I have become a father. Only not really. Genetically, the offspring will not be mine; genetically they are not even the same species. By being vaguely kindly towards it (by not beating it), I have accidentally adopted one of the stray dogs that roam between Dublin village and the guesthouse… Continue reading
When the phone isn’t ringing or the guests are on the beach or in the jungle and I have a spare few minutes, I find myself making lists: things I need to do on my next day off, places I want to visit, emails I want to send, animals I… Continue reading
A few days ago one of our boats sank. Anchored on the water on a busy Sunday, the stern took on water from a freak swell which tipped the balance between buoyancy and submersion. Without anyone aboard to grab a bailer, it overturned and slipped beneath the surface, stern and… Continue reading
If you travel due south of York, Sussex, or Hastings, or roughly south-west from Kent, and cross the water, you reach Dublin. If you miss it, your next landfall will be somewhere around Venezuela. There are no cars in Dublin. There are no bicycles either. In fact, there aren’t even… Continue reading
Freetown’s Lungi International Airport lies some distance from the capital, separated from it by the mouth of the Sierra Leone River, so one of the first things air passengers have to do on landing is decide whether to take the helicopter, hovercraft, ferry or pirogues across to Aberdeen or Government… Continue reading
Drink on the eastern side of the African continent can appear limited to locally-brewed international soft drink brands. Coca-cola for instance, is one of the only international bodies to seemingly recognise the existence of Somaliland, the breakaway republic within Somalia, with a plant in the capital Hargeisa. That is, until… Continue reading
I can’t help thinking some simple timetabling should be put in place. We don’t leave Bo’s main lorry park until 12.30, I arrived at 8.30. The road as far as Bandajuma surprises me in being good level (boring) grey tarmac. Even when it becomes earth it is mostly drivable at… Continue reading
The town of Kent, almost directly south of Freetown by a bit may have budget busting accommodation, but it also has perhaps the most beautiful beach I’ve seen – ever. Devoid of rubbish, empty of people, yellow-orange sand and views of the hills that greet the sea. That night I… Continue reading
I don’t know when Guinean formalities end, and Sierra Leone begins, there is no flag or sign. As I’m finding routinely, I am dealt with kindly and quickly, if only I didn’t have to keep getting off my mototaxi to the town of Kambia every few minutes for a different… Continue reading
I was less saw the next morning, and by evening I’m back to my usual self. There’s a sudden flurry of activity as everyone tried to get under cover before the next storm hits, which is longer than tonight’s electricity holds out for. Then, with a deep rumble of thunder… Continue reading
