[Theme music: Hope & Inspire from Purple Planet]
[00:32] Welcome to Wandering Mind, an audio tour of some of the most amazing holiday destinations you can possibly imagine.
I’m your host, Hope Faulkner, and I’ll be bringing you all the information you need to plan the holiday of a lifetime.
I’ll tell you about all the big tourist attractions, and let you in on the secrets locals love. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it… So let’s go on holiday!
[Theme music ends]
[01:03] Today’s destination: Tribo.
[01:05] There aren’t many places in the world where you can stand on the shore of the sea and watch a wave roll all the way from one beach to another. Most of the places where you can are in Tribo. Just visible from the stunning white beaches of Esca, Tribo is a small nation composed of many tiny islands. Though nobody can quite agree on the exact number of these islands – one Triban’s island is another Triban’s sandbar, after all, and nobody knows whether or not to count the partially sunken islands – the most commonly cited figure is 27. This includes all the Triban islands which are permanently above water (barring tsunamis or other extreme weather conditions) and have an area of more than one square acre.
[01:47] Officially the largest of Tribo’s islands, Leira holds most of its government offices and the backbone of the logistical infrastructure required to keep an island nation running smoothly. Any problems with visas, lost luggage, or other legal issues can be dealt with here. For the most part, however, Leira’s not the island visitors are most interested in – a lot of the tourists who flock to Tribo each year never even set foot on it. It’s got some great architecture, though, and the main office of the Tribo Tourism Association is also located on Leira. While there really aren’t any pamphlets there that you can’t pick up anywhere else, there are some dedicated advisors who will happily sit down and help you draw up a personal itinerary so you can get the most out of your holiday.
[02:28] If you know anyone who’s been to Tribo, though, they’ve almost certainly been to Arbel, home of the legendary Arbel Opera House and, more recently, what’s been billed as – ahem – “the world’s most immersive cinematic experience in seven dimensions – an adventure through time, space and all five senses.” That’s a lot of hype, but my first experience of the Arbellion Prospectoplex more than lived up to it. Due to the complexities of screening a film in this way, there’s usually only one feature screening in 7D during any given season, so the one I saw will be running for months yet – A Time For Music, funded by the AOH Committee, who of course run the opera house.
[03:11] A Time For Music took me on a thrilling journey from the founding of the opera house almost a thousand years ago, through the present day, and even forward into some of their hopes for the future of Arbel. And it’s certainly immersive – at one point, I felt as though I could literally have reached out and put my hand on the shoulder of legendary Arbelian composer Zaccheus Gilbarde, and I have a sneaking suspicion that if I’d tried it I would have encountered a tactile sensation. Of course, no amount of audience member interaction would have saved him from walking into the Shattered Pudding on the fateful night of his death; the cinema’s ushers joke that the ability to change history will only come with the addition of at least two more dimensions!
[03:50] Just down the road, you can visit the former site of the Shattered Pudding tavern, though the building itself has long since fallen prey to the passage of time. In its place stands a small TV studio, most often used for filming local-interest news stories, advertisements, and B-roll for the ever-popular Every Man’s Island. Various sources who’ve worked on projects filmed here have claimed that the ghost of Gilbarde himself wanders the small filming lot, complaining about the lack of music in the productions. As such, Shattertale Studios offer ghost tours when no filming is scheduled – check the dates of your visit about a month in advance of travelling, if that interests you.
[04:26] The next largest islands – Tchunwa, Corath and Bansi – are largely residential, and between them they contain all the mod cons you’d expect from a medium-sized town. Here you’ll find everyday life and its essentials, from homes, bakeries and grocers’ shops to small museum-galleries, libraries, hotels and banks. While many of these features exist on various smaller islands, too, each of the islands I’ve just mentioned has most of what you need to get by in one convenient central location. There’s also a currency exchange on Corath to rival the main one on Arbel, so that might be a less crowded option for changing your money when you get here.
[05:03] As for actually getting here… Most flights to Tribo are made by small planes seating twenty to sixty people, and there’s just the one airport. Sanpa International, more commonly known just as Tribo airport, completely covers the small island of Sanpa and operates two runways whenever the weather permits. It’s best to arrange travel to and from the airport before you arrive, but should your plans be disrupted, there’s always someone on duty in the Field Master’s house, all that remains of the old town of Filberton. On occasion, the house is thrown open to those interested in its history – before the airport was built, it was the town hall and the heart of a thriving community. You may still meet people who proudly introduce themselves as Sanpani on the other islands of Tribo, even though nobody lives here now.
[05:50] Tribo is also reachable by boat – the nearest mainland airport is Fejos in Esca, and you can take your pick of ferry and charter services from Cabu Harbour to reach the various islands. Most Escans – even the most experienced sailors – won’t risk the crossing in any but the most perfect weather conditions, and for good reason. The sea around Tribo hides numerous shipwrecks – from historic galleys like the incredibly well-preserved Nestor Plym, which went down off the coast of Hudse 800 years ago, to more recent wrecks such as the cruise liner Tranquility, which hit a reef near Rimo just six years back and is still being salvaged. While many of these wrecks are very popular with divers, their sheer numbers speak to the risks of seafaring in the area. Triban sailors, however, have dedicated their lives – often for generations – to learning to navigate the complex waterways of their home, and in most weathers a Triban captain will get you safely ashore without so much as breaking a sweat.
[06:47] The majority of smash hit Every Man’s Island – what’s not filmed on Arbel, of course – is filmed on the Isle of Shrewlie, and as a result the small landmass is extremely popular with tourists. Filming only stops for one month a year – split into three distinct short breaks – which means that a steady stream of visitors flock to Shrewlie throughout the year in the hope of catching a glimpse of the legendary Garret Lisney-Kidham filming an open-air scene in his role as Roderick Franklin. Due to local bylaws, many areas of Shrewlie can’t legally be closed off to the public, and as a result, it’s possible to watch what’s filmed outdoors as long as you remain quiet and respectful. The show has plenty of production assistants on hand to ensure that onlookers don’t ruin any takes, and security is tight around the stars of the show, but as long as you stand where you’re told and don’t push your luck, you might get a sneak peek at an upcoming storyline. There have even been occasions where random passersby have found themselves appearing as extras in crowd scenes!
[07:45] That’s a very popular attraction, of course, but I always promise you hidden gems – and these can be found, often literally, on Luseb. One of Tribo’s smaller islands, it relies on crafts and traditional industry, and has been in something of a decline since modern mass-manufacturing equipment arrived in Tribo 30 years ago. The large factory complex taking up half of nearby Ganan took a lot of trade away from Luseb, and many of the younger generation moved away to find work. But in more recent years, afraid that their island would go the same way as Sanpa, the island’s elders have decided to chase the burgeoning tourist industry – and they’ve come up with an ingenious way to draw in the crowds. Once a year, as spring turns to summer, the island is transformed – filled with fireworks, floral displays, street performers, and parades – as this region of Tribo celebrates Luseb Day. I visited at the wrong time of year to see it for myself, but locals tell me it’s a real carnival atmosphere. Local craftspeople and artists – as well as a few from elsewhere in Tribo – set up stalls in the streets, while the culinary-minded fill the town with delicious aromas and enough free samples to feed an army. I’m adding it to my bucket list, and I’ll definitely be back.
[08:58] On the subject of local cuisine, you might not be surprised to hear that the main specialty in the area is seafood. I just had to try a dish of Ganani prawns, renowned for their salty-sweet flavour – delicious, but you need a strong stomach to handle the kick. The dish I’d recommend most generally is cortenautilus gumbo with shredded sunbry leaves, a stable of the Triban diet. I can understand why people here are quite happy to live on it!
[09:23] The cortenautilus is, of course, native to the seas around Tribo. There’s a huge nautilus farm on the shores of tiny Corte, ensuring that the wild populations aren’t overfished. Other wildlife in the area includes the Screeching Ass, a beast of burden best kept well away from residences at night due to its harrowing cry. Triban crabs, meanwhile, are often kept in kitchens to hold off vermin with their vicious claws – though they are a delicacy in their own right, so there’s more than one reason to keep them in the kitchen!
[09:54] My last stop before heading for the mainland was the picturesque paradise island of Arn. Listeners, it is beautiful there. My ex once told me I had eyes as deep and clear as the Channel of Arn, and seeing it in person makes me almost wish we’d worked out, because that’s probably the greatest compliment I’ve ever been given. The water is the colour of flawless aquamarine – indeed, Triban jewelers, like the ones I met on Luseb, know that particular gemstone as Arnite for precisely that reason.
[10:24] Other islands are inhabited for part of the year, but don’t factor into the semi-official list of 27 islands. It is possible to rent holiday villas on some of these islands, and these are generally very nice – but be sure to check the expected waterline on the dates of your holiday, as there have been a few recorded cases of unscrupulous landlords renting out their properties for dates when they know they’ll be underwater. The Semiterranean Housing Association on Leira can help if you arrive to find any flood damage or unexpected waterlogging.
[10:55] Book a longer stay than the week I did – there’s so much to see and do here, you’ll need it. For me, though, the rest of the world awaits…
[11:04] Thanks for joining me today. I’m Hope Faulkner, for Wandering Mind, and it’s time for another adventure. Safe travels!
[Theme music]
[11:41] Wandering Mind is written and performed by Eleanor Musgrove, with music from purple-planet.com. If you enjoyed it, please subscribe – and maybe consider supporting us on Patreon at patreon.com/wanderingpodcast to get access to extra episodes just for patrons. Or visit wanderingmindpodcast.wordpress.com for more information. Thanks for listening!
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