Category Archives: Country

France – Le Bec-Hellouin Day 2

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31st August 2022

We had planned to stay here for a couple of nights. So today was a relaxed day. A short walk down the hill to view the Abbey. Though we had seen the Abbey before, in later visits we had ignored it. Today we went into the Abbey grounds to view any changes. There were some. There was now a shop, and organised tours. The bells were rung while we were there, but at some odd times. Unlike English bells, they are untuneful. Watch the short video below to hear the bells.

The village has several restaurants / bars. On previous visits only one was open, the restaurants seemingly taking turns opening during the week. Today several were open. There definitely were more people visiting the Abbey than we have seen before. We stopped at l’Archange, which was the least formal, so we could buy a beer and not eat. It has tables and seats on the town green. Of course, we did end up consuming an omelette for lunch along with a beer each. it was somehow simple, but French and very good. Rosemary paid partly with the PO debit card, asking the waiter to take the exact amount left in the account, and paid the rest in cash. He was perplexed, not understanding why she would pay that way. But he smiled and nodded.

France has taken to contactless payments in a big way. I don’t believe, in France that we paid for anything contactless three years ago, now it appears to be the preferred payment method.

On the way out of the village I photographed a number of houses, wooden frames with brick or mud infilling. I would be worried about living in them. Our neighbour at home has problems with their possible wattle and daub front elevation. So we looked at these houses with great interest.

Back up the hill to the campsite for the afternoon siesta, and a little wander around. During the evening, the bats came out again to play, making swoops in a circle between a couple of trees. I did not want to be beaten by Rosemary so attempted to photograph the bats again. They move so fast that you can’t rely on autofocus. I set the camera to manual focus and made a guesstimate where they would fly. I also used flash. Well, it was dark. I did get several pictures and got one that was better than Rosemary’s mobile phone one. Hurrah!

France – Chunnel and Le Bec-Hellouin

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30th August 2022

Holiday time, our first trip to France in three years!

Early morning alarm, 4:30 am, and off on the road at 5:05 am. We needed to make the 9:50 Chunnel crossing. Poor old Google was sure there was a closed road on the route. We hoped we knew better so ignored her. The traffic down the A41 and around the M25 and M20 was light. The parking lot on the east bound lanes was devoid of the anticipated lorries awaiting their turn to cross the channel. Predictably we arrived exceedingly early and could go on the 8:20 crossing for free or pay £33 for the 7:50. The 8:20 crossing it was. The formalities at passport control were quick, a stamp in the passport, no inquisition on our finances or where we were booked to stay. No questions regarding ham sandwiches!

At the other end, we were straight onto motorway and heading down south, to Le Bec-Hellouin. Soon we were on to the local roads, ignoring the faster toll roads. At Rouen, we took a different route to how we normally progress, more into the city and along the underpasses. Thankfully, Google took us off the underpasses at the point where they went down to 1.8 meters high (the campervan is over 2.00). I just managed to see the height restriction at the same time 🙂 Wow that was a near one.

Out of the city it was now a short distance to Le Bec-Hellouin, so we made a supermarket stop to stock up on meat and dairy (both of which we can’t bring from the UK). We were trying to run down our preloaded Euros on a PO debit card. It was due to expire on the 31st. We searched for a cash machine to remove more of the Euros from the prepaid account. The bank at the first stop was closed, with no machines outside. These French lunches!! The second stop was in a busier area, and I was able to withdraw some Euros.

We headed to Camping Saint Nicolas in Le Bec-Hellouin, a site we have stayed at several times, the first time was in a tent as we were returning to England. It is a pleasant site, with a bar and restaurant. The site is a convenient distance from Calais for a first night. There is also the Abbey to visit withing walking distance. The campsite was very quiet, just a few vans and caravans which stopped overnight. Never seen it so empty.

A lovely supper of a precooked vegetable and bean chilli plus rice and a smashed avocado. During the evening, we were entertained by bats swooping within centimetres of us and a large, black cat. Rosemary was more successful in photographing the bats on her mobile phone than I was on my new EOS R7. Both though did not make the grade for inclusion in the attached gallery.

The black cat was quite a fat cat, doing well off the campers. Late at night Rosemary had trouble with him, tripping over him as he weaved in and out of her legs in front of her. A black cat on a black night was difficult to see.

Kilimanjaro Trek – Day 12

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Today I was flying home. My two travel companions left at 4.00am for their flights. They were flying by Kenyan Airways, flying to Nairobi and then on to the Heathrow and would be home today. I had a 6pm flight with Ethiopean Airways to Addis with a 7 hour stop over before continuing to Heathrow, arriving on the morning of the next day.

A lazy day, a limited number of beers, reading a book, taking photographs of the weaver birds and ear wigging on the next group of Kilimanjaro trekkers who had arrived yesterday. Jimmy appeared and told me that I mustn’t leave it long before I attempt the climb again. Not sure if he meant that I mustn’t wait years, or months. If I did attempt again, I must do some strenuous practice trekking in the French and UK hills.

Elvis appeared at 2pm to take me to the airport. At the airport, I had some lunch and then boarded the flight. Addis was a pain, 7 hours waiting, and the flight was a little delayed. The duty-free shops did not sell the alcohol I wanted, so I was unable to take advantage of Boris Johnsons, ‘most generous duty-free allowances in the world’ of four litres of spirits. There was also only one terribly busy food outlet, so I was bored, bored and more bored.

Airline meals were fine, along with their wine. Arrived in Heathrow, not enough of those passport scanning machines, so long queue in the immigration hall. At least the luggage was waiting for me. The Piccadilly Line was good, so much cheaper than the rip off Heathrow Express, and gets you where you want to go. I was wondering if the Heathrow Express will disappear. The Elizabeth Line will get you into London as fast as the Heathrow Express. Will there be a premium on the Elizabeth Line? Heathrow passengers will pay a premium, but those Heathrow passengers who continue to use the tube on the same day will not pay more than the daily Zone 1-6 cap.

Arrived at Bicester village where I was met by Rosemary.

Kilimanjaro Trek – Day 11

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All good holidays must come to an end, and today we were heading back to Weru Weru River Lodge. On the way, we were going to visit Lake Manyara National Park for a morning game drive. This area is renowned for the tree climbing lions. Unfortunately, the cool wet weather ensured the cats were not in view. Like all cats they prefer a warm snug hideaway during the wet. This game reserve is also forested, no large open vistas. The animals and birds must be close to the track to be seen. But plenty of Elephant were seen; they tended to prefer a walk along the tracks.

We saw Baboons, Elephant and Buffalo. Birding, I snapped a White-browed Coucal, Southern Ground Hornbill and a Silvery-cheeked Hornbill. So, not many sightings. It was worth seeing the Southern Ground Hornbill. Striking red coloured face and neck. Looking closely, it has some fabulous eyebrows.

The tracks in this reserve were muddy and did require some skill to navigate. Elvis was asked if he had ever been stuck. Yes he replied, he had had to be towed out several times. This conversation occurred as we seemed destined to the same fate. No problem, we made it out. Some of the muddy tracks seemed to below the level of the Lake Manyara.

Packed lunch was eaten as we were leaving the reserve, and then the four-hour drive home. We stopped at a huge art emporium. I spotted it on the way up. This place had security fence, gates and guards. Here you could watch ebony being carved, with an explanation of the process. The pictures and carvings ranged from the huge, costing thousands of dollars to the small with affordable prices. Here the staff did not appear to apply pressure on us to buy. Shipping of large carvings could be arranged with DHL.

On the way home we spotted an overturned lorry. The cab totally crushed; would the driver have survived? The ex-policeman on the trip pointed out that many of the buses and lorries were poorly maintained, and many could be seen ‘crabbing’ along the road, previously having been involved in serious accidents.

A few Kilimanjaro beers, steak for supper, and the administration of completing the UK Passenger Locator Form and bagging my seats for the flights home.

Kilimanjaro Trek – Day 10

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Breakfast was at 7.00am, fruit, fried egg, bacon and sausage. I have never seen so white yolks in an egg, the white and the yoke were virtually indistinguishable. Breakfast over, packed lunches in their square cardboard boxes collected, we were soon in the Landcruiser.

We drove to the park gate and checked in, then up the road to the Ngorongoro Crater rim at 2,200 metres. Here we stopped at a viewing point and looked down into the crater. You can see the whole crater wall, the lake and flat crater floor at about 1,000m below. Elvis spotted some Rhino on the floor below us; this is where we headed off to. The road down to the floor of crater was narrow but paved. It would have to be paved, there would be serious issues when driving out of the crater during the rainy season. We rushed along the floor road towards the East, and South of the lake, passing the other Landcruisers, the Zebra, Antelope, and Wildebeest. Rhinos were our number one priority.

We spotted the Rhino in the distance, so no good photographs of them. They seemed to be heading towards the East at a steady trot, pausing every now and again. We followed them, stopping as we drew level to photograph them. Unfortunately, the road we were on would soon start to head away from them. I have not seen Rhino in the wild before, this for me completed the Big Five. I would also see the complete Big Five on this three-day safari. The Big Five are: Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo and Rhinoceros.

We turned around and headed back where we came from, this time pausing for the Zebra and Wildebeest. The guide spotted a Lappet-faced Vulture beside the road. One of the largest vultures. It appeared to be ineffectually gathering sticks for a nest.

We headed North along the lake where we spotted Flamingo, very pink Flamingo. Then onto the Hippo pool. One large Hippo (they are all large), pooed. It used its small stubby tail to break up the faeces in the water. Did a bad job of this because after getting out its backside was a dirty green colour.

We drove on, almost completing a circumnavigation of the take, and stopped at the Ngoitokitok Picnic Area. This is by a small pond with Hippo, who provided us with an entertaining display of ‘yawning’. Quite a few birds around waiting to be fed: – Superb Starling (that is its highly appropriate name), Fan-tailed Widowbird, Southern Masked Weaver and Helmeted Guineafowl.

Back into the Landcruiser we spotted a Hyena with a kill, being stalked by a Golden Jackel. On the way back to the exit, we were given permission by the ranger to go off road and get up close with a male lion.

The day started off dry but became wet as it progressed. Not a great day for viewing cats. We headed home to the Bougainvillea for drinks and supper. Tonight, I did manage a Negroni. I stood with the bar tender and guided him through the recipe, writing down the name of the drink and ingredients. He commented on the name Negroni, saying it as Negro-ni, not Neg-roni. I offered him a taste, but he didn’t drink alcohol. I had one Negroni, and a few bottles of the Kilimanjaro beer.

Supper was large, putting back some of the weight I had lost on the climb.

Ngorongoro Route

Kilimanjaro Trek – Day 9

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Today the tour group split up, some flying home, others having a beach holiday in Zanzibar. Paul Tom and I were going on Safari. Breakfast at 7.00 and then we were picked up by our driver, Elvis, and driven to Tarangire National Park for a game drive. This was a four-hour drive on an excellent road. Some sections were a little slow, getting stuck behind a heavy lorry creeping up a hill. Our driver kept to the speed limits of 50kph in villages and town, otherwise he drove as fast as the Landcruiser would drive. The scary bit was the distance behind the vehicle in front, (or lack of distance). Sometimes approaching a vehicle in front at high speed, and then swinging out onto the other side of the road at the last second dodging the oncoming traffic. Tuk Tuks, the main transport, other than tourists in Landcruisers, were no problem. They kept very much to the side of the road, and you could then have four lanes of traffic.

When we left Weru Weru River Lodge, we picked up a packed lunch from the hotel. At all the hotels, the packed lunches were similar and always packed in a square cardboard box. Mine was gluten free, it basically had all the bread items removed, no replacement items. We stopped at a tourist shop selling carvings and had a loo break. Later on, we stopped and picked up some bottled water.

The land on the roadside was grazed by the nomadic Masai goat herders. We took a short detour through a goat auction, goats were being brought in by the Masai and being auctioned.

We arrived at the Tarangire National Park entrance, which was terribly busy with more than twenty Landcruiser waiting entry. Elvis paid the entry and we were soon on our way. Inside the park the grass was very lush and green. The rains had recently started. The park appeared far greener than the lands outside the park, presumably because there are too many goats grazing the land outside.

We soon found a herd of Elephants who were on their way to a water hole. We watched them for a long time as they played in the water. There were some young elephants being introduced to the water. It was a riveting watch. I make no excuse for the substantial number of Elephant photographs I have placed in the blog. Bored of elephants, you could divert your attention to the birds on the water.

Over the radio there was a report of a Leopard sighting, so we headed off to see it. It was visible along with dinner hanging in a tree. Not the best view of a Leopard I have had, but still worthwhile.

On the way back from the Leopard sighting, we came across a herd of Baboons. There were many youngsters riding on their mothers. We also saw Impala, Ostriches, Buffalo, Giraffe, and a dear little Mongoose living in a termite mound. We headed towards the cliff which overhangs the river. This was the lunch spot where you could get out, sit at tables, eat lunch and visit the loo. Eating lunch, you had to be careful of the monkeys who would sneak up and grab the food off the table. They failed with us.

After we finished, we headed off towards the Ngorongoro crater to stay in the Bougainvillea Safari Lodge in Karatu. This entailed a drive around Lake Manyara and then up the Western escarpment of the Rift Valley. We arrived at the hotel, each of us had our own chalet, with large bed and shower. Supper was good, with six courses, pork, chicken and salads. (Yes, my appetite had returned.) Beer at the bar, where I tried to order a Negroni, but ended up with a Campari Spritzer. I shall try again tomorrow,

Todays Route

Kilimanjaro Trek – Day 7

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Barafu Camp – Summit (5895M) – Millennium Camp (3790M)

Before we set off, I dressed in multiple layers to keep warm. Walking through the night and at high altitude, it was going to be cold. I think I had six layers on.

  • Long sleeved Marino wool base layer
  • T shirt
  • Long sleeved T shirt
  • A Fat Face Top
  • Fleece
  • Goose Down Jacket and Hood.

My legs had a couple of layers, and my hands a couple of pairs of gloves. I was lovely and warm.

We set off at 11.00pm and started the slow walk to the summit. First, we had to pass through the campsite and then onwards and up. I was really struggling and was out of breath on the walk up. Eventually after climbing 590m and reaching 5150M I had had enough. There was a discussion, and the guides were already thinking I should turn back. Some part of me thinks I could have gone on it if we had done shorter walks before taking a break. I read that often groups took fifteen paces and paused. We seemed to go for several minutes before stopping for three minutes. I found the long but slow walking intervals just too much for me.

Jimmy, the tour leader, accompanied me down. The way down started on a different route to the way up. The way down was down a scree slope. I quite enjoyed this, despite the darkness and we made fast progress. Picking our way down through the later rock path was challenging. On the way down, there were several climbers who had succumbed to the altitude, and even one stretcher case.

We made it down to the campsite, and I went back to my sleeping bag.

The rest of the team completed the challenge and made it to Stella Point and eventually the peak at Uhuru Point. They saw the sun rise. They made it back down, had breakfast and a rest.

Summit Attempt

Summit Attempt
Summit Attempt

Barafu Camp(4673M) – Millenium Camp(3800M)

We then set off at around 9.30 for a 90-minute trek down the mountain to the Millenium Campsite at 3800M I had recovered and raced down the mountain with one of the guides, arriving just as it started to pour with rain. The others on the trip down were not so lucky weather wise and caught the full rain. Before Supper, there was a large meeting and tips for the porters, cooks and guides were announced. We all put in $200 dollars each. This was going to be changed to Tanzania Shilling the next day and handed out. Before the meeting there were some calculations as to how much each person was to be given. Jimmy rejected some of the dollar bills, they had to be newer than 2006. Dollar bills older than 2006 get a lower exchange rate because they were deemed risky. One client was incensed that Sainsburys had given her old notes, which looked uncirculated.

Millenium Camp
Barafu Camp(4673M) – Millenium Camp(3800M)

Kilimanjaro Trek – Day 6

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Karanga Camp(3950M) – Barafu Camp(4673M)

The morning promised a beautiful bright day, the sun picking out the rocks on Kilimanjaro. As the day progressed the cloud came in and we were finally walking in cloud.

Today’s walk was short, a little over 3km, but with a rise of 700 metres. It was quite tiring, and my camera was confiscated to reduce my weight. Our campsite was in a very quiet area, and well below the official Barafu campsite. This was to be the launch point for the final ascent of Kilimanjaro. The walk took around three hours and we arrived for an early lunch. Over lunch we had a briefing for the final ascent. The accent was due to start at 11.00pm. We would be walking up the mountain, in the dark, lit by a full moon and our head torches. The intention was to reach the summit around dawn. There would be a guide for each of us, so there was someone to look after each and every one of us. If necessary, they would carry your day bag. Oxygen would be taken for emergency use, and a portable hyperbaric (pressurisation) bag in case anyone suffered from high-altitude cerebral edema, or high-altitude pulmonary edema. We were advised to remove bottle filters; in case they froze up.

After lunch we went to our tents to attempt to sleep before climbing time. This proved difficult, the tent went from boiling hot, when the sun shone, to freezing cold when the sun disappeared behind a cloud. We were duly woken at 9.30 pm for supper and the start of the final ascent.

Our route to Barafu Camp

Our route to Barafu Camp
Our route to Barafu Camp

Kilimanjaro Trek – Day 5

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Barranco Wall Camp(3900M) – Karanga Camp(3950M)

Today’s walk was a little under 5km, and the overall gain in height from start to finish was small. Despite the short distance and small height gain, the walk was challenging. There were several sections where scrambling and clinging to the rocks were required. The route also contained two intermediate peaks and had three climbs. The overall vertical distance climbed today was 850 meters.

The coffee arrived at 6.00 and we set off at 6.45 for the 4 3/4-hour walk. When we topped the second hill, the final scramble came into view. It looked horrible, with a stream of ants walking up through the rocks. I took pity on the water harvesters because they had to descend further to the clean stream, and then return up the path carrying the water.

The number of people staying in the campsites is now far more than when we started the trek. From the Barranco Wall Camp there are additional routes up the mountain, direct from Moshi. These routes brought additional trekkers to the campsites. There are a great mix of climbers, some dressed in traditional costumes from their country. We debated whether they were Swiss, German or Austrian. Another small Asante group were climbing and accompanying us. One of the men worked 3 months a year as an electrician and spent the rest of the year travelling. In the same group was a 22-year-old woman who was the daughter of the owner of the Weru Weru River lodge.

On arrival we had lunch of fried chicken and chips. Managed to eat more than normal, but it all had to be washed down with water.

Our route to Karanga Camp

Our route to Karanga Camp
Our route to Karanga Camp

Kilimanjaro Trek – Day 4

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Shira Two Camp (3850M) – Barranco Wall Camp(3900M)

Today was going to be a gruelling day, a 4-hour 30-minute walk up to Lava Tower, 6 kilometres, and a climb of 730 metres to around 4600 meters. This was followed by a decent to Barranco Wall Camp, a 2-hour 30-minute walk with a descent of six hundred metres.

We started dressed-up in jackets and warm clothing and protected from the sun. Quite a few stops were taken on the walk to allow us to recuperate from the altitude. It was hard going, but I managed to keep up with everyone else. Lava Tower has a campsite; it provides the staging post for an ascent of Kilimanjaro up the Barranco Wall. We stopped here for lunch, the kitchen and loo tents have been erected here. Again, I was not hungry, and only ate a small amount of food. [Ed note – loss of appetite for Steve is unheard of.]

Afterwards we walked down to Baranco Camp, losing all the height we had gained. This walk was relatively easy, except that I tripped a couple of times so had my day sack removed and was given a couple of sticks to help me down. How embarrassing is that?

Back at the campsite we had supper, again not hungry. I tried to reduce my bread intake as much as possible, thinking I may have an issue with gluten. I was also presented with some oat energy bars to eat on the walks by the Lithuania lady, Inga. She had masses of bars and was doling them out to whoever needed them. Rather too late, I started taking to Diamox in the hope this would help me.

Our Route to Barranco Camp via Lava Tower

Our Route to Barranco Camp via Lava Tower
Our Route to Barranco Camp via Lava Tower