pgiddy

Recently I was asked the question - "if you could only travel to one country for vacation (yes, vacation it was an American asking me) for the rest of your life which country would you choose?". Without hesitating for a moment I answered - the United States. The cynical readers amongst you may suggest my answer only derived from me being charming and polite; the really cynical amongst you will know I am never polite and would suggest that as I was talking to my boss at the time and as it was two weeks before bonuses were handed out I chose the country that would best please my boss and my bank balance. Well viva America! I was in the fortunate position of having pondered the same question before and having seen a bit of ... read more

The 300th anniversary of the union between Scotland and England will fall this year. I am the first to admit that my understanding of both the history and intricacies of the United Kingdom is appallingly limited- but I must admit that I never thought that my first trip to Scotland would see me wondering whether there would be a subsequent three hundred years of unity between England and their northerly neighbour. In 1707 there were allegations of bribery, corruption and (obvious) disenfranchisement after the noblemen in the Scottish Parliament agreed to the Union with the Kingdom of England. Nowadays the Scots are more represented than ever - they have had their own Scottish Parliament since 1998, they are still represented in the Parliament of Great Britain in London and for all intents and purposes the next ... read more

Since returning from Cuba I have been asked dozens of times what Cuba was like. These queries mainly come from eager Americans and Europeans who seem keen for reports of a socialist paradise where liberated socialists enjoy the benefits of free health care and enforced leisure time. Each time I’m asked, all I seem to muster is a series of ummmms and errrs before quite meekly finally describing Cuba as “different”. And I suppose that is the truth. Cuba is unlike any country I have visited before. Did I enjoy Cuba? I’m not sure. Yes, parts of it were fun but other parts were solely frustrating and confusing. Did I learn about the system of socialism that supposedly exists in Cuba? I don’t know. I returned to Central America with more questions than I arrived with. ... read more

Traveling is one of those enlightening experiences where you get to engage with other cultures and meet interesting people with fascinating stories. Usually the people you meet on the road are of a like mind to you - why else would they be studying Spanish in a leftist school in Guatemala.? But every now and then you meet someone who is definitely reading from another page to the one that you are on. Of course you get the questions from Americans that are totally unbelievable, such as “Did y’all drive from Guatemala to Cuba?” - I mean SURELY an American would know that Cuba was an island?! Or the typical - “Do y’all use the American dollar in Australia?” I’ve stopped saying no, I let them believe that everyone in the world (bar Guatemala) uses the ... read more