Memories of beautiful, somewhat adventurous travel experiences E-Book

Richard Gruber

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 261

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Mountaineering on Kilimanjaro, swimming in the Amazon or crossing the Sahara - there is probably no adventure that Richard Gruber would say no to. He describes extraordinary vacation experiences in a pleasantly factual and knowledgeable manner, but also provides an insight into the culture and history of the countries he has visited. His memories focus on the highlights of his numerous trips, fascinating natural spectacles and unique encounters. Rounded off with numerous pictures, these travelogues will not only make adventurers' hearts beat faster, but will also make lovers of balconies visit their nearest travel agency.

Leseprobe

QUOTE

"To whom God wills to show right favor,

He sends it out into the wide world,

He wants to show him his miracles

In mountain and valley in stream and field"

(Joseph von Eichendorf)

MY FIRST VACATION

Autumn in 1947 was beautiful, the forests were colorful, a pleasant warmth enveloped nature and people. It was rare for the weather to be so dry and warm after All Saints' Day. But it wouldn't last much longer, as the people and us schoolchildren knew. We were on our way to elementary school, a group of boys in front and a few girls behind us. Our school had two classes, each with several levels for pupils aged six to fourteen.

"Such nice weather today," said one of us boys, "and we have to sit still in the cramped classroom until the afternoon." We paused briefly in our march. At that moment, a spark of thought came over us and we knew what we wanted and what we had to do. We suddenly veered off the path and ran for all we were worth across the meadows towards the nearby forest. We could still hear the girls shouting "truants" - but they certainly wouldn't betray us - then we disappeared into the rustling thicket of the colorful deciduous forest and entered the freedom of the woods.

My first vacation - it was only one day that I had taken from school without permission - began. First, after we had caught our breath, we discussed how we wanted to spend our free time. We were still undecided and hiked to a game feeding station. But to no avail, of course no animals could be seen at this time of day.

Then we went to a waterfall, which had little or no water due to the drought. However, we were able to climb up the stone steps and ledges. We enjoyed the beautiful view of the mountains and lake, but soon got bored and started rolling rocks to the waterfall and sending them hurtling down. We got overconfident and the boulders got bigger and bigger and came crashing down, hitting the dry stone ledges of the waterfall riverbed with loud thunderclaps. This went on for a while and we had great fun. But then a resounding, deep male voice drowned out the crashing of our rockfalls, accompanied by the yapping of dogs. "What are you doing, you rascals? To commit such an outrage against nature! I'll catch you in a minute!" Oh God, the hunter, he continued to scold us in a rage and we saw him coming up, the dog leading the way.

After the initial shock, we grabbed our satchels - the strap on one of them snapped and the tin cup for the school soup hanging from it flew down over the rocks, clanking several times - and climbed further up the mountain in no time at all. When we felt safe, we stopped, out of breath and still very frightened. We calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief, because the hunter was too far away, he couldn't have recognized us. We had been very lucky again, we thought.

But then it turned out that one of us, "Grafbauern Hiasi", had left his school bag behind in the rush to escape. Now there was great consternation and the unlucky man had to endure many reproaches. Again there was hope that perhaps the hunter had not climbed all the way up and had not found the schoolbag with the exercise books on which his name was written.

But even this glimmer of hope was extinguished when the hunter's voice rang out again: "Come down and get your satchel." The person who had been called now had to take the embarrassingly difficult step and, pressured by us - "Don't reveal our names!" - to face the hunter. After some anxious waiting, he came back with his head hanging and visibly washed, and we knew that the hunter was now fully informed. The wishful thinking, again a faint hope that the hunter might not inform the teacher after all, calmed us down a little. The day off from school was, of course, thoroughly ruined.

It was still too early to go home, as the afternoon lessons were still going on. So we went bird-catching, which is what we had originally planned to do. You have to know that bird-trapping in the fall is a tradition in the Salzkammergut, a custom that has been practiced since time immemorial. The birds are kept indoors over the winter and released outdoors again in spring. However, you need a suitable decoy bird to catch them. One of us, "Neuwirts Hias", who lived nearby in a farmhouse, sneaked home and brought his decoy bird with him unseen.

We hid our school bags in the moss and undergrowth and set up our trapping station in a suitable place. When the decoy bird chirped and whistled, the birds were supposed to come and go into the traps. We waited patiently, time passed, but either the bird didn't lure enough or it wasn't the right place or the right time to catch it - we didn't catch anything. A considerable amount of time had now passed since the normal end of the school day and we made our way home rather depressed.

Of course, I had imagined the day would be much better, but it was actually our own fault that it went so badly.

My mother greeted me with the words: "Why are you so late, you're supposed to come home straight after school and do your homework!"

"We didn't get any today," I tried to justify myself, which made sense.

Our following school attendance days passed with anxious waiting. We tried to excuse the missing day with illness. We didn't know whether the teacher, who was also the head of the class, believed it. He had just returned home from the war as a former soldier and was well known for the strict way he handled his position as principal. With this in mind, we feared many a disaster was coming our way. For example, one pupil did not greet the teacher when we met. He confronted the pupil in front of the class and this teacher-question-pupil-answer scenario ensued: "Do you know me?" - "Yes!" - "Have you seen me?" - "Yes!" - "Have you said hello to me?" - "No!" And the interviewee got a resounding slap in the face in a flash.

Back then, the educational methods were completely different.

Not for the school, but for

life - LEARN - we.

But

The school - TEACHES - us a lot

for life

Day after day, we came together during the breaks and when we were serving the school soup and asked each other: "Have you heard or noticed anything?" - "No." Everything went on as normal. "Tomorrow the week will be over, then we'll have got through it safely and the hunter won't have said anything to the teacher and will probably have forgotten the prank."

But then, on Friday after the end of lessons, came the nasty aftermath.

"We'll finish a little early today," said the teacher. "You can go home. But the following five pupils will remain seated: " Baier, Ferdinand; Baier, Matthias; Graf, Matthias; Hödlmoser, Johann - and me too, of course - Gruber, Richard."

When all the other pupils had left the class, the teacher's sermon began. I only dimly remember that he not only scolded us, but also tried to have an instructive and educational effect on us rascals, which eased the shock we were obviously in. After about twenty minutes, we were over it. This time was also intended as a head start for the girls who, as the teacher's letter carriers, had to deliver the written notification of our offense to our parents.

Then we were allowed to leave too. However, we didn't take in the beauty of the glorious autumn afternoon on the way home because we were dominated by the uneasy feeling of how wewouldbe received at home. I had cleverly warned my mother a few days earlier that there might be a message from the teacher, who was very strict. Of course, my mother scolded me a lot and was disappointed in me, but also emphasized how important school education was for later life.

Then I got to read the contents of the school report: The student ... skipped school on November 14, 1947. He went bird-catching with other pupils. He will therefore receive the grade "2" in conduct in his semester report. I request exemplary punishment on your part as well. Was I mistaken or was there a small smile at the corners of my mother's mouth at the mention of bird-catching?

In later years, when I had become a teacher and principal myself and people occasionally chatted "from school" among colleagues and acquaintances and many an anecdote was told, I liked to remember my first supposed vacation day with a smile.

But it was perhaps the beginning of my burgeoning desire to travel and many wonderful and somewhat adventurous vacation trips followed.

SAHARA - first desert experiences

Even as a schoolboy, I wanted to get to know foreign countries and cultures. One of my geography teachers indirectly reinforced this interest. He often sat on a free bench at the front of the class and talked about his travel experiences in faraway countries. So I was delighted when a book by KARL MAY, "Through the Desert", was placed under the Christmas tree. I read it very quickly, but I couldn't really imagine or process much of what I heard in it. In addition to the excitingly described adventures, the descriptions of the people living there, the landscapes and, in particular, the desert aroused my astonishment and curiosity. This ultimately made me want to enter and travel through this natural phenomenon. Only after many years was it possible for me to realize my childhood dreams. Karl May's desert journeys at that time were mainly made on long camel or horseback rides and it often took many days to reach a particular destination deep in the desert. Nowadays, you can reach an oasis as a starting point for a desert expedition by plane in about one to two hours. Although these modern-day expeditions are carried out in all-terrain vehicles, usually LAND ROVERS, life in nature is still preserved with overnight stays in tents, occasional walks and camel rides with pure romance. I had joined a small, somewhat sporty tour group with an experienced guide. The trip was scheduled to start in October because the temperatures are not so high at this time of year and there are usually no major sandstorms. Our planned destination was a section of the western Libyan desert from the Mediterranean coast to the desert territory of FEZZAN. A flight took us from Salzburg to DJERBA, an island in Tunisia. We reached the African mainland via the seven-kilometre-long Roman dam and entered LIBYA. At the border station, MUAMMAR AL-GADDAFI greeted us from an oversized billboard. We took a bus along the coast. Unfortunately, the landscape on both sides of the road was covered in an indescribable amount of plastic. Gradually, the surroundings near the town became more beautiful and we reached the harbor town of SABRATA. This town has a history that goes back to the times of the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans. We visited the ruins of SABRATA, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and were very impressed by the huge and beautiful complex. It is of course impossible to go into a comprehensive description of this archaeological site in this space. However, to illustrate the size of the site, the most important relic, the theater with the façade of the stage house, which was beautifully reconstructed by Italian archaeologists and once seated fifty thousand spectators, should be mentioned. Another bus ride of seventy kilometers brought us to Tripoli, the capital of Libya with a population of around 1.3 million. In ancient times it was called OEA and was founded between SABRATA and LEPTIS MAGNA, another Phoenician settlement, in the seventh century BC as a trading base. This gave rise to the name Tripolitania (three cities). Tripoli (OEA) was the only one of the three metropolises to develop further. In the morning we visited part of the old town, the museum and the SUQS, then a flight took us to the oasis city of SEBHA, the actual starting point of our desert excursion.

SEBHA - seven, a collective name from a chain of oases - is the center of the FEZZAN desert region with around one hundred thousand inhabitants. We spent the last night in a hotel hostel. The next day, we had to obtain permits for driving on desert tracks and for visiting places off the paved roads. These must be applied for from the police administration or obtained from the LIBIAN Travel ORISM TOFFIZE. It is also important to register the entire itinerary with location details. We had hired a local guide for the entire excursion, as well as desert drivers with all-terrain LANDCRUISERS: Five vehicles for the passengers and a so-called kitchen wagon for provisions and appropriate water supplies. Our luggage, tents and the like were lashed to the roof racks. Now fully equipped, we set off on our tour in the direction of GHAT. We left the green oasis basin with its irrigated fields behind us and entered a desert landscape with ranges of hills and foothills of the MESSAK-SETTAFET mountains. The high dunes of UBARI towered to the north. After crossing the Wadi ADJAL with its palm groves and irrigated fields, we reached the village of DJERMA, the former capital of the GARAMANT empire in ancient times. The GARAMANTS were a desert people who often went to war with the Romans, and we saw the Roman victory monument. We visited other ruins, crumbling clay buildings and the remains of a castle made of stone blocks. Some evidence from this period is still hidden in the ground, as partial excavations have shown. A little south of DJERBA, we saw burial sites that were identified as royal tombs of the GARAMANTS on the basis of grave goods found. The area was very dry. It had hardly rained in recent years and almost all the palm trees were withered on the ground. We left the area around DJERMA and continued on a flat sandy track. We stopped for lunch under umbrella acacias. We all sat on a large carpet on the ground while we ate. When the lunch camp was broken up, I noticed that all the garbage and leftover food had been burnt or taken away. I was told that otherwise mice and subsequently snakes would be attracted. When the heat subsided a little in the afternoon, we set off and drove through a wide sandy plain. Here we had our first flat tire. The previously firm ground became increasingly loose, the dunes drew closer and the wheels of the jeeps began to dig into the sand. The drivers stopped and lowered the tire pressure. This made the tires wider at the contact area and improved their load-bearing capacity in the sand. Then we drove into the dunes, passing some of them and crossing others at lower altitudes. Driving up and down the dunes was great fun. One jeep got stuck in the sand, the wheels had to be freed and the vehicle pushed on. Evening came, a suitable campsite was found and the tents were pitched. The drivers sat down in a circle a little apart. The sun had set and now they were allowed to eat. It was Ramadan. Before dinner, however, we climbed a high dune to marvel at the sunset over the sea of dunes in front of us in absolute silence. The first night in the tent was more of a hassle than a romance, but the tiredness brought a restful sleep. This showed whether we had packed properly. A flashlight, a sleeping mat, an inflatable pillow etc. were very useful. We set off again after breakfast. We crossed the dune area and reached an asphalt road again.

The tire pressure had to be increased again. This was done by unscrewing a spark plug. An adapter was screwed in and connected to the tire valve via an air hose. The running engine then pumped up the tire with the connected cylinder. Modern vehicles naturally have a compressor for this purpose. This road led us to GHAT, an important caravan base since time immemorial, consisting of the enclosed old town and a newly built area. The old town, a Berber settlement built from air-dried clay goats, is almost uninhabited today. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and efforts are being made to preserve it from decay. In front of the entrance gate is an old replica of a well with an impeller made of palm wood planks and a pull rope woven together from palm leaves. After the tour, we climbed the fortress that towers over the city and had a beautiful panoramic view as far as Algeria. After this last visit to an ancient site, we continued on the dirt road and reached the foothills of the Dark AKAKUS Mountains after a very bumpy, hour-long drive. We stopped for lunch in the shade of high rock figures, which the Bedouins call by name, such as ADAT, the thumb. After this refreshment, we drove into the AKAKUS Mountains. This area should only be driven in the company of a local guide, as it is easy to lose your bearings in the widely ramified wadis. There are wide sandy plains between the individual mountains and the black rocks are often flooded with reddish sand dunes right up to the top.

A special highlight of our trip awaited us here: a visit to rock paintings, engravings and carvings that are thousands of years old. Our guide knew the sites and directed the drivers to them. They were usually found in the shade of overhanging rock faces. He explained the color pictures and engravings to us, but also pointed out appropriate behavior when viewing them. To preserve the colors of the paintings, flash was forbidden. It would be an extremely criminal act to refresh these old colors with any means and thereby destroy them. The paintings mainly depicted people and animals. These images provide information about life here up to ten thousand years ago, when the Sahara was green and fertile. It was only around six thousand years ago that the climate changed, the land began to dry out and the population gradually moved eastwards to the Nile.

We were amazed at the depictions of people and animals, hunting scenes with bows and arrows and dogs, giraffes, elephants, cattle, antelopes, dromedaries, even chariots with wheels were depicted. As these motifs extend over large periods of time, they are often different in style and content. We were fascinated by these rock paintings and engravings, which were still relatively clearly recognizable after such a long time; they really were a special highlight of our trip.

After this eventful day, we set up camp before dusk and then had a lively discussion with our knowledgeable guide around the campfire about what we had experienced. The next day, he showed us some rock paintings and a place where mummy graves had been found. As we continued our journey, we came across the home of a TUAREG family. We were greeted in a friendly manner and our guide spoke to them. A curious little boy wouldn't leave my side; I gave him a beautiful red apple from my food bag. He happily ran through the camp with it and showed everyone his present. Our drivers handed out a few more bottles of water that we could do without and we moved on.

We passed steep rock faces with wild formations, which the Tuareg believe to be petrified "DSCHINNS" - nature spirits and demons.

We were particularly amazed by the huge stone arch, the FOZZIGAREN, with a span of thirty-two meters and a height of forty-four meters. Here, too, we found rock carvings, probably erected by hunters, and reached more wadis. The engravings in the Wadi MATHENDOUS with depictions of fighting guenons, crocodiles and other animals were very impressive. On the ground were heavy stones with carved grooves running all the way around. Rock art hunting scenes showed that ropes with a noose were tied around the stones to catch larger animals. Large quantities of paintings and engravings could also be seen on the opposite rock faces.

The journey continued, the rocks were left behind, the sand changed its color from reddish to a bright, yellowish white. We arrived at the WAKANZA dunes and pitched our tents. Early the next morning, we climbed the highest dune to watch the sun rise over the desert. It was a bit chilly and we sat on the ridge. It was dark around us, just a little dusky and completely silent. Nobody spoke a word, everyone was lost in thought, looking east towards the expected sun. There it became brighter and the first rays peeked over the contours of the horizon. They grew stronger and stronger and gradually a small, ever larger segment of the sun appeared with increasing luminosity. Now we and the surrounding dunes were illuminated and there was a wonderful contrast to the slopes in the shade. Then things moved quickly, the sun rose higher and soon the golden-yellow sea of sand lay spread out before us. We lingered for a while and enjoyed the magnificent view, then we slid and slid down the steep dune slope to the camp.

We left the WANKANZA dunes and a long drive took us to the small town of UBARI. There we were able to replenish our water and provisions. Then we continued into the foothills of the UBARI sand sea. Here we awaited another highlight of our trip, the MANDARA Lakes. After a fairly strenuous drive, we had to overcome many dunes. It was often necessary to dig out the jeeps that had got stuck in the sand by the wheels and then push them out using our combined strength.

It was exhausting and sweat-inducing, but it was also great fun to speed up the dunes in the jeeps and then slowly slide down the back of them, which could sometimes be very steep.

And then came the longed-for moment: after crossing a high dune spur, we caught sight of the glistening surface of a lake. It lay in the middle of the dunes, framed by the lush green of the palm trees that lined its shore. A bright blue sky stretched out above it. It was Lake GABRUN, the largest of the group of eleven lakes, although the eponymous Lake MANDARA has almost dried up. The lakes are not deep, a maximum of twenty-six meters, and according to research reports are fed by artesian pressure from two large underground water sources. With the high summer temperatures in the desert of up to forty-six degrees Celsius, evaporation is very intense and the water level can drop by up to two meters. The salt content is very high at thirty-four percent. We visited most of the lakes and of course took lots of photos.

We particularly liked the UMM el MA lake, "Mother of Water" - an elongated small lake, which is probably one of the most beautiful of these lakes due to its intensive reed and palm growth and dark blue water level. We were also very surprised that the shifting high sand dunes, up to a hundred meters high, could not gradually bury the lakes. On one shore we came to an abandoned former settlement. There was still a small mosque in the center of the village. These lakes are of course visited on desert expeditions. We can only hope that this natural jewel will remain untouched by mass tourism in the future.

We set up camp for our last night in the desert in a hollow surrounded by dunes. We sat around the campfire for a long time, with the southern canopy of stars above us, and reviewed the eventful journey in conversation. For me, a childhood dream from my KARL MAY days had come true and I was also able to gain valuable experience for other planned longer desert trips.

The next day we left the dunes and a long drive through a steppe area and finally on a bumpy asphalt road brought us back to SHEBA, the starting point of our desert trip, followed by a flight home via TRIPOLIS.

KENYA - HEIA SAFARI

We learn about the animal kingdom as early as childhood through fairy tales, picture books and pets. Visits to zoos and animal parks expand this knowledge. But seeing and experiencing animals in the wild is something special for young and old alike. That's why we combined a summer beach vacation with a safari. After gathering information, KENYA, with its magnificent wildlife in the vast savannahs and beautiful beaches on the Indian Ocean, seemed particularly suitable.

It should be noted in advance that this was a beautiful, interesting and relaxing vacation. However, as I got into a very dangerous situation, which I can only remember with a shudder, it is reported here in "somewhat adventurous travel experiences".

We, my wife, our son (seventeen years old at the time) and I, set off on this trip full of joyful anticipation. A flight, it was during the vacation season in July, took us to Mombasa in Kenya on the Indian Ocean. MOMBASA is the most important port on the East African coast and the second largest city in Kenya with a population of 1,200,000. During a tour of the city, the first thing that impressed us was, of course, the city's landmark - the giant elephant tusks that line the roadside of Moi Avenue. These four gigantic replicas of tusks form an archway and are made of white sheet metal.

We traversed the labyrinth of narrow alleyways in the Arab old town with magnificent wooden balconies on the houses. We also visited part of the large harbor and in particular the area where the picturesque DAU ships with their triangular sails dock. Most of the people here are Muslims - photography was strictly forbidden. I dared to do so and was threatened with angry shouting and raised fists. Finally, we visited the FORT JESUS fortress built by the Portuguese. As a souvenir, we bought some simple but artistically carved small statues of animals made of ebony.

We set off early in the morning with the appropriate trekking clothing and the necessary equipment for our project to the starting point of the safari in the direction of TSAVO WEST to the TAITA-HILL lodge. The guide, who led our entire safari, greeted us warmly with "JUMBO KAIBU" - hello, welcome. We were given our accommodation and at a briefing we were informed about dangers during the safari and the appropriate rules of conduct for our protection.

After dinner, we went on a game drive in the nearby area of the game reserve. The drive was carried out in an off-road vehicle suitable for safaris, with a sheltered body that also allowed good visibility. We did not see many animals, apart from a few gazelles and springbok, which soon took flight when they saw us. Nevertheless, the evening game drive through the bush was an exciting experience.

We spent the night at the TAITA-HILL Lodge. The next day, we extended our safari further into the TSAVO West Park, a hilly savannah region. A hike took us to the foothills of the mountains in front, the CHYULU Hills. Here, crystal-clear water flows through the lava mountains into the spring area of the MZIMA SPRINGS. We stopped at the outflow and the guide gave us information about the fauna and flora at this location, which, in contrast to the dry steppe environment on the riverbanks, had rich, dense vegetation. When I heard that there were hippos here, I looked for an unobstructed spot to take a photo of these animals. I therefore left the group, walked along the thicket for a while and soon found an open spot. A large old tree had fallen and was lying across the river. There was a sandbank in the middle of the river on which the tree was resting. There were deep pools of water all around it. The tree was a good way for me to get to the middle of the river with a good view and would certainly give me the best chance of taking a snapshot. I climbed onto the trunk, which was slightly raised from the ground by the strong branches spread out, and shimmied my way towards the sandbank to the middle of the river. There the treetop was supported on the reef of the sandbank. The view was somewhat obstructed by some branches and so, after a quick look around on the ground below me, I jumped down with both legs at the same time, seeing only the sandy area with some stones and two other trunks about three to four meters long. At that moment, I heard a splashing sound of water. Staggering a little and thrown off balance by the impact, I staggered up and saw the thick, squat tail of a crocodile disappear into the water. There was a scraping noise from the right, I looked to the side and saw - oh, what a shock - a crocodile coming towards me with its mouth wide open. I instinctively grabbed the first solid branch above