A life in Colombia
My Spanish is terrible at the best of times. But, of course, it fails me most when I’m trying to talk to an official through a thick pane of glass. I wobbled onto the tip of my toes, peered over the glass panel and asked the immigration officer to repeat his question. He smiled. “How […]
More“It’s great that you loved Ecuador. “Lots of people I know found Ecuador to be the most disappointing country here. “Well, not disappointing. But certainly not their favourite.” Someone said that to me recently and I nearly choked on my coconut. (Probably because coconut is so foul, I actually can’t stand the stuff, I have […]
MoreFew people could deny that travel broadens the mind. But it can have a negative effect too. I first left Europe when I was 18, to go to South Africa. I was naive and trusting and I am still teased about the time I cheerily agreed to a tour of Cape Town’s townships, suggested by […]
MoreIt was always going to be difficult to say goodbye to the Galapagos. It was not only a paradise for me (all those animals and that beautiful scenery) but my home too. But it is too easy to forget the little things that make a place special and I wanted to sketch a quick list […]
MoreThe trouble started, as always, around the dinner table. Solaise was obviously thinking something. I say obviously, but neither Pippa nor I could tell you what she was thinking. She didn’t voice her thoughts aloud. Jhosellyn, on the other hand, answered her unspoken question as if it was the most natural thing in the world. […]
MoreI wonder what would happen if someone tried to copy the ceiling of the Sisteen Chapel using a toothbrush and a few manky watercolours? I’m sure we all agree even a decent artist would struggle to replicate such beauty. That’s exactly how I feel when I sit down and try to write about Galapagos. I’ve […]
MoreI’ve been meaning to write about the time two of our friends decided to get married here on our island, San Cristobal. They arrived on the boat one day and fell in love with the place – deciding to marry on the beach the following day. They shared their crazy plan with us and the […]
MoreOur local nightclub resembles the opening scene of a bad 1980s film. It is impossibly hot and glows with lime green strobe lighting. The toilets are filled with discarded cigarette butts and the cubicles shake and thump in time to the beat of the too-loud music. The dance floor is sunken and tiled with huge […]
MoreThat surreal feeling resurfaced for the second time at dinner last night. We were huddled around the table, six girls, eating the delicious fried cakes Norma makes by mashing cheese, egg and a vegetable called yuka together. It was the realisation that I didn’t want, or more importantly need, to be anywhere else. Some people […]
MoreDoes anyone out there love cake as much as I do? If you love cake and are similarly fond of biscuits, ice cream and, well, food generally then, like me, you’ve probably given a fleeting thought to liposuction. I don’t need it now. I’m just glad it’s a possibility for later in life. Remarkably, it […]
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Banana Skin Flip Flops 