially given out shortly afterwards the Aussies were 10-2.

Katich and Hussey stabalised the innings. Katich fell for 48 and was followed soon afterwards by Hussey who had completed his half century. Breaking this partnership was key and England then got a flurry of wickets to leave Australia on 156-8 at the close, still needing 70 to avoid the follow-on with just two wickets standing.

Our seats were in the main Grandstand, but despite being built 7 years later, I didn't find it as good as being in the Mound stand which was completed in 1987. The Mound stand offers more leg room so you don't leave feeling you've been cramped up all day, and is also angled so you don't get a stiff neck from sitting wih your head turned. If you were sat in the middle of the Grandstand you might be OK, but at the ends (seat 192 out of 194) it is less than ideal.

Despite that and because of the cricket we had a good day, which is more than can be said of the Aussie Kevin who sat with his mate a couple of rows behind us. In amongst a sea of England supporters he was fiercly partisan but good natured and the banter, particularly later in the day, was excellent.

Rosetta Stone

It was 210 years ago to the day that the Rosetta Stone was discovered. This one artefact was the key to deciphering Egyption hieroglyphics.

The text on the stone is a decree (basically, a tax amnesty for the priests of the day) from Ptolemy V Epiphanes, the ruler (between 204 and 181 BC) of an area which is now largely Egypt, but crucially it is written in Greek, Hieroglyphs and Demotic (an Egyptian script language).

The stone was discovered by a French soldier during construction work at Rosetta (aka Rashid). It remained in situ under the eye of a number of French scholars until the British took control of the area. The stone was 'captured' in March 1801 and was sent to the British Museum where is has remained since 1802.

The demotic text had been translated by Thomas Young by 1814 but this was expanded upon by Jean-Francois Champollion and he also worked on the translation of the hieroglyphics between 1822 and 1824. In 1858 the first complete English translation was published.

The Rosetta Stone remains synonymous with the key needed to decipher a particular code.

Sportsmanship

I wonder sometimes if it's just my age making me look back at distant events and bemoan their modern day equivalents in comparison. It wouldn't happen in my day.

This week the pleasing way that England managed to negotiate a draw against the Aussies was tempered by the accusations of cheating (or gamesmanship at least) levelled at them. It's certainly a far cry from the image of Flintoff and Lee 4 years ago, although there is a parallel with the Aussie captain whinging when things don't go his way. Maybe the phrase 'It's just not cricket' should be struck from the language.

Perhaps, with a certain Potuguese leaving these shores for Madrid, football may have taken a turn for the better in this country, but then again.....we will still see players apparantly mortally wounded by a stray little finger. I don't think football will ever recover to be the contact sport it was. And it isn't only the foreigner players, is it Mr Gerrard?

There are still some bright spots, of course. Andy Roddick was clearly distraught at his loss to Roger Federer at SW19, but maintained his composure, was gracious in defeat and even managed a touch of humour. More please.

I'll finish with the inspiration for this post. 32 Years ago Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson went head to head at Turnberry in the 1977 Open Championship (not the British Open). For two rounds they battled for the title, and finally ended as the only two players in the tournament under par. As they walked off the final green the vanquished Nicklaus put his arm around Watson's shoulder and said "I gave it my best shot, but it wasn't good enough. Congratulations. I'm proud of you".

As the Open returns to Turnberry on Thursday lets hope it can provide the backdrop for more sporting drama.

Tolerance

Serving food under pressure to hungry people is not as easy as it seems. I will certainly be more tolerant of delays next time I go into McDonalds or some such and there is a queue of people.

I spent two hours this afternoon (between 1 and 3) manning a BBQ at the local carnival. There were 5 or 6 of us at a time, with three cooking the food and another 2 or 3 serving.

I was one of the public faces tackling the hungry punters head on. We took their order, cut the bread, added cheese if they wanted it then turned to the cookists for the meat and onions. With the completed gourmet in hand we then swapped it for cash.

It was a baptism of fire starting the shift at 1pm as the queue was non stop and we didn't come up for air for 45 minutes. I though we coped really well with just a short wait for sausages for a period.

I then enjoyed a couple of hours at the carnival with my family, particularly shooting some arrows at the archery stand. Even the occasional heavy bursts of rain couldn't dampen the spirits. A long, tiring but very pleasant day.

Music, Memory and the Mind

I have been reading the book How Loud Can You Burp? by Glenn Murphy to Henry over the last week and it's a great book full of some wonderful nuggets of information. Aimed at and written for kids it's still informative without talking down to them.

Anyway one of the questions deals with memories. It seems that memories are stored in our brains in little chunks here and there and not all together as one memory. Parts of the memory can then trigger the whole memory to be recalled. Strong elements are often the bits that make us remember, and music is one of them.

Driving back this morning from Gatwick airport my mind has taken me on a trip down memory lane with the help of my MP3 player (iRiver not iPod) hooked up to the car stereo. One song triggers a memory which reminds me of another song which trips another memory, and so on. Of course the lyrical content has to be good to help with this so not sure if this will still hold true for our kids in the future.

In an empty car with the music turned right up and the sun rising, it has been a good morning. You can't beat the Pogues belting out Sally MacLennane at 5am!

Congratulations

I wanted to say "Well done" to Jake for today's post. Having started playing basketball back in September he has progressed well through his school and club and recently went to a couple of training/trials sessions for the MK Lions.

These were for the Lions to select their squad at U14 level for the National League which will take place next season. It was an achievement after such a short space of time to even be chosen to go and trial at this level.

Anyway, we received an email from MK Lions at the weekend asking if we had checked out the website recently. When we did we found that the squad had been announced and that Jake had been selected.

Great news, and we hope he continues to practice hard and play as much as possible.

Almost Time

Just over 5 minutes to go until the long awaited Ashes series gets underway in Cardiff. I think it's going to be a close run thing and I can't wait for next Friday when I have a ticket for the Lord's test.

The Aussies are in the latter stages of a transitional period and are still a strong team, but England have been blending a very useful team together too. My heart says England will win, but my head really doesn't know what will happen.

Let's hope that winning the toss is a good omen and that England can get some good runs on the board this morning. Their bowlers are inexperienced of English conditions and if they struggle first thing it could set the tone for the series.

For me it's hard to see beyond Pietersen as the top English run scorer and for them I think Ponting will be up for it as he is unlikely to be back again in 2013. I do expect Mike Hussey to score a lot of runs though, as he did in the years he spent over here with Northants.

As for bowlers, I'm pleased to see England going into this one with two spinners and Swann could get quite a few wickets in the series. I do think overall though that Anderson and Mitchell Johnson will be the top wicket takers for their countries.

11 o'clock - c,mon England!

In the beginning...

The first post to my blog. I've been thinking about setting one up for a while and decided to actually do it today.

The hardest part was trying to find a name. Something catchy was the order of the day, but of course all of those have been taken! I tried a fair number of song titles and lyrics that might fit the bill, but the domains (within the blogspot empire) had all been taken.

The thing is that I don't intend the blog to have any particular subject matter so I needed to choose something fairly generic and non-specific. 'Another Day' (Bryan Adams) was the early front runner although 'It's My Life' (Bon Jovi) was another early unavailable selection.

Ideas then became a little more obscure - 'Rainbow's Gold' (Iron Maiden) was one, and from the lyrics of 10th Avenue Freeze Out 'From the Coastline to the City'. I ruled these out as not 'catchy' enough as a title. Sticking with Springsteen though, I eventually settled on 'Lost in the Flood' as it's what I'm sure most of my posts will be.