Geoffrey James Quartermaine Bastin
I could be described as a flaneur - Dictionary definition: "an intellectual and physical wanderer, observer of life". A bit of a lightweight I suppose:) LoLQuartermainesWorld
I travel extensively in Asia, the Middle East and East Africa as a development professional (I'm a faux-economist - in a faux profession) and writer (but not much you'd want to read, mainly boring technical reports) - both activities having more heat than light, more smoke than mirrors. My tales, stories and rants here are part fact/part fiction but, I hope, always stimulating and sometimes irritating. PLEASE don't take them too seriously - they are meant to inform but also to amuse and to get under your skin. I hope there's a bit of an "edge" in what I write sometimes.
For those that take themselves over-seriously: it's a BLOG! Not "the truth"... just my weird take on what I see. Lighten up!
The blog reports my adventures, opinions, hotel and airline reviews and anything else that comes to mind from the strange places I go to. Posts cover my adventures since January 2010 in Yemen, USA, Georgia, Thailand, Dubai, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tanzania and Kenya. In 2011 I've been in the UK, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, South Sudan, Vietnam and Iraq:)
Contact me directly by email on: travel@quartermainesworld.com
I've PERMANENTLY DELETED Q's World on Facebook for reasons explained in a post on December 26th 2011
But be a FOLLOWER on Twitter @Quartermaine.... daily irritated comments from the GOM (Grumpy Old Man) - think of me as a travel equivalent to Jeremy Clarkson.
Do please join me, Geoff Q-B, strolling around at my ease in Quartermaine's World!
Cheers!
DISCLAIMER: I report my impressions and opinions as honestly as I can based on what I see. There is no intention to offend or defame or damage the reputation of any individual on this web site, though my hotel/restaurant and airline reviews are not going to pull their punches. However these are just my personal opinions for what they may be worth. Do try to read them as such and with a sense of humour.
Since it bothers some people so much, a comment on "racism": I've worked for 30+ years all over the world. With folk of all ethnicities. My partner is Asian. Being critical of what some of them do is NOT being racist. It's expressing my reaction to specific circumstances and individual people. I suggest those that dislike any criticism or get offended by my occasional non-PC rants simply don't read what I have to say. But it ain't racism!!!!!
COMMENT POLICY: If you disagree with what I have to say, by all means reply either as a comment or direct and privately by message or email and I will return the respect by doing what I can to remove the offence. ALL ignorant, off-the-point, egregious and otherwise insulting comments WILL BE PUBLISHED with the MAXIMUM of effort to draw attention to the writer, but only if they have their author's real name and (if available) email address. It's just nuts to me when people reveal their wild inadequacies by using the "f" word or laying out incoherent blabber, they deserve all the publicity they can have.
AFFILIATIONS: I work as a professional consultant for a variety of clients in both the public and private sectors. This blog is NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OF THEM. It's my PERSONAL reflections on the events I experience as a travel around. If the name of an agency or company is (unusually) mentioned it is purely for context - or where I review an airline, service provider, restaurant or hotel. My own employer is not responsible for any of the opinions I evince.
LEGAL or PHYSICAL RETRIBUTION: If you wish to sue, don't bother, I have no money and no fixed abode. If you wish to beat me up, ponder the idea that I'm 6 foot 4 inches, 260 pounds and a trained soldier and martial artist (check out the Facebook page). I'd be happy to meet anyone in a gym anywhere:) LoL
Travel Blog Posts
South Sudan - Surviving Juba ... report by Robert H. Lindley
Published: January 22nd 2012Africa » South Sudan » Juba
January 22nd 2012
My friend and colleague Robert Lindley is in Juba , South Sudan tackling the fisheries industry. Here are his musings on surviving and getting about in a town that is booming and said to be the fastest growing in Africa. My take is that Bob demonstrates the sterling English qualities and values that won us an Empire (which included Sudan, by the way); great to see that spirit still exists. Surviving Juba Robert H. Lindley in Juba, South Sudan After peace (apparently) broke out and South Sudan achieved its independence last year there has been a huge influx of rich and poor returnees from the South Sudan diaspora, and the creation of a vast aid industry with almost every NGO, UN Agency and country aid body represented. This expansion has led to an accommodation crisis at ... read more
Afghanistan - Saffron - and "Enduring Freedom" ... or What?
Published: January 19th 2012Asia » Afghanistan » West » Herat
January 19th 2012
Afghanistan gets the highest number of hits on this blog (5,616 to be precise). By far (Note 1). People still read my posts from 2010 - and for understandable reasons, their sons and daughters are serving their country, so it is claimed, in the name of democracy and freedom. "Operation Enduring Freedom" - remember that? "As of December 29, 2011, there have been 2,765 coalition deaths in Afghanistan as part of ongoing coalition operations". I copied that from Wikipedia... bear with me this point is relevant. I'm back here in Herat working on the saffron industry for the US Government; saffron (perhaps) substitutes for poppy (opium) so this is part of the on-going effort to reduce drugs - and so preserve the American Way of .... Freedom an... read more
Thailand - Cycling - Santa Rides to (almost) Victory
Published: January 3rd 2012Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Lopburi
January 3rd 2012
Continuing the sports in Asia theme, and in a seasonal mood too (OK a bit late for Christmas, but we’re still in a holiday mood!) My very good friend Eddie Vernon just achieved a career best in a Christmas cycle race in Lam Narai in Thailand. He came 2nd out of the riders in the 50-54 age-group, narrowly missing first place at the finish line. What makes this a great achievement is that Eddie has just recovered from a severely fractured leg which occurred during a training ride iin Laos. This part of the world is probably not the friendliest environment to road race a bicycle. It can be fiendishly hot and humid - but then again we don't have the freezing cold damp weather that cyclists in north America and Europe have to suffer. Eddie ... read more
December 26th 2011
Note from the "Writer In Chief": Q's World has run a Facebook page as an adjunct to this blog. We've always had some concerns about F'Book (which I renamed "Farcebook") related to privacy but these were brought home earlier in the year (September-October) when I wrote about Manila. The response from Filipinos was overwhelming (80,000+ hits and over 1,000 comments) and unfortunately included some seriously abusive - indeed libellous - comments placed on FB. I complained - no support at all, barely a reply - which basically said "F..B off!" Whatever.... I'm PATIENT Grumpy Old Man, so we persevere. Now I read that FB intend to let users designate actual photos of individuals as emoticons. Check out this link: TechCrunch I'm APPALLED! The dangers of stereotyping individuals as sy... read more
Singapore - First Annual Bodybuilding and Fitness Championship
Published: December 6th 2011Asia » Singapore » Raffles Marina
December 4th 2011
The Arnold Sports Festival will be held in Singapore in 2013! Check it out! I was a VIP guest of the Singapore Federation of Bodybuilding & Fitness (SFBF) yesterday. This is a new Federation that was formed just last year to bring Singapore back into the International Federation of Bodybuilding & Fitness (IFBB) - which is the highest level of competitive bodybuilding in the world, representing 182 national organizations. Most famously it awards the Mr. Olympia title to the world's best professional bodybuilder, a title won by Arnold Shwarzenegger seven times; Arnold also started the Arnold Sports Festival which after 23 years in Ohio went on the road to Madrid th... read more
Iraq - Life in a Coalition Secure Compound
Published: December 1st 2011Middle East » Iraq » East » Baghdad
November 29th 2011
I'm still somewhat chastened by the HUGE response to my posts about Manila- 80,000-plus hits and more than a thousand comments, 99% agreeing with me, the rest mildly offensive (I publish those with real names attached - most don't have them) and a tiny minority of four girls, Filipina rich kids, resident abroad who were so egregiously abusive I was lost in despair at what they represent. What also amazed me is the number of folk who had the time to comment on what was essentially a trivial moan after a bad trip... but then again, you could ask the same question of me. Why bother to write this stuff? Actually I only do it for fun when hanging around in a Costa Coffee shop at some airport like I did the other day in Dubai ... read more
Philippines - Manila - Facts on the Fire
Published: November 4th 2011Asia » Philippines » MetromanilaNovember 4th 2011
I've received countless comments - well over 1,000 - supporting my view of Manila expressed in my notorious post of 4th September. Unfortunately a TINY minority have disgraced themselves by writing incoherent insults, especially on Facebook, some directed at my family members. These people demeaned themselves and disgraced their country. By and large they were young and living outside the Philippines. What follows is an edited version of a post I just placed on my Quartermaine's Worlds Facebook page. For those that want facts to see where I came from on the original post, here they are. And please, if you can't help making a fool of yourself and writing offensively, remember, I WILL publicise your name by printing it in full (assuming you have the courage to put your name to i... read more
October 12th 2011
I've received over 900 comments on my post about "Manila - Awfully Disappointing". Viral on Facebook! Wow! Good Grief! Thanks. I'll review as many as I can. I'm PUBLISHING all the most egregiously offensive comments that have their author's name attached; these people need the publicity. And I'm holding the one from "George Clooney" until he verifies that it's really from him:) Respect, Sir, if it really was from you. The reference to the coffee was homage to your really brilliant TV advert. And, yes, I will improve my grammar - man it's a BLOG, written casually, not a World Bank report. Sigh. I wish people would have the balls to use their own names. I do...... Most folk apparently agree with what I've said, but I certainly don't ask for that. I welcome criticism - ... read more
October 10th 2011
I go to Singapore rather frequently on business and usually have nothing to write about. That just about summarises the place. It's safe, clean, organised. You go there, arrive at Changi Airport which is just about the best in Asia, get an impeccably polite taxi down town, whip through the check in procedure at your (usually shockingly expensive) hotel and reverse the process on the way out. Nothing untoward happens, and nothing interesting happens either. It's too expensive to eat really well and the night life.... well, Orchard Tower is known as the "Tower of Whores" - but that's also organised and if you want to take one of the various Vietnamese, Russians or Thais (No, I don't!) for extra curricular activities, you also pay about three times the going rate elsewhere in the region. That's ... read more
September 13th 2011
I'm in and out of Cambodia, both for visa runs from Thailand (it's by far the cheapest and easiest option) and for business. We're working on investment in corn farming project - for more on that whip over and take a look at my company site FoodWorks. I've written about the LeBiz Hotel in a previous post and that's a great option for a pure quick over-night stay. But I find it a little spartan. White walls and a somewhat antiseptic atmosphere. Also not quite in the centre of the night life. For the absolute opposite try the iconic Foreign Correspondents Club - or as a friend of mine calls it somewhat lewdly, "The Foreign Cocksuckers Club". He's not big on journalists! The FCC is one of the oldest and bes... read more
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