Blogs from Seychelles, Africa - page 12

Late Sunday afternoon and our approach to Cape Town, after whistling down a modern four lane highway, gives way to a less salubrious drive passing chunky low rise concrete buildings that'd be at home in the Australian outback. Climbing the steep hill to our guesthouse, I hazard the guess that this probably isn't where Elton John recently stayed when he was in town and there aren't enough flowers for one. Reluctant to say bye to the cab driver faced by a derelict ground opposite and a spooky lack of people, I press the 'Upperbloem' buzzer. Moments later, our petite host Katrin appears and leads us through the herbaceous garden to the contemporary building housing our room. The handful of rooms share a large kitchen with terrace providing superb views of Table Mountain. We'd booked a small ... read more

Having been promised a phone call from Air Seychelles the next day to confirm everything, I find myself calling them to find out what was happening. I'm told that the flights are confirmed but they're just waiting to hear about the accommodation and that they'd call me the next day. The next day is the day before we're due to leave. Its 3.30pm, their office shuts at 4pm and I still haven't heard from them. So I call them, they say they'll call back. They do, just before 4pm. Guess what, oops there go my bloomers, it seems that the hotel we were told we'd stay in, we're not staying in. The four star has now become a three star. While not a hotel snob at all (see our Kenya/Uganda travels or Portsmouth and Newcastle homes ... read more

Given my astounding success inserting a break with HTML and what appears to be an emerging inner geek, I can't help but think What If? What if I'd decided to pursue a career in computing instead? No, don't choke those of you who know me...there are some positive signs. Like severe Buffy and Big Bang Theory fandom, liking Chuck who's just Seth from OC*, lovin the original Star Wars trilogy, early success at Pac man and the Rubiks cube, earnest discussions about the meaning of Terminator and Donnie Darko and the fact that often no-one understands what I say (not I fear due to my 'off the scale' intelligence). I also sit for hours on the internet and spend just as much time tinkering with Ning. It could have been my dream career...except... I never went ... read more

The premier treatment ends alas at the airport gate as we join our fellow peasants in economy. I muse over the fact that people are prepared to pay huge amounts of money (but hey they subsidise my travel) to sit in a slightly more comfy part of the aircraft where the only thing separating them from people like me is a natty little curtain. Surely, people clever enough to build hulking machines that fly in the sky can devise something better? Come on business class people, arise and revolt, demand better flying conditions. Oops sorry, forgot, that's what the people behind the curtain are meant to do but then Sky TV happened. paradisepromised.wordpress.com ... read more

Half a year it's been since I arrived on Seychelles shore so I thought it about high time that I reflected seriously upon how life has changed for me rather than pontificate about what animal I'd like to be if I was reincarnated or the paucity of questions in the 2004 edition of Trivial Pursuit. Without doubt, I miss London a lot less than I thought I would, like hardly at all. I miss friends but that's it. Do I want to be doing the same commute I was doing for near on 12 years? No. Do I care less about X Factor, Cheryl Cole, Jordan or Sienna and Jude's love life? No. Is the i-phone changing my life so much that I can't remember how I ever coped without it? No. Do I miss my ... read more