Things you don’t get in the UK

[benjenbav]

in Saudi, a scorpion stood outside at the door to our compound dining room, tail up....

My wife’s family used to own an old olive mill in the med.

One spring, possibly to show I was a dutiful son in law, I removed the winter cover from the swimming pool and left it to dry thoroughly, spread out on a nearby stone wall. When I returned 48 hours later, it was full of scorpions, all of which seemed keen to embrace a closer acquaintance.

As a consequence, I can categorically state that it’s simply not true that once a man reaches thirty he should give up dancing in shorts and flip-flops.

 

[john_morris_uk]

… only to be replaced by the buzzing and possible wetness from tourists on jet skis in my experience anchoring there!

We’ve treated ourselves to a few nights in the Rodney Bay Marina. Traffic noise and lack of breeze instead of jet skis

 

[capnsensible]

We’ve treated ourselves to a few nights in the Rodney Bay Marina. Traffic noise and lack of breeze instead of jet skis

The rotis in the shop there are the best.

 

[RupertW]

I’m fortunate to have sailed in many places across oceans and all around the world. I’m familiar with taking precautions against cockroaches and mosquitoes and various rodents. Last night was a first for me though. I got up to recycle the rum punch etc and get a drink of water to discover two fruit bats helping themselves in our saloon. Fruit bat droppings everywhere.
I bought the mesh to make a screen for the companionway some time ago, but we close our cabin door so don’t worry too much about the companionway being open. Looks like the sewing kit will have to come out PDQ.
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Thanks for the heads up - we are a few weeks behind you and so far nothing but the odd mozzy in Carlisle Bay.

 

[GHA]

They're quite keen on well ripe bananas in Scotland bay

 

[Roberto]

Are they eaten, locally? Once we were offered roasted fruit bats but could not find the courage/stomach to eat them; live animals were quite large, when hung upside down with closed wings they appeared 30cm+ long.

 

[geem]

I’m fortunate to have sailed in many places across oceans and all around the world. I’m familiar with taking precautions against cockroaches and mosquitoes and various rodents. Last night was a first for me though. I got up to recycle the rum punch etc and get a drink of water to discover two fruit bats helping themselves in our saloon. Fruit bat droppings everywhere.
I bought the mesh to make a screen for the companionway some time ago, but we close our cabin door so don’t worry too much about the companionway being open. Looks like the sewing kit will have to come out PDQ.
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Same thing happened to us in Trinidad a few years ago. Our bunch of bananas were empty shells

 

[WoodyP]

We were eating out in a finca in Spain
After we had eaten we saw rats crawling about in the vines above. It was hilarious to watch the response of a German couple who previously had only eyes for each other when she noticed the interlopers

 

[Halo]

Well the title was … things you don’t get in the uk. So my response is
Earthquakes
Dengue
Malaria
Sandstorms
Value for money

 

[Frogmogman]

On the last night of a charter out of Langkawi, we anchored in a bay in the south of the Thai island of Tarutao. As it was blowing a solid 30 kn from the north east, we anchored close under the lee of some cliffs. It seemed like an idyllic anchorage; sea eagles nesting in the cliffs, were wheeling above us as we drank our sundowners.

As soon as the light started to go, we started to be bombarded with the most massive cockroaches I have ever seen, who obviously also lived on the cliff. Despite the heat, we had to huddle inside with the hatches, batten down and the lights off.

 

[LittleSister]

… only to be replaced by the buzzing and possible wetness from tourists on jet skis in my experience anchoring there!

Tourists? How awful!

They should stay where they come from and not go to places, don't you think?

 

[Bajansailor]

The Serendipitys have added a nice account to their Blog of their visit to Barbados - I am sure that we can expect a mention of the fruit bats in St Lucia as well in due course!
Fantastic family time in Barbados

 

[john_morris_uk]

The Serendipitys have added a nice account to their Blog of their visit to Barbados - I am sure that we can expect a mention of the fruit bats in St Lucia as well in due course!
Fantastic family time in Barbados

Not sure the bats will get a mention. Mrs M’s friend has finally been persuaded to come out to visit later this year and she has a complete bat phobia. We’re keeping quiet and I’m fairly confident that she doesn’t read these pages.

 

[38mess]

In Mauritius a small fearless red bird would help itself to fruit hanging up. It could get into the smallest cracked open window. It would also land on our shoulders.

 

[mjcoon]

Tourists? How awful!

They should stay where they come from and not go to places, don't you think?

Indeed! After all, there is a near-infinite supply of them. The locals probably get fed up with jet skiing quite quickly... ;-)

 

[Suffolk_Newbie]

Well the title was … things you don’t get in the uk. So my response is
Earthquakes
Dengue
Malaria
Sandstorms
Value for money

Surely any service that is provided without the first four constitutes value for money?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Well the title was … things you don’t get in the uk. So my response is
Earthquakes
Dengue
Malaria
Sandstorms
Value for money

Actually, we do get earthquakes, just not very often and rarely damaging! And "Marsh Ague" was a form of malaria, eradicated by the drainage of the Fens. The Fen Haar is a sort of sandstorm too. I'll give you Dengue fever! VFM depends on personal assessment.

The phenomenon I called the Fen Haar is more usually called a Fen Blow. I have heard it called Haar by locals.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

We were eating out in a finca in Spain
After we had eaten we saw rats crawling about in the vines above. It was hilarious to watch the response of a German couple who previously had only eyes for each other when she noticed the interlopers

Several years ago a friend and myself treated ourselves to dinner in Andres restaurant in La Rochelle just after we had arrived. We booked a table on the terrace first thing in the morning as it's usually fully booked. We arrived in the evening and settled down on a decent table and ordered and were getting stuck into a nice chilled white wine when 3 youngish middle aged women dolled up to the eyes carrying copious quantities of designer bags and store shopping bags arrived and asked for a table, there were none and protestation ensued. The waiter called the Maitre D who realising that this was going to go on and on sent the waiter off for a table which he started to set up right at the back of the terrace which of course wasn't good enough, they couldn't be seen. So more argument ensued and they kept pointing to an empty but obviously reserved table just off the front row exactly what they wanted. Eventually to ensure peace the maitre D relented and they settled down and shortly afterwards were drinking their aperitifs and ordering. Mid way through their meal a very large rat ( cat sized) appeared from somewhere ran across one of the women's feet and shot into the pile of assembled designer bags, mayhem broke out and the Maitre D appeared tout de suite tried to calm them down summoned the waiter to ferret around in the pile of bags which prompted the rat to make a bolt for it accompanied by more screaming and not a little sniggering from surrounding tables. The three left shortly afterwards.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Well the title was … things you don’t get in the uk. So my response is
Earthquakes
Dengue
Malaria
Sandstorms
Value for money

I think you are wrong on at leas 3 possibly 4 but right on No 5

 

[LittleSister]

Well the title was … things you don’t get in the uk. So my response is
Earthquakes
Dengue
Malaria
Sandstorms
Value for money

Earthquakes - UK does have them fairly frequently, most too faint to notice without instruments (see link following), but occasionally significant damage occurs e.g. 1580 & 1884. Earthquakes around the British Isles in the last 60 days

Dengue - Currently returning travellers' infections only (known!), but increasingly locally acquired cases being found in Europe (incl. France), so don't bank on it!

Malaria - believed to have once been endemic, last locally acquired outbreak 1917-1923

Sandstorms - See Antarctic Pilot above. Plus it's a matter of scale - try keeping your eyes open when walking across anywhere sandy in a high wind, and remember the sky turning orange not going ago with dust from the Sahara?

Value for money - Is not the YBW forum value for money?

It's a jungle out there!

Quick, hide! (We'll let you know when it's safe to come out again.)