Cyprus Sept/oct 2009

Well it's been a while since I've posted, mainly because I've not been anywhere! Just had a few weeks in Cyprus as a holiday - not backpacking unfortunately - however I did take my pack & travel light (12.9kg) rather than succumb to the suitcase brigade!

Don't think I'm gonna bore you too much with all the ins & outs. We were staying in Chlorakas which is just a few KM West of Pafos on the road to Coral Bay. Cyprus is a beautiful Island with lots of history. Well worth a visit! It's not very cheap though, the Euro is very strong against the £ at present so prices for most things are similar to that in the UK. Can of Coke between £1.20 & £1.50 - Shit!! In fact beer was cheaper than coke so you can imagine how blurred the holiday was especially when I found the supermarket next to the Caravelle Restaurant was selling half litre cans of 5% Three horses Lager for 80 cents. After fifteen horses I was climbing in the wardrobe looking for the loo - nuff said!

Right, as far as the piccies go, they should be in this order! Top is the fish that I caught when Leo took me fishing round Polis/Pomos way. Leo owns/runs the Wisdom restaurant which is right next door to the Helios Bay Apartments (self catering hotel) on the road between Pafos & Coral bay. Leo & Wisdom are great. A friendly welcome and great food at reasonable prices - My plate of fresh caught fish was free - can't promise you'll get the same deal but pop in and see them anyway. We actually stayed at Helios in one of their villas. It's a family run place although Nicos seems to be the guy we saw most of. Again call in & see them, lovely place with friendly helpful staff.

Below that should be the sunset from the rear of Helios Bay Apartments.

Next is a sign in Polis that I couldn't resist snapping - made me laugh.

That's followed by the little beach at Agios Georgios (a few km past Coral Bay on the same road).

Oh and then there is the party for one - Cheap beer, cheap smokes & Ipod with speaker - what more do you need?

Then a snap taken outside the art college in Chlorakas - a funky place that! Everything appears to be made with either a/ recycled debris or b/ concrete. Again worth a look around. Not the easiest place to find but it's free entry and hardly anyone gets to see it which makes it worth a visit in my book.

The last piccie is of the emergency forest telephone in Cedar Valley. I found that quiet amusing too, the phone that is, not Cedar valley. The valley itself is odd, pretty much all of the Troodos mountains are covered in Pine trees except for this valley. The drive was time consuming but fun, those twisty mountain roads get me heart pumping - love it!

Motorised scooters....

Yesterday was an eye opener. I had a real busy day, lots of stops to make with good distances between them. It started with an accident in the blackwall tunnel - use of the back doubles kept me moving, but didn't save any time. There followed a journey from East to North-west London, trying to navigate the £8 robbery congestion charging zone, sure that I skirted right on the edge several times, and almost sure that I didn't actually enter. Time will tell.... I didn't pay the charge.

The first stop was entertaining. I parked my van in a parking bay outside a council owned block, duly leaving my 'plumber on call' sign on the dash with a note saying which flat I was in and giving my mobile number in case it needed moving. Met the guy that owned the flat and went up to look at what needed doing. Two minutes later the caretaker is banging on the door, saying that we're being clamped - sure enough! My van was done and they were taking pictures of his car while someone went off for another £75 kick up the nuts. Hats off to Steve, he stopped things going any further and paid for the removal of my clamp. Unfortunately, even though the robbers promised a further clamp wouldn't be applied, the 'official' paperwork complete with an illegible signature and matching embellishment where the operators number should be, indicated that you were fair game if the vehicle hadn't been moved after an hour of the clamp being removed. Consequently, not all the work was done. Camden councils parking department are out of order, the last time I was up there they ticketed me even though I still had 3 minutes on my 'pay & display' ticket. They must work on commission.......

From NW London to Essex borders was OK. Brief stop and homeward bound. This journey was sharply interrupted by an old girl on a motorised scooter at a pelican crossing who must of been colour blind . She didn't even look or stop, from warp speed on the footpath to across the traffic in one broadside. After the screeching tyres stopped she proceeded to point at the 'Red man' as if he was a green flashing one, like we were at fault. The tunnel was clear though. Was back South of the water before the rush, phew.

Several more stops & calls to make and another kamikaze pensioner! By now it's dark and I'm on a dimly lit stretch of road with no footpath and woods on one side, parked cars on the other. Approaching me bordering the woods is death wish man. His battery must of been low, he wasn't travelling at a good rate and his lights were really dim - madness! Any other kind of motorised vehicle can't be legally operated on a public footpath or highway without a licence. Why are we not testing/licencing these vehicles and their operators. I can see many lives ending prematurely and innocent folks liberty being taken from them. Not good.

Karma

I like to believe in Karma and took these two recent events as an example of how it works.

I was attending a seminar last week and went outside at our scheduled break for a ciggy (I know it's bad for me). Anyway, while patrolling the car park chuffing away, edging ever closer to a horrendous death, I spotted an open wallet on the ground. I could see it had all the guys cards, driving licence and some paper money in it without actually being nosey. I picked it up and handed it to a staff member at the seminar who took it 'behind the scenes'. A short while later they came out and told me that it belonged to the guy who was servicing the fire alarm the day before. They had phoned his company who in turn would phone the guy and notify him that it had been found. My good deed for the day was done!

A little under a week later I drove away from home leaving my bag on the doorstep. It was found about an hour later by a housemate who phoned an oblivious me to let me know they'd taken it inside. I returned home that evening to find that everything was still inside that bag. My ipod, cheque book and loads of other invaluable items that if lost would cause me no end of hassle were still there! Karma, or just good luck? I wonder if my bag would have survived unscathed if I'd taken that man's money?

Me library

Cheers Neil. I was beginning to wonder what happened to all the books I left behind for others while on my travels. You are the first to actually leave a message...... Glad you enjoyed 'Life of Pai'. I'm trying to recall where I left it, either Singapore or BKK. Definitely not Chang Mai. Thanks for the message and for leaving the book for someone else to enjoy in Nepal, let's see where it goes next!

Dreaming of travels!

Well folks, it's been a while since I've posted. I've been back in the UK for 6 months now and I'm 100% sure that I must travel more. So my energies are now focused on a long term goal of sorting things out here so as I can leave for a year or so. There is so much more to life than the rat race that is the UK - I need more! And not in a materialistic financial way. What's the point in being the richest man in the graveyard? And I'm afraid that's what the UK does to you. You work your nads off to give 75% of your earnings to the government in taxes of one kind or another. It's time to go experience more of the world and maybe help others that are less fortunate than us in the west. Watch this space.........