ZECO TRAVEL TALK

When we scouted Algeria more than 18 months ago, we knew we would be visiting a land only recently opened to outside travelers. As shore excursions were established, we sought to make the experience as personal as possible for our travelers. We wanted to share with you what amazing things can happen when simple face to face interactions occur between people who often see the world through different eyes. This is the letter we received from our local tour operator in Algeria:

“Thanks to your insistence that your travelers visit both the Koranic School and Great Mosque, along with the Basilica of St. Augustine in Annaba, we managed to draw together the leaders of the two largest religious institutions in Algeria. Father Raphael and the Imam, Cheikh Sid Ahmed Kaila, knew of each other but had never had the occasion to meet, so inevitably there were some misconceptions. We invited them both for dinner (it was quite a job to find a good restaurant that does not serve alcohol—which would have offended the Imam), and they got along remarkably well. The Imam mentioned that he buys delicious Hobz tal-Malti (Maltese Bread) from a local bakery, something Father Raphael loves but was not aware it even existed in Algeria. Well, since then, the Imam has sent Father Raphael several loaves at the Basilica.

So, in the moment when there has been growing religious tension in the country, the Muslim community thought the Rector of the Basilica was causing problems… once these two holy men sat down together and, while breaking bread, discovered the source of their misunderstanding, they began to enjoy each other’s company so much that close to midnight we had to remind them that other groups of travelers were arriving early in the morning. You can imagine how relieved we were to have this encounter turn out so well… we were terribly worried that their meeting could have been a PR disaster, but in fact it was a great success. If there was wine on the table, you can be sure we would have toasted you. Thank you for bringing our two worlds together and allowing us to give cruise passengers an insight to Islam—a religion that is often misunderstood and misreported by the media. Enjoy the photo of that special evening.”

We had a phenomenal last day in the Canaries… Lanzarote ended up being the favorite island for many of us, including the birders! It felt so laid back, clean, gorgeous and quiet. When we reached Agadir, Morocco, we set off inland to the wonderful village of Taroudaunt which is often nicknamed “Little Marrakech.” The sights, sounds, and smells of the local market were so inviting—and worthy of a thousand photographs: yellow saffron, red curry, brown cinnamon and green mint… the heaping piles of dates that look like mountain peaks; the baskets and bushels of fresh fruits and vegetables; bouquets of flowers; the array of exotic jewelry; and, of course, the gaudy, sequined, and leopard print tops and skirts! Tomorrow, Casablanca!

As we drove along the mountain roads to the Roman ruins site of Djémila, the views of the countryside, gorges, and farmlands were simply breathtaking. Along the way we were treated to mint tea and homemade cookies. When we arrived at Djémila—a World Heritage Site with some of the best preserved Roman ruins in North Africa—we ended up having a very special, and serendipitous, experience. A group of college girls from Bejaia—some in veils, some without… some with hoop earrings and jeans, others in traditional dress—heard us speaking English and approached us. We managed to exchange bits of conversation—in broken English, French, and Arabic—laughing all the while, taking photographs of each other, and all of us completely enjoying this lovely chance interaction. Everyone in our groups commented on how really amazing it is to visit a place where tourism has hardly touched the local people. What a wonderful memory for all of us…

So far our Petra to the Pyramids journey through Jordan and now Egypt has been one highlight after another. In Aqaba, we boarded our private sailing ship, The Aladdin, for the hour and a half sailing to Egypt. We had beautiful weather and sailed south through the gulf with Israel and Egypt visible on our starboard side and the coasts of Jordan and Saudi Arabia off the port side — four countries in an hour and a half! We disembarked in Taba at a tiny dock and quickly proceeded through customs as the officials checked us into Egypt. From Taba it was an impressive drive through the Sinai Peninsula desert to our hotel conveniently located just a half mile from the 6th century Byzantine Monastery of St. Catherine, at the base of Mount Sinai. We arrived as the sun was setting and made our way to the restaurant for a cocktail party with a very special guest. One of the monks, Father Justin, had been corresponding with our accompanying lecturer, Hector Williams of the Archaeological Institute of America, by email for the past few months. When Hector learned that we would be staying overnight near the Monastery he invited Father Justin to “come down from the hill” and join us for dinner. Not only did he join us, but Father Justin also gave a very interesting talk about his work to preserve ALL of the manuscripts in the extensive library at St. Catherine. He even invited us to stop by the library for a private tour the next day! Read more

With the safe return of Le Ponant’s crew confirmed, we received a note from the ship owners that we’d like to share with you.

Dear Scott and all our friends at Zegrahm,

Thank you so much for your email. It is indeed a great relief to get our crew members back home. They are back in Paris tonight.

The ship is also in a good state, and we should start our cruises back to normal, in the coming weeks. Once again, thank-you very much for your continuous support during the past week.
It was sincerely very much appreciated by all of us at CIP and we are looking to share such a warm support with our crew members in the coming days.

Very kind regards on behalf of all your friends at CIP.

Eric LUSTMAN
COMPAGNIE DES ILES DU PONANT

Zegrahm Expeditions and its family of travelers is so very pleased to learn of the news that Le Ponant’s crew is free and safe. Thanks go to our many travelers who contacted us, shared their feelings, prayed for this result. Le Ponant, under the command of Captain Patrick Marchesseau, is now headed to Djibouti for arrival April 15. We hope for a speedy recovery for the crew members as they are reunited with their families and friends.

With the first sighting of the North African coast, anticipation of what lay ahead was palpable—and our dockside welcome of fresh dates and live music was just the beginning of the wonderful interactions we experienced. Throughout our entire visit to this country we were received by broad smiles and shouts of “welcome to Algeria!” from passing motorists and local citizens.

In Oran, our guides were so amazing they just about got a standing ovation after our tour. The local people were stopping us on the street to chat and it was very obvious that there is not a lot of tourism here. Paul Harris gave a great lecture prior to us disembarking about how we have this perfect window of opportunity to come to Algeria before tourism catches on. Our entire lecture team is terrific and everyone is enjoying their diversity. In Djemila, everyone was blown away by the Algerian scenery; nobody expected so much green and the Roman ruins were incredible! In Tipasa, we had the huge complex of ruins at this amazing World Heritage Site entirely to ourselves. Algiers’ Casbah is a maze of small alleyways, leaning buildings with French windows, kids peeping through the doors, whitewashed walls with blue awnings.… We went for mint tea at our guide, Masoud’s, sister in law’s house which was filled with tiles and pottery. Sunlight was streaming down from the roof that overlooks the entire Casbah while we listened to the Mosque minarets calling everyone to prayer… such a magical experience.

On Friday April 4th the French sailing vessel Le Ponant was seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia. Zegrahm Expeditions has chartered this exceptional ship for many years and thus has a close relationship with the ship owner and dedicated crew. We support them in this troubling time and send our thoughts and prayers to all the crew and their families. See in comments below a letter sent on April 7th to the ship owner.

This web site has a good compilation of the daily developments, or for the latest news and updates, please check with your reliable news source. As of Monday April 7th the crew is believed to be safe and unharmed and the French government is in negotiations with the pirates. There were no passengers on board at the time of the seizure.