An Update

I am about to go off on my next little adventure but thought that a quick update on my activities in the last year might be of little or no interest.

I was back from Italy for a relatively short space of time and then off to Guangzhou for a month of teaching English, deputising for a yankee friend who needed to visit Iowa. Imagine anybody needing to visit Iowa. This was excellent (teaching English, not visiting Iowa) and reminded me how much I enjoy teaching English. I managed to see a few friends and sample a few San Miguels. The thing that made the greatest impression though was the changes. It was a year since I had last been there and, even for Guangzhou, the rate of change was phenomenal. There are now ten tube lines (there was one when I arrived in 2001) and a whole area had been swept away to put some decent sized open space between the financial centre and the river. Typically Chinese, they had not got everything quite right. I had to step over a "temporary" water pipe across the path, most of the fish in the ponds were dead because the water was not aerated properly etc. but basically they had done a good job. There were new museums, libraries, sports stadia as well. This was all done(at least it provided the excuse) because Guangzhou held the Asian Games last November. Naturally I did not take my camera so...

A boozy weekend in Antwerp. Thoroughly recommended. Look out for the Kwakanater. Not for the feint-hearted and even I think a weekend is enough.

Christmas in Tenerife. Lovely place at that time of the year. Nothing spectacular because I didn't even attempt to climb the highest mountain in Spain. Very Spring like. Took my camera but....

A quick work trip to Prague. Haven't been for close to twenty years. Lovely city with beer nearly as good as Belgium but camera. See above.

Then it was two trips as tour host for some friends from China.

The first was Tanzania. I lived there for a couple of years in the mid-seventies and went back ten years ago. Ten years ago progress was noticeable and has continued BUT.

There are no slim traffic cops and the buses get stopped regularly. Helan, my young Chinese friend with whom I was travelling got her camera grabbed in the Dar-es-Salaam equivalent of Oxford Street at 9.30 on the second evening. It was rather a surprise to find myself running down the street shouting "mwezi, mwezi" (thief, thief) and closing in on this character. Naturally I stopped when Helen shouted "Ed, he has got a knife". Nothing to do with me being knackered, obviously. We got the camera back at the cost of three dollars but that is a long story.

Those who were on the trip to Tanzania ten years ago will remember the hassle at Arusha bus station. With only two of us and it being dark it was much worse. I caught a guy opening the zip of my pocket which contained my wallet (the pocket, not the zip) and confronted him. Of course he did nothing (although he was half my age and a big strong... and could have beaten shit out of me but why bother, it was a risk free attempted crime.)

Apart from those minor issues it was a great trip.



That is the closest I have ever been to a cheetah in the wild. Yes, it was habituated to the vans but still areal highlight for me,

I also like the five legged elephant.

We had an excellent time and I missed my calling as a tour guide (see later). I failed to get up Mt. Meru, although Helen did, and we went to Zanzibar where there were Aldabran turtles (slightly smaller than Galapagos turtles) and a brilliant festival. I am not into music as much as many of you but I do rather like driving drums and big fat Mammas singing and swinging their hips. Anybody up for next year?

Next was another Chinese visitor, Bill, who came to Europe. Interlaken is wonderful. The whole area around the Jungfrau, Monch & Eiger is the best walking area in the Alps - no arguement is permitted. Ibex from about 5 metres away, the best avalanche either of us have seen, stunning views. Shame about the cost and the food.

Munich was beer halls and gardens - an education for Bill. The BMW factory with robots making cars was excellent.

Nuremberg is a lovely city. The museum explaining the rise of Natsiism is pretty good but the remains are not great. Lovely place though, despite Bomber Harris's best efforts on Jan 5th 1945. After Bill had been consistently met by huge slabs of meat elsewhere, he was very happy to find an area that specialised in fish and beer.

Personally, I liked wandering in to a church at 10.30. p.m. and seeing the silent version of "Doctor Jekyll & Mr Hide" but what do I know.