Once we were back at the centre I was told that the weather wouldn’t improve and I wouldn’t be able to dive on the Sunday. If I really wanted to dive they were offering to dive in the afternoon but it would be at the same spot we had been in the morning. I wanted to dive in the Blue Hole, around the Azure Window or in Xlendi but It would be for another time. The drive back to Xlendi was much easier as I was starting to know my way around. When I entered the city I spotted a minivan that was in the same spot we had dived in the morning and after parking the scooter I passed by another diving centre. I can at least say that I know my way in Gozo now and that I know where to find some diving centres.
Azure Window
The afternoon was dedicated to touristic activities, my wife had planed a few things for us to see. We had a quick lunch and I bought a 50cl ice tea bottle that cost 3€; that is the most expensive ice tea I have ever drunk. The ride to Azure Window was very bumpy, the road was so bad when we passed through the small villages that we were jumping all over the place. I can say that Azure Window is as nice as people say and that the Blue Hole deserves its name. I would have loved to dive there but I was told in the morning that there was too much wind in that part of the island: there was absolutely no wind at all when we were there and it was not raining. To really piss me off I could see some divers gearing up in the parking lot and some ready to dive on a boat. I was not supposed to dive in the afternoon so it was not too big of a deal just a small disappointment. We then headed to the Ta Pinu church, the road leading to it was in perfect state as it was paid for by the European Union. It is funny that a place with a lot of offshore banks needs the European Union to pay for its touristic roads. From there we drove to Victoria where you can visit the citadel, there is not much to see there except for the cathedral and the great viewpoint on the island. If you have the right camera or the right software you will be able to make a 360 panoramic picture. Our next stop was Calypso Grotto near Marsalforn, my fuel gauge was around 25% so I wanted to get some gas but there was no station in Marsalforn. We either had to go back to Victoria or drive up the hill on the way to Xaghra, the grotto was also up the hill hence the decision was easy to make.
Ta Pinu
We were bummed when we finally found the station because it was closed. It was one of those old stations you would find in French cities when I was young. In Gozo the gas stations are closed on the week-end starting Saturday noon but you actually have a way to get gas. There was a booth where you could pay and choose what kind of gas you needed. You couldn’t use a credit card of course it would be too easy, no coins either the booth only accepted bank notes and the minimum was 10€. It was not an issue if we needed to fill up our car but it was something else for our scooter. I think I used at most 3€ out of the 10€ I put in the machine, don’t expect to get a refund there is nothing for it on the machine. If you wanted your money back you had to come back in the week with the receipt within a maximum of 15 days. That’s a very good way to rip of the tourists!
Legend says that the Calypso Grotto is the place where Calypso has kept Odysseus for 7 years after his shipwreck. Once you get there you will have to step down small and steep stairs and … nothing. There is indeed a grotto but you won’t see anything if you didn’t bring your own light because there is no lighting at all. In case you did bring a light source you will still see nothing because there is nothing to see at all! We had to stop here and there because it started to rain but in all we were quite lucky the weather wasn’t as bad as forecasted. We had dinner in the evening on a terrace, my tortellini a la marina had no taste if I didn’t put parmesan cheese on them and my wife’s chicken wings looked as if they had stayed much too long in cooking oil: my belly really didn’t enjoy the food.
Blue Hole
We enjoyed a nice breakfast on Sunday morning we then decided to go spend the afternoon in Comino to see the Blue Lagoon. We had to fill up the scooter before leaving it at the ferry terminal, lucky for us their was a gas station just in front of the terminal but it was the same racket as the day before and this time we had even less gas to put in. We inserted the 10€ note, selected the pump and no pump delivered any gas; this time there was no ticket so that I could complain. A Guy driving a motorbike came in the station put money in and managed to get some gas from another pump (there was four in total) so after he left we put another 10 and selected the same pump he did and this time gas was flowing. We left the scooter with the helmets and the keys on the parking of the terminal and went looking for a boat to Comino. We wanted to go straight from Comino to Malta but were told that the only boat going that way was at 5 PM. We didn’t want to stay that long on Comino so we bought a return ticket Gozo-Comino and 20 minutes later we were dropped on the Blue Lagoon. I see a blue lagoon this way: clear blue water and white sand; the water was indeed very clear and blue but there was no sand in sight. The waterfront was only rock the same way it is in Malta, someone wanting to lie down would need to look for a soft spot somewhere or rent a deck chair. I saw a boat heading to Malta, on it was written that it was going from Malta to Comino every hour: we had again been ripped of probably like a lot of tourists before us just because those assholes wanted to sell their return boat trip. Thanks for being honest! We decided to take that boat on its next stop but as we were waiting for it ours came back and we boarded it because the other one was nowhere in sight. As you have read we have been quite lucky during that week-end so the other boat appeared as soon as the boat we were on left the wharf. At least we got a visit of the rest of the Blue Lagoon before going back to Gozo to catch the ferry back to Malta.
Blue Hole
It was a weird week-end but I can now say that what makes Malta nice is also its weak point in many situations. The lost in time feel of the island is really great up until a point: the bad roads, the old hotels, the out of time gas stations and the run down building don’t always give a good impression of the island when one is staying there for a while but it is part of the island charm when you are there for a few days. Come to Malta to enjoy the narrow streets, the city as big as a district of Paris, the fireworks in the week-end, all the Italian restaurants, the old fortifications. This island is worth a visit.
Sometimes you feel like you just ended up in another dimension. You just need to add a few events which have no meaning by themselves but that paint a strange picture once put together.
We went to Gozo for the week-end, my wife had booked an hotel in Xlendi and found a diving centre for me to go scuba diving Saturday and Sunday morning. A few hours before leaving I called the centre to get the address and the directions, I was surprised to discover that it was located in Marsalforn. We didn’t know if we would move around the island with the public transportation or with a rented car or scooter, my wife had never driven on the left side of the street (me neither) so public transportation was my favourite choice but the idea of crossing the island to go to Marsalforn forced me to change my mind. My wife was very clear when she asked for the phone number of a diving centre in Xlendi but it seems it was more interesting that I go dive in Marsalforn for the person who gave her the phone number. The renting agency I called was also located in Marsalforn but luckily for me vehicles could be delivered all over the island so I asked them to meet us at the ferry terminal.
I met my wife at the hotel after work and from there we took the 645 bus to go from Sliema to Cirkewwa where we would take the ferry. We didn’t find any place to buy our tickets before getting on the boat, a man explained to my wife that the fee would be paid on arrival on the island. Once we got there no one was there to ask us to pay anything: thanks for the free ferry! We grabbed the scooter and were on the road around 7PM, with open helmets on I couldn’t stop my eyes from crying like crazy and it was tougher and tougher to see were I was going. The crying was so much that I stopped to put my sunglasses on and also took the opportunity to put on a long-sleeved t-shirt, it would have been a shame to catch a cold in the evening and not be able to go diving in the morning. Here we were on our way to Xlendi and the road was in really bad shape and in many places there was no light on the side of the street; good thing because my scooter light was so weak that it didn’t help me at all to see the street. As if things were not easy enough for us, the road was being repaired so we had to go through smaller roads with no lights that went through the fields. We finally got to our destination, it was quite nice to get to the city in the evening, you couldn’t see the bay but you could get a nice view of water front. I was quite happy with myself because I had managed to get us there with no maps without forgetting to always drive on the left side of the street.
There was no booking in our name at the hotel, we had to get it back from hotels.com to prove the room was already paid; the hotel finally got our booking the day after even though it was done 2 days earlier. The hotel had an internal courtyard and our room had a window on it, there were rooms with the street view and rooms with the bay view. We paid the price of the bay view room and ended up in the cheapest room, we paid our room 2.5 times its price when booking with hotels.com.
I woke up early on Saturday morning because I had to be at the centre at 7:45 AM, I felt like eating breakfast but breakfast only started at 7:30 AM. I went to the restaurant just in case I would get lucky and could see all the food on the tables but sadly the restaurants doors were closed and I left with the memory of the food in my mind to fill my belly. Outside I found my scooter covered with bird shit, the day before I didn’t see that I had parked it an area completely full of bird shit. I didn’t know bird shit when they sleep. When the cleaning was done I drove to Marsalforn with an empty belly hoping I would find a shop where I would be able to buy something to eat and I would not get lost on the way, in any case it would still be easier with daylight. In Gozo the small villages don’t have any directions signs so you can drive for a while not really knowing where you are going and end up in the wrong city. I was driving, trying not to get lost and turning when I found the proper indication. I found myself on a road that led to the sea, I expected to go through Victoria at some point but without any indications decided to wait until I was in a village to find out where I was. I followed the road till the end and found Marsalforn, I found the diving centre after short while.
We hoped on the minivan as soon as the gear was chosen, I was the only one who didn’t speak German among the divers, I tried to hear if I could still understand the language but they were talking much too fast for me. We got dropped close to the dive site and walked the rest of the way. On the sea shore I saw some small pools that were used to catch the salt water, I quickly took a few pictures and put the camera inside its waterproof box because it was starting to rain. What a pleasure to start gearing up under the rain, the guy next to me had a dry suit he just had to step inside the suit to be ready to go as I was still fighting with my suit. There was no wharf, we had to walk on the sharp rocks, jump in the water then put our fins and masks on. The water was quite hot thanks to the rain, once everyone was ready we went underwater; there was four of us: the instructor, an experienced diver, a level one diver and me. As we were around 3 meters under sea level, the level one diver was already 5 or 6 meters deep and not showing any sign of slowing down, the instructor had to go and grab him or I don’t know how deep he would have gone. His ears must have taken quite a beating from the pressure. I saw some tuna hunting and wanted to take some pictures but the camera didn’t power on when I pressed on the switch; I put the camera backwards when I put it back in the waterproof case and forgot to check it before going underwater. It’s a pity but I will have to use my memory to remind myself of the barracuda and the octopus I saw. I came back outside with 100 bars after 40 minutes, I had never breathed so well underwater. The exit was quite tricky, you had to remove your fins and use a rope to climb out; if you were not careful the current would shove you against the rocks so you would really have to wait for the right moment to climb out of the water. It was still raining outside at the end of the dive, I really wanted to keep my suit on because it was keeping me warm but only people in proper clothes could get on the minivan. The blanket felt great on the way back but I felt like taking a good warm bath. You will get the end of the story next week.
This week-end you could go to the Birgu Fest, the event was taking place during 3 days in Vittoriosa (Birgu in Maltese). We went there on Saturday evening to see what was happening.
The little town of Birgu tried to attain the Guinness Book of Record for having the city lit with a huge number of candles. The candles would lit the city as the sun set. Located in front of Valletta, Birgu is a small town with many little streets, it is the perfect place to have this kind of event. Walking through the narrow streets is nice, you spend most of your time in the dark. You can have fun with the shadows, play hide and seek or scare the people passing by. The orange red atmosphere that is created by the colour of the recipient that holds the candles adds a little something to the whole city. You feel like stopping at each corner to take a picture but you need to have the good camera or something to hold it still otherwise you will only make blurry pictures.
The candles were not the only thing to see, there was a stage in the main plaza were you could listen to traditional music as well as the latest song sung by local artists. You could of course find food everywhere and I regretted not having someone from Malta explain to me what the different dishes were, I wanted to try something bud didn’t feel like doing a blind test. It was also possible to visit the touristic places of the city as they stayed open quite late. Everything was there so people would have a good time. The Guinness Book inspector must really have a good time going through the streets and counting the candles. Did he count all of them twice to make sure there was no cheating or did he need a team of inspectors to do the job quickly and more efficiently? I couldn’t find if the town was successful or not but I really like the idea. I should try and organize something like this where I live it would be fun. Here are more pics.
I went scuba diving this Sunday in Malta waters and I can tell you it wasn’t that easy.
I found a diving centre at a walking distance from my hotel. Up until now I have always been scuba diving in French speaking countries, the equipment size is always the same but that was not the case this time. I had to adapt to what was available, It is important because the quality of the dive also depends on you choosing the right things to wear. There was no ride on a boat with the gear before jumping in the water, here you hop in a pickup truck with the gear in the back and go for a ride. We went to Valletta and stopped on the bank at the far end of the city, we put all the gear on shore before going in the water. You start with the boots, the suit and the stabilization vest fitted with the full air tank, you then step down the stairs that lead to the shore with your fins and mask in one hand. The sun is so strong that you feel like running into the water but you make sure you start wearing the gear when everyone is ready.
Once in the water I put on my mask as well as the fins and we would meet underwater as soon as everyone would be ready. I just couldn’t go under, my stab vest was completely empty of air but my head was still above the water. I acted like snorkelers who want to go under, my head was facing the bottom on the ocean and my feet where in the air. This allowed me to go down to where my diving buddies were but as soon as I stopped moving my legs and tried to stabilize myself I would go up like oil in water. I tried 3 times and was still unsuccessful, the diving instructor came up and asked me how many extra kilos I had with me; I had 2kg because that was the weight I was taking each time I would dive with a full suit in La Reunion but the Indian Ocean is not the Mediterranean Sea. The instructor gave me his car keys and I had the pleasure of getting out of the water with everything on and walking back to the car to get 6 extra kilos. I wanted to hurry up the stairs to get them but it would tire me and I would then breathe too much underwater. I grabbed 3 weights, put them in my right pocket and slowly went back down the stairs.
I almost drowned when I went back in the water because I had forgotten to inflate my vest before jumping back in the water and I was much more heavy. After inflating my vest I just couldn’t stay on my back to properly put my mask and the fins; I had 3 weight in my right pocket and only a new diving case for my digital camera in the left pocket, I didn’t want to put some weight in the right pocket to avoid damaging the box but I quickly changed my mind. I finished equipping myself as soon as the weight was even and I went under quite easily. Next time I go scuba diving I will wear a shorty and have 4kg with me, this way I will be sure to sink like a stone.
