SwimTrek - Malta - 2007
Hey everyone, I'm doing another SwimTrek adventure and I'm taking ya'll with me, virtually that is. Just as I did during my Greece swims last year, I'll keep a little on-line journal of my experiences in Malta...enough to entice you into maybe joining me next time around? To get a full description of what's on the agenda for our SwimTrek in Malta/Gozo, check out this link: http://www.swimtrek.com/malta.htm
Stay tuned to this post for periodic updates throughout the 10 days of my trip. One more thing...If you're looking for workouts, go to the "CIM WORKOUTS" section by clicking HERE
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So here we go with Entry #1: We all know that it is a fact that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Unfortunately, that premise has little bearing when it comes to travel, and especially when the plan is to travel to a teeny tiny island in the Mediterranean called Malta. Of course, having really no choice in the matter, it's best to stay positive and look on the bright side. OK, so with that in mind, I see this as a great opportunity to...I have to think about this one...ah yes, I see this as an opportunity to add to my list of "world airports visited", that's it! And maybe, just maybe, after this trip I just might have to start such a list =) By the time my trip is over, I will have been to airports in Pennsylvania, England, Scicily, Italy, Germany, and New York. All this just to swim around a few islands not much larger than our own Channel Islands...all I have to say is, the water better be warm!
My flight out of LAX leaves Wednesday at around 11 am, and I arrive on Malta a little after 3 pm....on Thursday.
ENTRY #2 (5/25/07): Hi everyone! I made it to Gozo, and with the exception of sitting in front of the complaining family from you know where, and a very nice but persistent gentleman wanting to talk...and talk and talk and talk (at 2 in the morning when everyone was sleeping...but me), the flight over was incredibly uneventful. In fact, for the first time ever, my baggage was waiting for me rather than the other way around...I'm still trying to figure that one out. Anyway, first impressions of Gozo and Malta so far (having not stepped foot in the water as yet) - either I went through town during a crazy rush hour. Or, everyone on these islands owns a car, and from what I can gather so far, most people must work out of their cars and drive around all day. I could not believe how many cars are here. And the bus ride to the ferry was, let's just say worthy of an E-ticket. They've added a whole additional level to the term "California Drivers". But to their defense, I must say, and this is amazing, I didn't see a single dent on any of the cars driving around today. I'm left wondering if they just go out and add another car to the collection. Well, I need to get some sleep. It's been a long but exciting day, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow being even better...I get to go swimming tomorrow! Till next time, Vic
Entry #3 (5/26/07): Today was shopping day and laying by the pool/beach day. Bought a few nick nacks in this great shopping area, where an entire town is mostly blocked off to car travel...you'll have to check out my pictures! Picked up my friend Evelyn from the airport (took 2 hours to get there, lol). Tomorrow is my first day on SwimTrek and into more of a swimming mode. Ciao, Vic
Entry #4 (5/29/07): Hi everyone! Today was our warm-up swim for our long swim between the islands of Gozo and Malta (6k+). We swam from Gozo to Comino (the middle island today), with fair conditions. The wind was a bit strong, and the swells started picking up towards the end, but fortunately we were going with the wind. We ran into a few jelly fish along the way, with almost everyone getting stung at least once (twice for me), but nothing serious. Yesterday the seas were a bit too strong, so instead of a swimming day, it turned into a shopping day (which I have to say, can be quite tiring as well). We also had the opportunity to do some video taping in one of the calmer harbors on Comino, which as you all know can be quite helpful and motivating...especially when you're in the Mediterranean! Great swimming so far, and we can't wait for tomorrow's challenge =) I wish ya'll could be here (you'll love the pictures).
Entry #5 (5/30/07): Greetings from Gozo! Today was our LONG swim. About 5.5 km in all with some fairly windy conditions (lots of peaks and valleys). Kind of like swimming in a lane with 6 people. We all have our "Sea Legs" now, so nobody feeding the fishes. No jelly fish stings today either, though we saw a few floating around. We couldn't quite make it to land due to rough seas, but close enough (50 meters). Getting back to the boat was the hardest part of the entire swim. Hopefully tomorrow the wind will calm down a bit to do a couple swims around the island, and maybe venture into a sea cave. The water here is amazing...imagine swimming in champagne, but without the buzz. Would like to see a few more fish in the water, but we're going for a SCUBA dive on Saturday, so that should be enough. Then it was back to our hotel for another swim and a little stroke work, and then off to a special dinner tonight. I'll end it here for now. C'yall soon....Vic
Entry #6 (6/2/07): Well, my SwimTrek has come to an end, and once again I am left with an excitement about doing another. The last day was spent doing a couple short swims in a bay called Marsalforn, and then over for a beautiful walk and swim at the Azure Window. The day ended with another wonderful dinner at one of the local bistros. Most of the group has an early flight to catch in the morning, so we say our good-byes and exchange addresses. I can't believe how fast the week has gone, and the feeling on the last day has been somewhat bittersweet. I have made some dear friends that I look forward to keeping in touch with in the future, and maybe even sharing another exciting swimming adventure. The SwimTrek guides were exceptional (as always), and a big part of making the SwimTrek experience so special. So, to all of you, thank you so much for making this one of my best holidays ever (but only because I do not have a mother-in-law...I'll explain what that means later. I will see all of you on Wednesday. I have over 200 pictures to check out, and quite a few stories to tell...Vic
Stay tuned to this post for periodic updates throughout the 10 days of my trip. One more thing...If you're looking for workouts, go to the "CIM WORKOUTS" section by clicking HERE
====================================================
So here we go with Entry #1: We all know that it is a fact that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Unfortunately, that premise has little bearing when it comes to travel, and especially when the plan is to travel to a teeny tiny island in the Mediterranean called Malta. Of course, having really no choice in the matter, it's best to stay positive and look on the bright side. OK, so with that in mind, I see this as a great opportunity to...I have to think about this one...ah yes, I see this as an opportunity to add to my list of "world airports visited", that's it! And maybe, just maybe, after this trip I just might have to start such a list =) By the time my trip is over, I will have been to airports in Pennsylvania, England, Scicily, Italy, Germany, and New York. All this just to swim around a few islands not much larger than our own Channel Islands...all I have to say is, the water better be warm!
My flight out of LAX leaves Wednesday at around 11 am, and I arrive on Malta a little after 3 pm....on Thursday.
ENTRY #2 (5/25/07): Hi everyone! I made it to Gozo, and with the exception of sitting in front of the complaining family from you know where, and a very nice but persistent gentleman wanting to talk...and talk and talk and talk (at 2 in the morning when everyone was sleeping...but me), the flight over was incredibly uneventful. In fact, for the first time ever, my baggage was waiting for me rather than the other way around...I'm still trying to figure that one out. Anyway, first impressions of Gozo and Malta so far (having not stepped foot in the water as yet) - either I went through town during a crazy rush hour. Or, everyone on these islands owns a car, and from what I can gather so far, most people must work out of their cars and drive around all day. I could not believe how many cars are here. And the bus ride to the ferry was, let's just say worthy of an E-ticket. They've added a whole additional level to the term "California Drivers". But to their defense, I must say, and this is amazing, I didn't see a single dent on any of the cars driving around today. I'm left wondering if they just go out and add another car to the collection. Well, I need to get some sleep. It's been a long but exciting day, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow being even better...I get to go swimming tomorrow! Till next time, Vic
Entry #3 (5/26/07): Today was shopping day and laying by the pool/beach day. Bought a few nick nacks in this great shopping area, where an entire town is mostly blocked off to car travel...you'll have to check out my pictures! Picked up my friend Evelyn from the airport (took 2 hours to get there, lol). Tomorrow is my first day on SwimTrek and into more of a swimming mode. Ciao, Vic
Entry #4 (5/29/07): Hi everyone! Today was our warm-up swim for our long swim between the islands of Gozo and Malta (6k+). We swam from Gozo to Comino (the middle island today), with fair conditions. The wind was a bit strong, and the swells started picking up towards the end, but fortunately we were going with the wind. We ran into a few jelly fish along the way, with almost everyone getting stung at least once (twice for me), but nothing serious. Yesterday the seas were a bit too strong, so instead of a swimming day, it turned into a shopping day (which I have to say, can be quite tiring as well). We also had the opportunity to do some video taping in one of the calmer harbors on Comino, which as you all know can be quite helpful and motivating...especially when you're in the Mediterranean! Great swimming so far, and we can't wait for tomorrow's challenge =) I wish ya'll could be here (you'll love the pictures).
Entry #5 (5/30/07): Greetings from Gozo! Today was our LONG swim. About 5.5 km in all with some fairly windy conditions (lots of peaks and valleys). Kind of like swimming in a lane with 6 people. We all have our "Sea Legs" now, so nobody feeding the fishes. No jelly fish stings today either, though we saw a few floating around. We couldn't quite make it to land due to rough seas, but close enough (50 meters). Getting back to the boat was the hardest part of the entire swim. Hopefully tomorrow the wind will calm down a bit to do a couple swims around the island, and maybe venture into a sea cave. The water here is amazing...imagine swimming in champagne, but without the buzz. Would like to see a few more fish in the water, but we're going for a SCUBA dive on Saturday, so that should be enough. Then it was back to our hotel for another swim and a little stroke work, and then off to a special dinner tonight. I'll end it here for now. C'yall soon....Vic
Entry #6 (6/2/07): Well, my SwimTrek has come to an end, and once again I am left with an excitement about doing another. The last day was spent doing a couple short swims in a bay called Marsalforn, and then over for a beautiful walk and swim at the Azure Window. The day ended with another wonderful dinner at one of the local bistros. Most of the group has an early flight to catch in the morning, so we say our good-byes and exchange addresses. I can't believe how fast the week has gone, and the feeling on the last day has been somewhat bittersweet. I have made some dear friends that I look forward to keeping in touch with in the future, and maybe even sharing another exciting swimming adventure. The SwimTrek guides were exceptional (as always), and a big part of making the SwimTrek experience so special. So, to all of you, thank you so much for making this one of my best holidays ever (but only because I do not have a mother-in-law...I'll explain what that means later. I will see all of you on Wednesday. I have over 200 pictures to check out, and quite a few stories to tell...Vic
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CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS!
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS!
posted by Delphis at
11:11 AM
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