'We have put very little planning into most of our travels'

'We have put very little planning into most of our travels'

Frank remembers taking holidays to many countries.

Frank Gaynor

Trinity College Dublin

1980

This item is protected by original copyright

This content may be downloaded and used (with attribution) for research, teaching or private study. It may not be used for commercial purposes without permission.

Frank Gaynor

Work and Employment

Life Story

Africa, Asia, Middle East,

1980's

My contracts with ODA entitled the two of us to annual leave in the form of economy flights up to a total distance of roughly 6,000km in whatever direction we wished to fly. With the help of good travel agents we were able to convert this into some interesting holidays. One year we visited Corfu and Cyprus. Another year we went to India, taking in Bombay, Delhi and Kashmir. On the way back we stopped off in the Seychelles. Another time we went to Belgrade and Cairo. Later we visited Claire in Milan, and went on to Dubrovnik and a couple of Greek Islands. On the way home I usually managed to squeeze in a return flight from London to Edinburgh. In this way I managed to visit my sister Kathleen and her family more often while based in Africa than I now manage from my base in Dublin. Planned and unplanned: Corfu and CyprusWe have put very little planning into most of our travels. In most cases this has worked well for us. One trip that we did put some effort into planning was our visit to Corfu. We made sure that we were close to a beach, and in a room with a good view. At the first opportunity the children, still only toddlers, ran along the beach and into the water. When they returned they had a black tarry substance on their feet and hands. Soon it was also on their clothes and in their hair. For the rest of our stay the problem was keeping them away from the beach. For our room with a view we were on the 5th floor, but unfortunately the lift never worked during the week we were there. The unplanned bits went much better. We went on a couple of very enjoyable bus trips around the island. We saw women working in the fields with donkeys and carts, dressed in long black dresses and shawls on their heads. It all reminded me a bit of remote parts of Connemara. We visited the cottage where Gerald Durrell had lived. Based on the time he spent here he wrote 'My Family and Other Animals'.One day I went in to Corfu town by bus and brought Lynda with me. As we sat on a bench, sharing a soft drink, I remember thinking: this is my first social outing with one of my children.The evening that Breeda saw us off at Heathrow airport, for our flight to Cyprus, she was stunned to discover that we had no advance booking made. We had no idea where we would be spending the night. We had three children under four years with us. It was dark when we reached Nicosia. We talked with a taxi and asked him to take us to a seaside hotel. He brought us to Famagusta, where we checked into the perfect holiday hotel room. A lift outside our room door brought us down to an excellent beach. Weeks of planning could not have produced a better package for us. We hired a car and drove mainly along the pan - handle. We passed the house of George Grivas, leader of the EOKA guerrilla organisation that fought the British occupation forces in the 1950s. A year after our visit Turkey invaded Cyprus and inflicted severe damage on Famagusta.A few days in IndiaConnecting with our flight to Bombay involved spending one night in Harare and another in Dar es Salaam. The night in the Holliday Inn in Harare was unexpectedly luxurious; the facilities and all round services were 5 - star plus. Dar es Salaam was a different story, with everything looking neglected and badly in need of a coat of paint. With a day to spare we decided to take the short flight to Zanzibar and spend a night there. Our visit coincided with a government cabinet meeting; because of this meeting there was no plane for the return flight. We overcame this obstacle by joining with two others in chartering a small plane which was not as expensive as it might suggest.As we came in low over Bombay we could see large slum areas with shanty buildings. We did not see such poverty stricken areas again until we were flying out three days later. There were plenty of teenage boys willing to help with our luggage. We gave two of them the name of the hotel we had identified as good mid - range price for tourists. With our cases on their heads the two boys headed off at high speed down a crowded street. We struggled to keep track of them, and began to resign ourselves to the fact that we would never see our cases again. We need not have worried. They were honest, helpful and friendly. We required three nights but took the precaution of booking in for just one night, to give us a chance to check out the area. This was not a clever move. When we realised that the hotel was comfortable and very well located, and went back to book the two extra nights, our room had already been taken. We stuck with the location and settled for a lower grade room.I don't remember a great deal about Bombay. It was comfortable for walking around. We passed one of the laundry businesses where mountains of clothes are washed by hand, spread out to dry, and ironed. We had a pleasant boat trip across the bay. One evening we walked down a well - known 'red light' street, which was buzzing with people. Many of the girls were standing behind strong wire mesh, known as 'the cages'. Others were out in the open. Touts or pimps were noisy enticing clients to go inside. The clients did not have far to go. Behind the girls were flimsy curtains partially hiding simple beds where brief encounters took place, almost out of public view. Farther along the street two men advised us to go to the other side of the street and move carefully as we were approaching the place where gay men hung out. These men, we were told, sometimes targeted male tourists. From Bombay we flew to Srinagar, the capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is famous for its lakes and houseboats (Shikaras). We spent the first night in a houseboat on Dal Lake. The lake at that time was in danger of being choked by water plants. From there we travelled 50km by bus up a steep climb to the mountain resort of Gulmarg. There to meet us were far too many young men with ponies, overly enthusiastic to help with our luggage or take us on a trip into the nearby mountains. At an altitude of 2,700m Gulmarg has the highest green golf course in the world, Asia's only heli - skiing resort, and wonderful views of the Himalayan range. I played a round of golf with a local man, dressed to his ankles in a large one piece garment. He was my caddy, advisor and competitor. We played for money and he cheated all the way. We finally agreed that the match was halved. At that altitude long par 5s played like short par 4s, and direction was particularly important. We stayed one night in one of the many wooded chalets available. During the night I woke up and heard some noise near a bedside locker. I shone a torch on the locker, saw nothing, and went back to sleep. Sometime later Monica called me to say there was a rat in her hair. When I shone the light on Monica's pillow I did indeed get a glimpse of a rat scuttling away. The rat was trying to get at my biscuits on the locker. On his way there his feet got a bit tangled in Monica's hair. Monica remained remarkably calm. We talked and laughed for a while. After I moved the biscuits away from the bed we went back to sleep. As far as we know the rat did likewise.Back in Srinagar we found a bus that brought us through Anantnag and on to the foot of the Himalayas. There we came across a British style sports club, where the only remaining indicators of a glorious past were the staff uniforms and the military style salute we got from the man at the entrance. We spent one memorable day walking into the mountains in the company of an Indian doctor who had recently returned from 18 years in Canada. He was well informed, interesting and good company. Along the way we met large groups of people and their animals on their way down to get away from the extreme cold of the approaching winter. The ladies were all heavily laden with jewellery. The scenery along the way was excellent, with stunning views of high snow - capped mountain peaks.As we were leaving Kashmir tension was rising once again in this disputed territory. As we walked from the departure lounge to our aircraft we went through five security checks. Soon we were comfortably set up in the YMCA in Delhi. The distance between New Delhi and the old city of Delhi is very short but the contrast is great. New Delhi has long leafy avenues and high quality low density housing. In contrast, to successfully walk down a street in Old Delhi it is necessary to do a kind of breast stroke to get through the dense crowds of people and animals.One day we went on a bus tour to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra, which is 120km from Delhi. This magnificent white domed marble mausoleum was built by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, in the 17th century in memory of his third wife. It is seen as a symbol of eternal love. Both at a distance and close up it is a magnificent structure. On the day we were there it rained heavily and negotiating the polished, wet marble steps was hazardous. Our bus driver rushed us through the Taj Mahal visit so that we would have more time for purchasing items from his various friends at different outlets along the way. It was exciting watching the buses negotiate their way through dense traffic. Frequently there were only a couple of millimetres between large buses as they slid past each other. Animals had right of way along the route; this included elephants, giraffes, water - buffalo, goats, sheep and pigs.The SeychellesOur next stop was the Seychelles, where Olga and John Devlin were our generous hosts. On our approach the scene from the aircraft was beautiful. The pilot needed to avoid distractions and keep his mind on the job as the landing area was a narrow strip reclaimed from the sea. The margin for error was slight. There were many shades of blue and white in the shallow waters. The green land, the sandy beaches and the coral reefs off shore all looked very inviting. Snorkelling in these waters was easy and great fun, with a great variety of tropical fish to be seen. We played a few rounds of golf there with John. In my experience it was the only time where it was important for me to keep my head up on a golf course; the danger of being hit by a falling coconut was real, and the consequences could be serious. The main island is raised in the centre, with a narrow road all the way around, and a couple of roads going across it. When we went out for meals it was mostly residents that we met; the package - tourists were tucked away in self - contained hotel areas. After a few nights out I noticed that it was roughly the same people we were seeing each night. I began to get the feeling that we were in a very small place.Belgrade and Cairo 1988We had no reason for going to Belgrade, and almost didn't arrive. We travelled with Jugoslav Airlines, JAT, who provided an excellent service. In 1985 JAT was the first European airline to purchase Boeing 737 - 300s. At that time it carried 5 million passengers annually to 80 destinations on 5 continents. As we walked away from the aircraft a crew member came after us to say that we had got off at the wrong airport; we were in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.It was evening rush - hour when we arrived in the centre of Belgrade. We had no accommodation booked and nobody seemed keen to speak English. Monica found a taxi driver with very broken English who was willing to find beds for us. He brought us through a maze of high rise blocks of apartments that had seen better days. We then climbed a series of stairs and met two mature ladies, who may have been sisters or cousins of our driver. They were prepared to squeeze us into a room. There was a lot that we didn't like about the place. Ignoring the theory that beggars can't be choosers, we headed back with our driver towards the city centre. He dropped us off at what was then called The Turist Hotel (now Hotel Rex). It served us well as a base over the following few days. We visited Tito's mausoleum and the Red Star Belgrade football stadium. This was the period between the death of Tito in 1980 and the start of the Bosnian war in 1992, and much of Belgrade seemed to be standing still. There was plenty of evidence of a greater past, but not many signs of a better future. In the city parks and around Belgrade Fortress there were several groups of grey - haired men in grey suits who seemed to be just standing together. If they were talking I did not hear it, and there certainly was no laughter among them. There were few patrons in the open air restaurants along the banks of the Danube. After serving us with food or drinks the staff tended to disappear, leaving us searching for someone who would take our money.CairoGetting through the arrivals hall in Cairo airport was an energy sapping experience. There were many offers of assistance from men wearing official looking badges and claiming to represent the Customs Department or Ministry of Tourism. Others claimed to represent tour operators or hotels. We settled for a taxi driver and asked him to take us to a hotel. He drove for what seemed a long time on streets that became increasingly narrower. He then turned into a very narrow, pot - holed street with small shanty structures on both sides, in which families were living and carrying on small businesses. We saw televisions positioned for viewing on stands outside; presumably because there was insufficient space inside. In the semi - darkness the taxi stopped and the driver pointed towards what he called our hotel. It was not 5 - star, or any star, but it was satisfactory. The following morning we discovered that we were very well located. It was only a 20 - minute walk across the River Nile to a city centre position. Nearby were a Hilton Hotel and an InterContinental Hotel.As we strolled around Cairo I was happy to be left alone, and stand and stare if necessary. This was not possible in the city centre. Every few metres there was someone trying to entice me to go to his brother's shop around the corner where all my shopping needs would be met: I had no shopping needs. From an elevated position we got some sense of the size of this city, which was then home to an estimated 11 million inhabitants. We lost count of all the minarets that were jutting up all over the city. We discovered that we could have afternoon tea in great luxury, and at a very reasonable cost, in the Hilton Hotel. We went to visit the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is only 20km from the centre of Cairo. We travelled through a built - up area and then suddenly we hit the desert; there was no area of semi - desert. I enjoyed watching men riding horses bare - backed at speed across the desert. I was very impressed by the astronomy and geometry detail that went into the construction of the Great Pyramid. It is a massive structure, 30 times larger than the Empire State Building its base covers 13.6 acres. The incredible accuracy of the construction is staggering. In school I learned that when the circumference of any circle is divided by its diameter the result is always 3.14159, which is pi. Well, if the circumference of the Great Pyramid is divided by twice its height the result is 3.14159. We can truly say that this Pyramid is a square circle. As I admired this great structure I spared a thought for the hundreds of men who worked for nearly 20 years moving thousands of rocks, weighing over two tons each.We were in Cairo for our birthdays and I decided to give Monica a special treat. So we settled for the roof - top restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel. The 12 course meal exceeded expectations, but when the bill was presented I did not have enough money. I had to leave Monica as a kind of hostage at the hotel as I went off in search of the extra money.Greek Islands and TurkeyOn our first trip to the Greek Islands we visited the islands of Paros, Antiparos and Naxos. On Antiparos we came on a nudist area. The distractions proved too much for me. I stumbled on the rocks and blood came gushing from a cut on my face. I soon had Monica and a well - tanned man, in his birthday suit, administering first aid. Pure alcohol was recommended as the best treatment. I had no difficulty getting a bottle of pure alcohol from the local chemist, and I had no infection problems with the wound. Naxos was memorable for the hair - raising bus tour around the island, and the
amazing network of stone faced terraces on steep hills and stretching down into very deep valleys. For our second visit to the area we decided to visit the islands of Chios and Lesbos, and then on into Turkey. We spent our first night in a hotel in Piraeus, which is the main port of Athens and is about 10km from the centre of Athens. Next day we travelled to the island of Chios by ferry. When we went to check into accommodation for the night Monica discovered that she did not have her passport. A phone call to Piraeus confirmed that the passport was in the hotel there, and that it would arrive on the next ferry to Chios. When the ferry from Piraeus arrived Monica went on board and I waited on the quay. After some time the ferry moved off on its way to Lesbos with Monica out on deck waving back at me, like a scene from The Titanic. 24 hours later Monica was safely back in my arms, and ready for our shared journey to the port of Mytilini in Lesbos. The dominant features of Lesbos are olive groves, pine forests and mountains. Mount Olympos on this island rises to a height of 1 000m; for a long time I confused it with Mount Olympus, which is near Thessaloniki and is almost 3 000m high.We left the port of Mytilini by ferry and 1.5 hours later we arrived in Ayvalik in Turkey. This time it was my turn to be held hostage while Monica went in search of the necessary money to pay for our entry into Turkey. From Ayvalik we travelled by bus along the west coast of Turkey to Gallipoli. Along the way we saw some great sandy beaches, and passed through some beautiful countryside. At one point most houses had solar heating panels fixed to the roof. At Gallipoli we joined a walking tour of the battlefield, where the Turks held firm against an attempt by the Allies to gain a foothold in 1915. The tour, which was led by a Turkish history professor, was excellent. We stood overlooking Suvla Bay, where many of the Anzacs (Australian and New Zealand soldiers) were shot down as they came ashore and tried to climb up the bank. Not far away we saw where the trench warfare took place. The mounds and hollows are still there, indicating exactly where the soldiers stood. As we stood in one of the old trenches the enemy trenches were visible less than 100m away. Between bouts of fighting the wounded were left to die in this narrow strip of no - man's - land, in full view of their comrades. Those who attempted to rescue their colleagues were shot. From Gallipoli we travelled by ferry across the Dardanelles _�_ Lord Byron swam the 7km across here in 1810. We continued our journey by bus, around by the Sea of Marmara, to Istanbul. It was night time when we reached the bus terminal in Istanbul. The place was dimly lit, and we had difficulty finding anyone who spoke English. As I was still low in energy following a bout of hepatitis and malaria earlier in the year, Monica explored part of the city centre on her own, including a visit to The Blue Mosque. On the Sunday we went to the main market and got involved in buying a smallish carpet, which developed into a fairly long and interesting process. The two traders who were selling us the carpet took us on a very interesting drive across the city as we went in search of a source of money. I'm not sure now what we were looking for - a bank or an ATM. I just remember driving around in their car for up to an hour. With the money secured they set about folding up the carpet so that it would be easy to carry. After an energetic session of folding, pounding and stamping, the carpet was pushed into a small bag. Later, back home, when we unfolded the carpet there was not the slightest sign of damage.Running right through the heart of Istanbul is the Bosphorus, which is 32km long and connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea. It is the dividing line between Asia and Europe. Its width varies from 0.5km to 3km. It has a very active and efficient water transport service. There is a continuous movement of boats over and back, and up and down, collecting and dropping off passengers at designated points, without delay, similar to the way buses operate in most cities. Our boat trip up and down the Bosphorus was the highlight of the holiday for me. At the mouth of the Black Sea we stopped for a meal in a fish restaurant. First we were asked to identify our choice of fish as it swam around in a large tank of water. We then sat back, sipping a glass of wine and letting our eyes and our imaginations wander across the Black Sea, until the grilled fish was placed in front of us. It was delicious.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)