Sipan 2010

The following is what happened on our holiday in Sipan. The notes were written on paper and transferred to this blog. Since some followers have revealed that they prefer shorter pieces as their attention span is limited I shall do one day at a time.

15th August

This is day 1 and it begins uneventfully enough. We'd got over the 'House' thing and we're on our way. Books to read, yes. Alan Bennett's 'Telling Tales'. We call in at WH Smiths, and there it is. The book I've been looking for 'Adrian Mole: the prostate years' so I add this to my collection for the week. I shall enjoy re-acquainting myself with A A Mole.

The flight went smoothly apart from being told off by the air hostess for moving seats before the food was distributed. '
We have a dinner plan you know' she says rather tersely. We were moved back as the whole plane watched. You could feel the silent tutting from the other passengers. Sarah has also checked the price of this flight and it is now down to 68 pounds from over 200. Ah well.

Dubrovnik airport is the sort of airport you'd imagine in Eastern Europe. Not that Croatians are really Eastern European, more Mediterranean. The building is aging and rudimentary. It is little more than an airstrip. Getting through customs is easy. After collecting our luggage we go to meet our contact.

'Hello, my name is Ivan' a heavily accented large man greets us. 'You must come with me' he says mysteriously. 'Hello' I reply 'My name is Ivan too' hoping to build a bit of a rapport. No response. 'Follow me' he insists without expression.

He shows us to his van. The back window has been smashed. 'The summer air conditioning' he attempts a joke. Hmmm, we exchange a glance. I hope it wasn't shot out! We climb on board, then drive through to Dubrovnik on a fast road that doesn't quite seem adequate. It's like the opening scene from a James Bond film. The road is clutching the side of a steep hill side, with only a thin piece of metal between us and a sheer drop to the ocean. Ivan seems inpatient with the other drivers as if we're in some sort of time trial.

We screech to a halt at a port the other side of town and jump onto a speed boat. Ivan pushes the throttle full on and we skim across the water to our destination. First impressions are that these islands are perfect. The sun is hot, with a gentle breeze. The light is brilliant. The islands are greener than the Greek ones. The sea is a rich turquoise and clear.

The speed boat takes us right to the door of our hotel on Sipan. He helps us off. 'That will be 130 euros'. Sure, I wasn't expecting to have to pay cash, but luckily I've got it and pay him. We're glad to be here.

There is no sand or sandy beaches, but the rest of it is wonderful, unexploited and unspoilt. You'll be interested to know that a half litre of beer is 250 Kuna, that's about two pounds fifty. We lunch at the hotel on the quay side overlooking the bay that is to be our home for the next week.

Sipan is a volcanic island about five kilometers long, with a long deep channel up the centre of it leading to the open sea. This channel is about a kilometer long which means that the town at the far end, Sipanska Luka is completely protected from bad seas. It also means that the sea is more salty than the main ocean.


After exploring the village we went to the beach. The sand that is there forms a thin layer on what seems like a concrete base. Luckily I'd brought my snorkel and so I'm happy.

That evening we ate at the restaurant attached to the hotel. It's grilled fish tonight. On a Bar-B-Que. The ambiance is perfect as the sun sets. A cool breeze blows off the sea and rustles the palms and pine trees. As the sun sets, the fishing boats and tourist yachts are bobbing up and down in the harbour. The sun bounces off the ripples of water towards us as it sinks behind the distant hills of a neighbouring island and lights the clouds a brilliant purple. As the sky darkens the palm trees, up lit, contrasts dramatically green against black.

We have a mixed seafood starter, mainly fresh prawns. Then on to the main fish course. It promises to be perfect, all freshly cooked before our eyes.

The fish was cooked, just, but tasted of lighter fuel. Like when you've had trouble starting your own B-B-Q and had to squirt stuff on it to get the flames going. What a disappointment. Still it didn't take away from the wonderful start to our holiday.