lion, rhinos and crocs ... oh my!

howzit folks! rambling traveller is back. i just arrived in the UK very early this morning after a 10 day venture to South Africa.

the trip (this time) was mainly for work and found me in Jo'burg for the first week and then i tacked on a few days in Cape Town. foolish not to head down to the coast when i'm only a two hour flight away!

work part of the trip was a hectic one, but productive. i was suitably encouraged by the work that is being done there by a partnering company. i was also blown away by how friendly people were in the stores/restaurants/offices. fantastic customer service and uber-helpful advice on personal safety which is very important to adhere to.

on the sunday that my colleague and i arrived, we rented a car and drove to Pilanesberg Game Reserve for the day. i will post some pics at a later date when i get the chance to download them. my colleague was generous enough to lend me his digital SLR with a lens that could knock a monkey out of tree. it was awesome. the highlight of the day were three black rhinos.

a rare sight indeed!

next African trip on my list is an expedition up into Namibia with some friends - no date specified - just 'sometime' next year.

well, i'm struggling to stay awake. i need some rest! but i wanted to wish everyone a merry c'mas (even tho' i'm not the hohoho type).

safe holidays everyone!

i am but a play-thing

what?! it's december already. i keep askin' ... 'where does the bleepin' time go?'

i have been a very good girl and have taken the time off from playing ultimate and have been committed to getting my body healed. which is about freakin' time! i have been going to physio twice a week. as expected the physio is kicking my proverbial ass.

i am going to a clinic that is known in international rugby circles specializing in back and neck. the cool thing is that they have a fully equipped gym and after your session, you go for a work out to help strengthen the areas that need to be built up.

unfortunately i've only been able to see one rugby dude and yes, he was pretty hot.

i digress ... i think that the Master of the Gym (we shall call him MOG for short) uses me for his own personal amusement. kind of like a court jester.

MOG comes up with a lot of innovative core exercises that will work the necessary areas but you just look like an idiot doing them. and then, the other day when i walked into the gym, MOG clapped his hands and said (in a serbian accent): 'today, vee box!'

and we did. it was great fun.

i stopped at one point and looked at MOG and said: 'you just want someone to play with, don't you?!'

to which MOG replied: 'you have got a point.'

view from the top

i've decided that - since i am taking a break from ultimate/running to finally heal this broken bod - i'm going to further explore the areas nearby on the weekends. this picture was taken in Newbury, at the top of Beacon Hill.



History Lesson 213 (as per Wikipedia):

The hill fort on the top of the hill has never been systematically excavated, but the land and ditch are sharply defined and well preserved. The Beacon Hill camp, built around 1000 BCE, was probably inhabited by around 2–3000 people according to calculations from similar camps. It is one of a number of hillforts, which are strung out along the north-facing scarp of the Hampshire Downs, overlooking the Kennet valley to the north.

The 5th Earl of Carnarvon, George Herbert, was buried here (just behind the fence, all alone):



The 5th Earl was an enthusiastic amateur Egyptologist, undertaking in 1907 to sponsor the excavation of the royal tombs at Thebes by Howard Carter.

It was in 1922 that they together opened the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, exposing treasures unsurpassed in the history of archaeology. Several months later, Carnarvon died suddenly, giving popular credence to the story of the "Curse of Tutankhamun", the "Mummy's Curse." His death is most probably explained by blood poisoning (progressing to pneumonia) after accidentally shaving a mosquito bite infected with erysipelas (whatever the fuck that is). At five to two in the morning (that has to be an approximation), the lights in Cairo (where he died in a hospital) went out and plunged the people into darkness (how spooky!!). Reportedly, at the same time, back at his home, his dog gave out a great howl and died.

sure .. make the dog die when it was the stupid owners fault for disrupting a tomb. hmpf.

His colleague and employee, Howard Carter, the man most responsible for revealing the tomb of the young king, lived safely for another sixteen years.

hmmm ....

feeling smarter now? yeah, me neither. but isn't it (the first one) a pretty picture ?!

back, by further demand

hiya! sorry for the delay in posting an update. i've received a gentle 'nudge' from Bubba to write a new post since he's 'tired of looking at medusa'.

okay, okay message received loud and clear. here's the latest news ...

shortly after coming back from tuscany, i was on a flight to go back home for a visit. it was a hectic time but very good. i've learned that going 'home' for a visit is a truly different experience. different in the sense that most ppl (including myself) figure that you have loads of time to see everyone and visit your old haunts.

yeah notsomuch.

instead, you try to fit as much as you can in. you hope that friends will understand your dilemma, cherish the moments you have with the ppl you do get to see, and when the visit is over - you can't believe it's over!

the family had a c'mas celebration on friday, october the 13th. since both my sister and i have never been huge c'mas fans - this was quite appropriate - and fun. the gifts/toys i got for my niece (Allison) and nephew (Wil) were a hit. i'm always surprised at c'mas to get gifts for i tend to fall onto Santa's 'naughty' list for the most part.

i'd like to think that that is part of my charm ;o)

Fran (sis) took me to this great little place for some fantastic food. if you ever find yourself in South Mountain wandering about the countryside, you have to go to the Laughing Wren. Ginny (chef/baker extraordinaire) owns this lovely old farmhouse and has turned part of it into a restaurant. you will not be disappointed if you go. Ginny's great sense of humour, warm demeanour and fantastic cooking ability makes this an awesome stop along the way. oh, and if jams/jellies are your thing she makes this amazing sangria jelly (and many others) that will make your taste buds sing!

actually, that's just true of everything that comes out of her kitchen.

sooner than i could believe, i was back at the airport with my family saying goodbye. plane ride back to the UK was freezing but off of the plane, the weather was a lot more mild. i quickly slipped back into the 'groove' of work/play. it's been 9 months since i've been here and i think that i've finally figured stuff out. getting way more comfortable behind the wheel on the wrong side of the road. you know, when i've said before that 'i think that i'm beginning to settle in' .. yeah, well, i lied. only now am i beginning to settle in.

really really.

work has been busy/ever-changing. i'm going to South Africa (Jo'burg) on a business trip next month and am tacking on a few days (vacation days) in Cape Town for a bit of beach and r and r. quite excited about that trip from a business perspective and am really looking forward to meeting/learning from the company i'm going to visit with. personally, i'm hoping to meet up with some friends in CT.

went walking out in the countryside with a friend last weekend ... we were laughing at this guy who was on a dirt bike with the smallest wheels ever as he was trying to get through some mud. but check out the scenery behind him:



there is some beautiful countryside to enjoy here!

well, i guess that's about it for now ... i promise to be more diligent in my postings Bubb :o)

hugs to all,
Px

piclog of florence

medusa's demise. snakes must've been gettin' a tad too dizzy.



but seriously, so many statues! all of them were absolutely stunning. they were scattered throughout the city and it's beautiful piazzas.





italian architecture - absolute works of art.



one of the many views from ponte vecchio.



one of many delights that were judiciously enjoyed and savoured while watching the world go by.



grazie italia!

yeeee haaw

sailing for the first time. it was a blast. a bunch of us chartered a 45' sail boat. uber-pimped out fo' shizzle.



learning how to 'jibe'. i was trying to pay attention and listen to the skipper in charge. wouldn't you love to have that as your 'office'?!

next week. maybe italy - tuscany region - for a little wine and some r n' r.

deluxe lux

finally, this weekend is a long weekend! haven't had one of those since april just after easter weekend. as it turns out, there's an ultimate tournament. such a shocker, i KNOW. and yeah, i'm the dumbass that signed up for it.

the tournament includes 5 games each both saturday and sunday, with only two on the monday. but that's okay. it's supposed to be a fun tournament and the games are supposed to only be an hour long each.

apparently our ultimate club has a reputation of always dressing up as pirates no matter what the theme. so i'm sure that a lot of 'arrrr, matey have yar ever been out to sea?' and various other pirate-like utterances will be the norm for the weekend.

yes, we are all 8 years old.

i digress. what i set out to do was to blog about my weekend in Luxembourg! great city. quite beautiful despite a lot of cranes that are currently littering the cityscape. it was a town that kept me on my toes since i wasn't entirely sure what language was going to be spoken.

is it French? German? English? or Luxembourgish which tends to be a combination of the two. hence the 'ish'.

just to note that Luxembourgish does not resemble my own version which tends to fall out of my face when attempting to speak either of those languages that has been titled Phremyn.

luxembourg was lovely. the language itself, kind of odd at first.

but the best part was seeing Tracy and Marc and their two little ones, Stu (aged 4) and Julia (aged 2). hectic household! i don't know how they keep it all together but they manage to do a fantastic job.

Stu is a big fan of superheroes. so i was briefed about my superhereo preference before getting there. this saved a lot of work on my part since the result of Stu's questioning led Tracy and Marc to assign me a superhero. i needed to be a credible superhero fan and i think i pulled it off. but what probably worked most in my favour was the chocolate wrapped in spiderman and superman foil that got me in the door and allowed me to stay.

i'm no dummy!

Julia wasn't really buyin' what i was sellin' but then again she has it pretty rough being 2. life is difficult at that age and all that a two year old really wants is their Mummy. everyone (and everything) just gets in the way!

i needed that friend fix and it was awesome seeing Tracy whom I've known since the Corel days - 8 years now! - nice being around someone who 'gets you' being so far from home. you don't realize how much you actually have to explain the things you do and say. awesome break.

speaking of break and fix, i'll be home soon! a couple of weeks in october will hopefully fill a bit of the void. really looking forward to it. until then ...

big hugs to all.

afternoon tease

by most ppl that i speak to, it would appear that i'm really getting out there and experiencing many different facets that the UK has to offer.

variety, they say, is the spice of life.

cream tea, or high tea, is quite an old standing British custom that is quite an indulgent thing to do these days. mainly because it's quite fattening. clotted cream on warm biscuits ... delightful. but not great for the waistline.

well, a couple of weekends ago i went to an afternoon tea event that happens once a month in this little bar in London. ppl get dressed up a la 50's style to partake. whilst (they use that word a lot here) you are indulging in champagne, tea, finger sandwiches (yes, cucumber ones too, all with their crusts removed), little cakes, warm biscuits, jams and the gorgeous clotted cream there is entertainment. cheeky, burlesque type stuff which is meant to entertain and not offend.

at least, i don't find tassles offensive. some, who are more conservative, might. let me know which category you fall under - if anyone ever comes to visit - because i will subject you to this experience.

after all of that sensory delight, and a couple of delicious cocktails to top off the 'tea', off we went to a Morrocan bar for some wonderful meze and a lot of wine.

belly dancing too?!

the belly dancer that was 'featured' was absolutely mezmerizing. brilliant. no wonder so many women try their han ... er belly at it. i've got a belly, surely it could jiggle the 'right' way if so advised.

(enter thunder and lightning as 'reality' strikes)

okay. probably not.

huney, i have a headache

simply put, i just haven't been in the mood for writing lately. one of those things. but figured that i had to put out, so here ya go ....

i realized that i didn't relay any funny stories from pamplona. the one that sticks out in my mind was one of the many party-ers at our campsite was the party-naked-kind. he was pretty funny. one minute you'd see him posing for pics by the pool, with a drink or two in hand and then hours later you'd see him in the dance crowd. as everyone around him is dancing like crazy, he's just standing there naked, with a drink or two in hand, nodding his approval and lifting his drink to 'cheers' someone.

subdued, but happy party-naked guy.



no one recognized him with his clothes on.

was in munich last week for a european sales team meeting. very productive which meant that we didn't get to see much of munich. our hotel was out at the airport which is a sprawling piece of property and about a 60 EUR cab ride to downtown munich. we did manage to go out for dinner to a couple of biergartens in munich anyway which was great. yum! yummy beer and yummy food. the kind of stuff that i was raised on growing up in a german household. it was great. i managed to have meat for every meal of the day!

at least presentations were made fun by a little side game that a few of us had. we challenged each other by giving out either song titles or lines of a song that we had to work into our sales strategy/forecast presentation. great stuff! for example, i managed to work in 'summer of '69' and 'monster mash' quite seamlessly. i was rather proud of that. i came in second out of four.

hmmm ... what else .. oh yeah, drove around some of the countryside near me. it was great to get out there and see some beautiful countryside, insanely historical areas, beautiful towns, great pubs, and awesome seaside views.

didn't get out there to see it yet, but i found out that i'm not terribly far from Stonehenge. how cool is that ?! gotta get a new camera before long. i'm missing out on some awesome pics.

after much time spent pondering, i think that the car has been (finally) named, Chase Torrington. the name, it would appear, seems to be sticking.

oh, i managed to book a ticket to see the beautiful Mizz Tracy (lapoflux) in Luxembourg mid-august! really looking forward to catching up with her. we last met up in London when i was here in September. i remember one night, after we saw a show in the theatre district, we had dinner in this indian restaurant where the restaurant owner wouldn't leave our table. he constantly hit on us both and was the kind of little greasy man that can only make eye contact with your breasts because that's how tall he is. apparently even when he's sitting down at the table! great fun as the dinner progressed and he was the one getting drunk, beligerent and being a nuisance to the customers. nice restaurant owner.

yeah notsomuch.

that's the latest for now. a little update. a little reminisce.

i sometimes can't believe how fast time is flying by!

dumb camera

so my camera decided to die. well, the battery won't hold a charge so it's pretty useless on trips. ever since i took the damn thing kayaking it's just never been the same. i had it in a zip lock bag fer cryin' out loud!

i digress ...

so, i don't have any pics but wanted to try and convey how much fun the opening day of the festival was to you guys sooner vs. later.

internet comes through again! i came across a site that depicts the festival in 16 images. even though they are from 2002 festival, it's typical of what i experienced last week.

the opening day ceremonies (images 1-6) was the highlight of my trip.

crazy, mad, insane, chaotic fun.

an educational post ...

a little background on the San Fermin Festival .. the festival is held in honour of Saint Fermin, the patron saint of Pamplona and Navarre as a whole. over the centuries, the saint's festival, the ancient annual fair, the running of the bulls and the subsequent bullfights have all melded together into a 7 day celebration.

the bull running (encierro) is relatively 'new' and only dates as far back as the late 14th century.

the actual bull run happens every morning of the festival at 8am where the runners gather in an area at the beginning of the route, where they sing three times an ode before a statue of San Fermin placed in a niche in a wall there (by the city hall). this year the runners were treated to a woman who flashed the crowd as she watched the race from the comfort of her balcony. by all counts, it was apparently a good 'showing'.

;o)

all competitors are clad in white, with a red handkerchief tied around their necks and a red sash tied around the waist. actually everybody at the festival wore this kind of attire. any combination of red and white - felt like Canada Day at the hill.

the run begins with the letting off of two rockets/bang/cannon. the first cannon announces the release of the bulls from their corral, the second signals that the last bull has left the corral, and the last signifies that the bull have now reached the conclusion of the run at the bull ring (Pamplona's Plaza de Toros) and they are locked up inside the holding pen there.

the whole race is 1/2 a mile.

like anything else, not all information is necessarily provided to those doing the run. so, when a second wave of bulls are let out - the look of pure 'holy shit i'm gonna die' is stamped quite visibly on their faces as they get out of the way.

what you don't know unless you do your 'homework' before hand is that the second wave of bulls are supposed to be calmer and older in order to collect any stragglers from the first 'wave'. stray bulls become extremely agitated when separated from the herd.

again, i'm not sure when some of these amendments were made to the race and how old it is. through time they've changed this event quite a bit. it used to be illegal for people to actually run with the bulls.

the locals don't like it when women do the race because historically this was done to prove one's manhood. hence, the locals find it disrespectful when tourists come through and ignore their traditions.

all in all, i'm really glad that i went. the last day we went to watch the runners in the bull ring. this is when the race is over and they let the bulls out one by one and let them rip at the runners locked in the ring.

i just don't understand the craziness though ... for example, there would be rows upon rows of people kneeling before the gate where they let the bull out - and not move when it was released.

insanity.

the closer people got to the bull, or were hit by the bull, the more they wanted. it's like they wanted to be sent to the hospital.

i get the adrenaline rush, but that kind is just not for me. give me a plane to jump out of instead.

*yawn*

i have been just too tired to write about the experience in Pamplona.

for the moment, the right words to describe everything have eluded me.

just wanted you to know that i went, i saw, i drank, i did not sleep for four nights, and i'm home now.

ya, i know Cessie ... my 'pretend' home. lol

stay tuned, a more in-depth review will soon follow.

english tradition # 26

to be fair, i'm not sure if i've been exposed to 25 english traditions as of yet but 26 just seemed like a good place to start.

so, here we go ... the Henley Royal Regatta which is an english tradition that started in 1839.

typically a five day event, of which i only partook in one, where the sun was beating down on hundreds of people that lined the banks of the Thames river. because it was so hot - and people were drinking Pimms all day - the afternoon found most attendees stripped down to their gitch and in the water.

i - just for the record - was not one of them.

this, however, is not the typical behaviour of people attending this event. it's a pretty posh thing to go to. women are dressed up in their finest frocks and the men are dressed in their light suits with rowing blazers and hats. although, some of the rowing blazers are hideous! these, more distinguished guests of the regatta, are found under extravagant tents, drinking champagne out of crystal flutes with their antique cars parked alongside.

in some instances, i felt like i was observing a Renoir painting come to life.

there are beautiful antique boats that cruise up and down the course. the course itself has only two lanes. the racing schedule seemed to be sporadic but maybe that's because i was preoccupied with meeting new people and enjoying the sunshine while sipping on Pimms.

and that was my latest exposure to the english culture.

tomorrow i'm off to experience what the spaniards have to offer.

hope everyone had a great Canada Day weekend !!

happy birthday Meetch :o)

mini distractions

sorry, just a little lapse in posting the latest and greatest. but who could blame me ?! i've been rather deliciously detained by my new car. the union has been a good one. very good. damn good. like, giddyup good.

but to answer your questions ... no, i haven't named the car yet. bubb, please stop referring to it as nigel. so wrong.

it's a pretty tricked out little number. sunroof, leather interior, hooked up with the iPod and it goes! a pure pleasure to drive - even if it is on the wrong side of the road.

to take it all just that one step further i've decided to get sat nav (aka satellite navigation). love new toys! it's the tomtom GO 510 and when he (duh, ya it's gonna be a 'he') gives me directions ... it's actually John Cleese's voice.



well, if i'm going to delve into the brit style/culture, i might as well be naff about it.





my first voyage, in the car alone was to the grocery store. i was so excited that i made it without any issue it was pretty silly. i had to call my sis.

man, let me tell you that i have always taken my sense of direction for granted. i always knew which direction i was travelling in ... here i am direction-less. but i'm sure i'll get better as time goes on. cra-zy roundabouts.

my first voyage with John (aka sat nav) wasn't as successful. he led me astray. i have to say, i was pretty pissed off by that. i was all chilled, iPod goin', i'm thinkin' i'm pretty cool, independent tackling the UK road systems ... only to be lied to!

i had to call my friend that i was enroute to - using the blue tooth hands free feature of the sat nav system (so cool)- to talk me through to his place. such a shame. John went radio silent and only piped up, after i hung up with my friend, that i "have reached your destination!" ...

yeah, thanks for comin' out.

next week ... Pamplona (Spain) with JoPo !!

how u doin' ?!

so this is it - my new toy.

well, it's not my actual car, just a picture i found on the internet (as if the watermark of thebeijingnews.com didn't give it away) of the car that i have bought and will be picking up this wednesday.

so my car is the exact same thing except the steering wheel and stuff is on the opposite side.

just not sure if it's a girl or a boy ... but i think it's very grrrrr baby.

random moments

after getting back from another ultimate tournament yesterday, i was so tired and dazed where i had one of those moments where i really had to think about where i was.

i wasn't at home, meaning ottawa canada, but i was home. that was an odd - yet interesting - moment for me. not sure if that means i'm settling in a bit better .. just maybe?

i've had news of a couple of friends that are looking to visit which is just great! i'm hoping that more of you take me up on the offer to come to this side of the pond. you know, to see a different part of the world, with the added bonus of seeing yours truly (but of course!).

;o)

on a totally different note ... i think that summer has arrived here in the UK. now, i know that i've said that before, but i might've lied. this weekend was sunny and hot (30ish degrees) but no humidity. even managed to camp out for a night.

big difference with camping here to home is that you cannot have a campfire. to me, that is the best part of camping !! well, that and being far out of reach. here, you'll typically have cell phone (and crackberry) coverage wherever you go.

damn.

so i took things a step further with the mini cooper situation. lol, it just never ends! i filed a formal complaint with mini cooper since the dealership has now stopped responding to me about the return of my deposit. which they certainly didn't mind cashing on may 5th.

banking sucks. i know i've mentioned that before too. but, whatever happened to the 'good old days' where you were able to: a)open an account b)get a bank card and c)bank online ... (sigh) those really were the good old days.

i have to wait six months to be able to bank online, it took me three months to get a debit card, and only God knows how long it'll be before i can get a credit card.so i'm still using my canadian one and paying for the exchange fee on top of the exchange.

ouch.

anything i want/need to do i have to go to the bank and deal with an agent. nice people who are just doing their job - whatever. but every fucking time i go, i am stuck doing some stupid questionnaire to see if they are even allowed to provide the service, or make the change that i'm requesting.

it's a bloody nightmare. and it takes much longer than necessary. this is where i tend to really lose my cool.

lol. although i imagine that it's probably an entertaining thing to watch for those people that know me.

okay, i'm done being random for now. a tall glass of gin and tonic is calling my name.

guess what i'm going to go and see in a few weeks ...

CLARIFICATION:
note the word "see" in the title?

the word "see" would indicate that i'm not going to be doing the actual run, folks.

i may be a little crazy, but i'm really not insane!

sandbanks

this weekend yet another first introduction. this time it was to beach ultimate.

ya, you guessed it, another post/commentary on ultimate here in the UK.

little did i realize that there aren't any gender rules regarding beach. so being the committed player that i am, i signed up for the weekend, showed up and found that i was the only girl. the two other girls that signed up, didn't show for whatever reasons.

so, let me confirm for you that there is a vast physical difference between men and women (in case you really didn't know). especially regarding acceleration, and then add in the sand factor ... whew! it was tough!

at least that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it.

and it's not because i'm a lazy ass on the ultimate pitch and am really really out of shape. noooo, definitely not that!

all in all, beach ultimate rocked. the weather was gorgeous, hardly any wind and the sand was soft. my body isn't anywhere near being as sore as it would be from playing three games a day on the grass. my body is tired but not in a painful way. and for me, that is quite a relief!

comment: you know, i am having such a hard time finding chemistry with the team on the pitch! there are some great ppl that i get along with and have become friends with. hence they trust me and my abilities. but there are more than a few that i just don't connect with at all.

let me tell ya, that just throws me off completely!

especially regarding this weekend when i'm the only girl on the team playing with, and against, the guys. maybe i'm high maintenance if you consider the fact that i need words of encouragement and constructive critism. just maybe, but i don't think that should be considered 'high maintenance' because i'm a chick.

hence, i've decided not to go to Worlds in Australia this year due to the fact that none of the precious few that i do gel with on the field, are going. the ones that i do not connect with are going. bottomline if i'm going to Worlds i have to enjoy the whole experience.

there's this one guy in particular that just thinks he's an uber-hot player. he shouts at everyone not to screw up, run harder, then he turns around and makes an absolute crap play.

that, and he sulks like a five year old. now that's what i call high maintenance!

in the end, i don't mean to dump on the UK ultimate experience whatsoever. it's just quite an adjustment from playing back home. i know that it will make me a better player in the end and development is a good thing. i just have to figure out the connection/chemistry part of things and not let it get to me.

i do miss my teams and the league back home!

yet another thing to add to the list of 'things taken for granted'.

so pleased to meet you !

was introduced to bump races over the weekend. imagine a river the size of the canal, now put 13 8man rowing crews on it. the start begins with the crews lined up one after another along the bank. with the last crew about 500m away (a race in and of itself!) from the starting line.

starter canon (not gun) goes off and the crews start to go! it's a 2km race. if one crew 'bumps' another (physically hits the other boat) the two crews have to stop racing and get out of the way. fast. some of the lower divisions weren't so great at doing that which resulted in 4 crew pile ups in the middle of the river.

quite entertaining!

the races were held in Oxford (beautiful town) where rowing is taken quite seriously. actually that is true anywhere here. all of the competing boat houses were in full force. music blasting in a party-like atmosphere. ppl everywhere! alongside the river, on the balconies, and roofs, of the boat houses.

this is where i made another new acquaintaince, Pimms! a refreshing drink (hmmm, alcohol who da thunk it?!). kind of like a fizzy long island ice tea ... but different and i liked it.

we then took a walk around Oxford and decided to have cream tea. sooo good and sooo bad for you. clotted cream, butter, warm scones, jam and tea - or for those so inclined - coffee.

we were all muddy from walking around on the banks of the river since it had been raining (shocker!). i actually thought that we might be refused service. but instead we found ourselves in such a highly civilized establishment, sitting there chatting and having our cream tea.

it was so proper, so British, and so clichéd!

a little update for those of you that have been asking ... still no mini, it's been about 6 weeks. i've now dumped the mini car sales guy that i was dealing with. still don't understand how i don't have a car after i've put a deposit down. sha-dy! this is supposed to be BMW!

enough for now ... hope that everyone is doing well!

tragedy strikes Kayak Africa

unfortunately i received some very tragic news today. it relates to the people that i met while on my three month hiatus in Africa a few years ago - the South African couple that ran Kayak Africa - Marzi and Juri.

while i was there in '03 Juri had a terrible accident while on an expedition that resulted in having part of his leg amputated. well just yesterday their latest expedition has resulted in Marzi's death. i am absolutely stunned by this news and just don't have the words to describe how shocked and unreal this seems.

so sudden. alive one minute and ripped away the next.

my deepest condolences to the beautiful people of Kayak Africa. my thoughts and prayers are with you.