My day began with a foray into unfamiliar, but very welcome, territory with a request from VlameBro for a Madagascan holiday. The brief was ‘rustic, simple, fun and cheap’, and some vague clues thrown in about a travel documentary seen months ago which featured island-hopping on a dhow. Queue Google. Incredibly, the exact itinerary required is currently on offer by a company based in Cape Town, and includes flights from Johannesburg to Antananarivo (my favourite travel place name), airport taxes, accommodation in ‘Tana (I get to shorten it ‘cos I’m in the Trade) for one night, a transfer to Nosy Be and then 6 nights aboard a traditional dhow floating from island camp to island camp with fellow explorers, snorkeling, swimming, fishing, visiting local markets and relaxing. All meals included, and all for the princely sum of R16000 per person in low season!
It was all I could do to resist the impulse to start packing. Because Madagascar is on The List.
My Travel Bucket List:
- A jungle trekking tour through Vietnam
- Following the Springboks around for a Rugby World Cup. And watching them win it.
- Exploring Madagascar and diving wrecks off Ile St Marie
There’s more, but I’ll get to that some other time. Madagascar has been on The List ever since a rep from the now-defunct Unusual Destinations visited me when I was a junior agent and told marvellous tales about sunken pirate ships, missing gold, disappearing coral reefs, lemurs and 8 species of Baobab. The Pirates of the Caribbean would sale to the peculiarly-shaped cove at Ile St Marie (also known as Nosy Boraha) because the island itself is in the middle of the cove, and a wily pirate captain with his wits about him could sail his ship behind the island and become invisible to pesky pursuing British Navy vessels. Or so the story goes. Unfortunately, one or two of them came undone on the reefs and their wrecks litter the bottom of the coves and inlets, making it a divers’ paradise.
So says Wikipedia: Legendary pirates like Willam Kidd, Robert Culliford, Olivier Levasseur,Henry Every, Abraham Samuel and Thomas Tew, lived in the île aux Forbans, an island located in the bay of Sainte Marie’s main town, Ambodifotatra. Many of them would found a family line. Numerous vestiges of this history remain at Sainte Marie. For example, several authentic pirate vessels still lie within a few meters of the surface in the Baie des Forbans. One of these has been tentatively identified as Captain Condent‘s treasure ship, the Fiery Dragon. The utopian pirate republic of Libertalia was also rumored to exist in this area, although the republic’s existence, let alone its location, has never been proven.
Sunken pirate ships. Lost Utopian paradise. Buried treasure. You can come with, but I call dibs on the Jack Sparrow bandana. Savvy?
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The Island theme continued into the afternoon, with another (much appreciated) honeymoon referral from Skrumskakel. The soon-to-be newlyweds are tying the knot in peak season, and the groom has wisely opted to include a 2-day shopping stopover somewhere on the way back. Talk about keeping the bride happy! Shopping destinations where the Rand goes anywhere are limited, but thankfully quite a few are accessible from South Africa. Bangkok, Hong Kong and Dubai still top the list, although the UAE isn’t the shopping mecca it used to be. Asia is still a reliable bet, but I struggled initially to find flights via Bangkok that didn’t cost the earth. I’m still struggling – that’s tomorrow’s problem – but I struck on very good rates (for December) on Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong to Bali. Queue the ever-wonderful PLUM for accommodation, and I managed to put together two brilliant packages that include flights, taxes, transfers, 5 nights in Nusa Dua with breakfast and 2 nights in Hong Kong on Hong Kong Island, with travel insurance. The first came in at R17105.00 per person, which really isn’t bad for peak season.
The thing with Bali is that you have to manage your expectations before you go. It IS an island paradise, but not all the beaches are nice and not all the hotels and resorts are located anywhere near the beach. Many share access to public beaches with other resorts and, as a result, are crowded and dirty. The nightlife in the main towns is brilliant, but only if you’re a hard-core club fanatic and enjoy rubbing elbows with drunken Australian teenagers whist having your eardrums ruptured listening to acid-funk, or whatever it is that the kids are into these days.
For an exotic island experience – the one that looks like the postcard with the palm trees and the white sands and the blue sea – you’re better off going a little further up the coast and sacrificing some of the vibe for a more authentic Balinese experience.
Top Bali Beaches:
- Padang Padang Beach (recently featured on Eat, Pray, Love and so a little less quite than before, but still worth a visit)
- Dreamland Beach – gorgeous white sands, but you have to arrive early to grab a spot. It gets crowded in high season.
- Balangan Beach – lovely for relaxing on the pristine sands and sunning yourself on a sunbed, but the volcanic rocks make it dangerous to swim here. Strictly sun-worshipers only.
- Jimbaran Beach – stretches for a few kilometres, so you’re bound to find a spot. It also hosts some of the best seafood restuarants in Bali, as the produce comes in straight off the boats.
- Nusa Dua Beach – popular, but quite private as much of it is owned by the hotels long the beachfront. I like quoting the Nusa Dua hotels because I’m assured that clients will get the beach experience they’re looking for.
- Tanjung Benoa Beach – watersports galore, with lots of colourful fishing boats and fisherman. This is a good beach for suntanning and people-watching while hubby tries his hand at underwater scooters. Whatever those are.
- Seminyak Beach – quiet, pristine and frequented by mostly sedate European tourists. A good place to relax.
A day of sun, sea, surf and pirates. Happy Me.