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Published: June 18th 2011
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Raising the passport to acknowledge the moment
**This was a re-enactment done hours later in my hotel room** At the close of twilight a busload of passengers were preying towards Mecca. Meanwhile a white man was walking out of the border office of Burkina Faso raising his passport in the air. That white man was me and I was acknowledging the Ladies and Members stand at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). I had just notched up my maiden century!
But I wasn’t raising my passport like a cricket bat (typically done when a cricket player reaches 100 runs) in a joyous triumphant way like it was a game changing or career saving innings. It was more like a 50 celebration when the player has got his eye in and is thirsty for more – A slight raise of the bat about, shoulder height and towards the two packed buses parked on the road.
100 countries… what an innings it has been thus far. From the flashy brilliance and quick fire 50 through Europe and South America to the slow crafting out into a sometimes cautious manner as I closed in on the nervous 90’s.
I’ve been stolen my match fees a few times by the police authorities a ruling that I had to cop sweat and
continue the battle. My innings has been on a knifes edge when an appeal by the Brazilians was called a no-ball by the umpires and I was asked to play on.
There has been some joyous moments, nerve racking, frustration. But as they say in cricket once a player has notched up the milestone of 100, “Now he’s got to go on with it.” You aren’t classed as a great batsman until you get a double century!
It will take a lot of concentration, sacrifice and commitment. It’s been a lonely ride at times but a worthwhile journey. There’s been a lot of sweat and almost tears but Dribblers, especially those that have been reading since I took to the crease 8 years ago. It’s time to go and ‘go on with it.’
{I’m so sorry I just put you through that clear-cut old style dribble but it was too much to resist.!!!!!}
I looked at these packed buses and thought the crowd has been like Indian crowds when Sachin Tendulkar is batting in a Test match, the closer he gets to a century the more people cram in. From the sometimes scarce passengers in Europe
early on to the African buses where the crowd built up to support my adventures to this maiden ton.
I started my run chase in darkness and as I entered the bus to take my mark on half a seat with a kid. He sneezes all over my left arm. A humbling moment for sure. Another horrible bus ride was ahead and despite signs of rain delay we stopped play half way through and not for lack of light.
It turned out that Burkina Faso had curfew in the city from midnight. Quite funny I changed my itinerary from Ivory Coast because of the problems. Now its settled there and Burkina is brewing. It’s the typical story where soldiers are not happy with pay and a rebel group comes in to try and change or overthrow. But lets not feel sorry for the current president because he did the same thing years earlier.
But we were off again and I had a lot of time to reflect like the glorious 6 over Scandinavia and the cover drives through South America. The quick singles and sneaky ones and two’s like Lichtenstein, Monaco and Vatican City. They all counted towards my glorious century.
It was hard on the bus to concentrate with the crying babies, the constant stopping and the squeezing into my seat whilst the seat next to me was lifted oooohhhh too much to explain. But for the first time in a while I managed to bring back the old me in travel.
The countries in the late 80’s and 90’s have been difficult and it’s hard to enjoy when your body is getting worked over. But seeing the best whiplashes on a bus and your seat collapsing with 5 hours to go, the kid falling asleep all over me, its impossible not to smile in the joyous pain of it all. I’ve just reached my 100th country!!
Since the kid on the same seat as me was asleep I could move his body around and when it got too much with his weight. I’d move him slightly forward towards the guy in front of me on the aisle seats. He is right in front, closer than the computer screen you are looking at now and would just whiplash back with tremendous force.
I started counting how many seconds it took from one whiplash to the next. I got to 12 seconds and thought, ‘Oh damn I’ve made it boring by starting to count…’ than “Whhhhipppp!” His head rocked back. What you need to understand is that the moon shone bright that night and his head would light up every time it rocked back. So after the first 12 seconds I realised it increased the joy value so I continued but we couldn’t get past 4 seconds and this happened continuously for about 30 seconds. (Count it out) It was too much.
But I continued my enjoyment when I tilted the kid about 10 years old a bit forward of me well actually it was more his natural movement but I chose not to move him. He is just behind the other guys head which is back to its insecure stance. I prey to the travelling gods to make this happen. And it did!
The kid tilts forward in his sleep and the guy “Whhhiiippplash!” goes back and they hit each other. Than it happened again and again and again. Oooohhh God it was too much enjoyment I was almost in tears!! It’s usually built up over months but controlling inner laughter on an awful bus ride is one of the great feelings of travel.
I arrived 4kms from the city centre and me and 3 other guys were dropped off on a main road, its raining and 1:30am. Curfew was at midnight and we can’t move. We take shelter in a shed and hold out for 4 hours until a taxi drives past. 20 minutes into waiting a large tank with officers drive past and see me. They yell out “Ah,ah,ah” but realise I am a tourist and most likely coming from a bus so they didn’t’ stop. The locals looked a bit concerned. From this moment on I wasn’t sure what to expect from my 100th country – Burkina Faso.
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Delek Delek
Derek Seto
Congrats on a fine century
Well done mate on getting to a hundred countries - I've got the same goal although I still got a way to go. Love the humour and the blogs - as a cricket fan myself I quite liked the cricket analogy of this entry. Now you've got to go on and make a big score! Cheers, Derek