donnybreeze

"We rush slowly here". The friendly taxi driver reassured us that he had no deadline. Neither had we. St Kitts is on island time. Even in the slow moving traffic in the middle of Basseterre, the island's capital, there was no sign of impatience. The Victorian clock tower stands in the middle of the Circus, the roundabout which marks the town centre. A good proportion of the vehicles creeping past the coconut milk seller under a tree are SUV or minibus taxis, ferrying tourists from hotel or villa to town or beach. All of the drivers are laid back, affable and helpful, showing none of the usual impatience of the European city driver. "Take your time, man." There is no deadline because the clock tower shows 12.16. Permanently. img=https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/WCtsNnwIDr_MDgY0d3U37jJRIYhla8kQYlBk0R_EshDHw4XfSXPoLKwiK8CUyvHOUUHzp6F... read more

We’ve been here in Boston a week now. Time to put a few thoughts together. This is a great city. Like all places, it’s even better when you have great weather. With blue skies every day and record temperatures (it hit 87F in the city) over the Columbus Day holiday weekend, we’ve been so lucky. It may all end in tears in a day or two, as the rain which flooded parts of Florida last weekend moves up the east coast. Part of the attraction of New England in the fall is the ‘riot of colour’ as the trees change. The word on the street (and in the Boston Globe) is that this is not the best year for foliage viewing. Yet. The fall and the colour gradually moves south during October but ... read more

New York isn’t a cheap place to sleep. If you want a room where cats can be swung, you have to pay extra. The Colonial House Inn on W 22nd St has rooms where cats can be swung , but they thud into the air-con unit on the follow-through if you’re not careful. The place had free coffee and snacks 24/7 in a really friendly atmosphere, with an occasional discernible homo-erotic charge in the lobby/breakfast area. The Colonial is in a good spot, with all-night delis on the corner of 8th Avenue at the end of the tree-lined road and is only a few blocks walk to Penn Station and the Midtown area of Manhattan. It was almost impossible to walk the 100 metres from the hotel to ... read more

What a ride. Peter and Julia live in a magical spot in the hills above Oakland, with a view across the bay. Julia, sister of one of Rosie's ex work colleagues, had invited us over for an early evening meal on their panoramic terrace. We'd stopped off on the way to wander around the university campus at Berkeley - all seemed fairly quiet. There was no sign of the National Guard, anti-Vietnam protests or draft card burning. It was a regular Saturday afternoon, with al fresco hanging out being the main observable activity. The pot-holed freeway past Oakland seemed a world away from the idyllic parkland of the Berkeley campus and we climbed the wooded hills above downtown Oakland to find Peter and Julia's magnificent eyrie. A few hours of great food and conversation later, Peter ... read more

March 28-31 - Singapore Safely though Brisbane airport leaving the outsize baggage guy with a hernia. Jeez, man, watcha got in here? - A few golf clubs and the odd shoe..., say I. As Emirates were keen to get us on an earlier (and less crowded) flight, the extra weight of piles of souvenir reading matter were loaded on, presumably leaving the Brisbane hernia unit with a busy day ahead. An hour or two of sleep over the tropical seas, and it was time to hit the northern hemisphere again. Only just, as Singapore is only 1 degree away from the equator. Most efficient airport arrival on record. Escorted by uniformed taxi organiser into plush cab. "This way, sir. The driver will take care of your bags. He loves hernias." Our taxi driver set the tone ... read more