The Story So Far ...

We said farewell to our work friends at the RSPCA and BBC on 14 September, farewell to our families on 3 October, and set off for Africa to save cheetahs, decorate school buildings, and look around a bit. After a trip home for Christmas, we headed for South East Asia on 6 January -- where we were stunned by Qatar and Cambodia, taught novice monks in Laos, and acted as security guards at an Elephant Festival. It was back home for four weeks to look after John's dad, before we tangoed our way through five South American countries in fifteen days. We then snooped our way through New Zealand, dipped our toes into Fiji, drove-thru California and were home from home with family in Vancouver.

Now, we are home itself. Fulfilled, happy, and ready to earn the respect of our friends and family by knuckling down and earning some money once again ...

Friday, 5 November 2010

A Breath of Fresh Air

I'd just sat down to order eggs, sausages and fresh coffee, our first hot breakfast in three weeks.   Henry was skipping the sausages.  And then I sniffed it in the air.  That grey, raucous, unmistakeable whisp, drifting in from the next table along.

Someone had lit up.  A Boer man, I think, wearing a khaki baseball cap and speaking Afrikaans to his friend.  Nasty moustache.  And I thought to myself -- good for you, mate.

It was a breath of fresh air.  Just when Namibia was becoming a little too much like home, a reminder that this wasn't.  We'd found Colgate Toothpaste and my favourite brand of shaving foam in the chemists, oyster mushrooms and Worcester Sauce in the supermarket.  Yes, yes, yes, I know all the arguments about passive smoking and why it's of course a good thing to ban it, but for this one guilty moment I breathed long and deep, and felt I was living a little dangerously once again.

John
Posted by at

1 comment:

  1. Anne Kostalas5 November 2010 at 11:36

    LOVING your blog maties.
    The Spar story reminds me of the Mrs Sauga story!
    We had snow in Montreal earlier. Photos and usual nonsense here
    http://annekostalas.blogspot.com
    PS Put a Feedburner email thingy on and we can all get every post!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)