Houston, We have Separation.

Again, some people are more in the know than others so this is a bit of a baring of the sole and update to get everyone on the same page more or less.

I understand that after the last post which was abit depressing I need to raise the tone abit so here goes...

As of mid May i have successfully achieved freedom. At least on an interim basis. That is to say Shell and I have gone our separate ways via an amicable agreement between the parties. It was a bit of a wrench but to my surprise and delight I feel as though a great weight has been lifted. Currently there is no 'next' so this allows me some time to do abit of reflection in my life before whatever the Universe has in store for me happens in its own time. Seems that there is sort of a trend in these things seeing Hannah and now also Jorg taking abit of a break from the nosestone. In fact I hope to catch up with these and many other people as opportunity presents itself. Due course, fullness of time etc.

Meantime though i am not completely sitting on my alltogether but doing some stuff in Douala. My current project is helping out my friends Manfred and Elvira in the German Seamans Mission Douala. I am taking over the running of the place to allow them some time to have a real holiday without having to stress about the place falling apart while they are gone. Anyone who has been in Africa will know what i mean on that score. It is quite fascinating to see the level of detail required to run a modestly successfull business here. It also allows me some practical experience of the ideas i have been reading in Michael Gerber and R Kyosaki amongst others.

So current activities include running a hotel and restaurant, trying to learn French, Reflecting, and reading (latest Peter F Hamilton: Judas Unchained-MUCH better ending than the Reality Dysfunction! also Small is Beautifull by E. F. Schumacher, dating from 1973 but still remarkably relevant, showing that really very little has been learned in the intervening 35 odd years). Amazingly I am busier than ever! Dont know how I ever found time for a job.

Speaking of which, duty calls.

This is Traveller, signing out. Goodnight Houston!

Mortality

I am reminded of the quote: "Dont take life too seriously, after all none of us gets out of here alive" (Unattrib).

At the risk of oversharing, I need to get something off my mind before I can get onto more frivolous things. Be warned, and proceed at your own risk.

Many people around the world will have seen the reports of KQ507 DLA-NBO crash in the early hours of Saturday 5 May. I think it hit most major networks. As I was on duty that weekend I was alerted early on Saturday morning in order to establish if any of our staff were on board. This was verified not to be so by mid-day and we stood down any direct involvement. At this stage the plane was still "missing" and a search was underway.
So much for the clinical part. I must say my emotions were all over the place. I have been on that flight myself (twice), and would have had no hesitation in getting on that plane that night, despite the thunderstorm. Last time I was on it was on my way to Zanzibar for a holiday with friends. Imagine. What a way to start your leave. So: very close to home in so many ways. I managed to send texts and phone some of my friends and family around the world to stop some of the worry.
As Saturday evening rolls around i meet some friends in our regular watering hole. They tell me of some other people who were on board. Several staff from Schlumberger, who I have met but cant say I know. My friend Tony is also rumoured to have been on board but I am able to eliminate this as I see his wife in the pub. Relief.
Worse, and shockingly, I learn that my friends Adam and his wife Sarah were on board. Sarah worked here for MTN and they were on their way to Johannesburg for a meeting. I know them well. They just got back from leave in the UK. We had been enjoying the Cricket world cup together. We were looking forward to the England-South Africa rugby tests at the end of the month and the Rugby World Cup in September. They have a daughter at boarding school in England. I am devastated. Shocked. I cant think straight.
At this stage its Saturday night, the plane is still missing and there is still "hope", although it has been gone now for a full day. The search is called off for the night as nobody can see anything anyway. I am mentally blown away. Possible survivors (Adam? Sarah?) spending a (second) night in the wreck in the jungle is doing in my mind.
At a birthday party for a colleague that evening there is just no way I can get in the mood. I depart as not to spoil it for others. Its a tough night for me and I have trouble sleeping, which is a very rare phenomenon.
Sunday morning and still no new news. The search parties are out. Friends of mine from CHC (A private helicopter and plane charter company) are up at dawn flying in the search grid along the presumed flight path. Nothing. Hope is fading fast that any possible survivors can be rescued after 2 days in the deep jungle. It is frustrating for everyone and fuses shorten.
Finally at the end of Sunday a local village hunter in the mangrove swamps just south of Douala reports finding the wreckage. The search focusses to rescue/recovery. 2o km south of the airport in dense tidal mangrove swamp there is a crater with aircraft and body bits.
The bad news is that nobody seems to have survived the impact.
The good news is that even if they had been found earlier, it wouldnt have made any difference. There is a sense of certainty. Yes they have been found. No they are not alive. I am torn between wanting to see the site and emotional repulsion and horror at the thought. My friend Stan overflies the site and reports feeling sick and upset at seeing it from his chopper. He has seen a LOT in his life. It must be bad. The Grieving process continues. My emotions are volatile and my brain seems to be broken. I walk up and down the stairs to my apartment 3 times forgetting car keys, wallet, to lock the door. I find myself trying to open my downstairs neighbor's door as I havent walked up enough flights. Very very weird. Slowly as the days go by a sense of normality is returning (As Jane would say "for a given value of normal").

I have received some great support from many friends all over the world. I am reminded of and thankful for each and every one of the people whom I care about. And I am reminded and humbled that people care about me. I feel mortal. Yes, a surprise to some, certainly to me.
Clearly I have alot of thinking to do, and strangely the Universe seems to be conspiring to present me with an opportunity to do so. Funny old universe really isnt it. More on that later I think.

TO post or not to post? That is indeed the question. Having written this I wonder if it is ready for the harsh electron glare of the Interweb. It certainly needs a health warning. Now added (yes at the front). I think I will sit on it for a while and see if it improves with another reading.
2 days on: No it hasnt improved but I have tinkered. I wonder if one can put too much of ones life online? I suspect so. This may be over the limit. If one puts parts of ones life online, and the server crashes, is that lost? Or vice versa, if one crashes, does one continue to exist online? Strangely New Scientist has an article on the afterlife today...

Koninginnedag 2007

Culturama.

For those of you that have been in Amsterdam on Koninginnedag (Queens Day= The NL monarch's birthday observance on 30 April), you will know that the central city effectively turns into one big party zone for the day and the police spend most of the afternoon fishing plastered foreigners out of the canals.

For this year a small group of us here in Douala

decided to mark the occasion by having a bit of a barbie. Fortified by a number of our Southern Neighbours (ie Belgians), one of whom kindly made his residence available.

We were introduced to the art and craft of "spijkeren". Take a log of wood about a meter long and stand it on end. Take some big nails and hammer one per participant just in, starting it so it doesnt fall over. Then one at a time have a whack on your nail. The object of the game: first one to hammer in his/her nail nominates what gets drunk the next round. Last one to hammer it in PAYS for said round :)

Whaddayareckon? We will be transferring the log to our favourite pub this weekend to continue this tradition. Photos will come in due course.

Meantime this is me enjoying Queens Day 2007 in Douala Cameroon. Cheers!

Funny

For those who know me you will be aware that i am a bit of a DILBERT fan. So often a relevant Dilbert will pop up just as I am working on something, like Scott Adams is reading my mind. So I started my blog recently and LO! A Dilbert to have a giggle at... Posted without permission but with credit...

Thought for today (as proven once again last night...)

Language Barriers are soluble in Alcohol.

( I cant attribute this but before I claim it as my own advice from other Netizens will be appreciated.)

Time to go.

Another day in Tropical Paradise...

(Yes this Is a quote but I wont embarrass myself by attribution. If you know, you know)

Wibble....

OK some surfing and from Jenny's blog I got the link for the worldmap, and the counter too (thanks Jenny). Adventuring into HTML country to get the map to fit in my sidebar. I love the Interwebs!

Thanks to Hannah for linking us up.

Also seeing quite a few kiwis have been commemorating ANZAC DAY around the world

I just wanted to let everyone know that a remembrance was held in DOUALA CAMEROON this year. A small and select group came together to raise a toast and take a moment to Remember Them.

test post for my photo.....

OK so that didnt work but its still an OK picture.

After some heavy fiddling about I managed to set this to be my profile portrait.

Taken: September 2005 on the Highway to Ceti Cama, near Gamba, southern coast of Gabon. As i was having a weekend in Petit Loango National park. Spoiled? You bet. More please.

I guess I'll have to post more of this story another time...

Korup Trip Post 2

In the interest of keeping things reasonable (ok theres a first time for everything) I thought I would set this into a second post.
So:
Day 3 of the trip after a truly wonderfull night rest at Rengo camp began with a marvellous breakfast accompanied by a dawn chorus of epic proportions.
Once a gain we trekked to the famed Picarthes rock but no joy, they didnt show up. So from there we went on to Rengo Rock itself, which was a fair hike and kept us well entertained for the morning. Again we spotted a troop of monkeys in the trees but once they knew we were around they wandered off deeper into the jungle. We discovered some fresh elephant tracks and the guide figured out that this one had circled the camp overnight. It put us on our toes a bit because it could still be in the area. Equally it could be 5 km away. Everywhere there were sounds and glimpses of a cornucopia of *bulls (Greenbulls, Bullbulls, etc), basically a African thrush with a habit of speciation. On the way we saw a Rufous-Sided Broadbill doing display flights which was pretty cool, and a Bare Faced Trogon. Once on Rengo Rock Estella spotted a African Crowned Eagle which although quite distant was still a great sight to see. Also from there we saw a Shrike Flycatcher in the treetops.

We had a bit of a lunch break on Rengo Rock, and then carried on back to camp for a short break before making our final attempt at the Picarthes. Still no joy, although a flock of Forest Swallows buzzed us quite closely to roost in a single Picarthes nest.

Once again back to camp after dark and some great food, well cooked indeed and even a salad! Our porters had returned to take our gear back out the next morning, so we were abit more populated than the previous night.
We had quite a thunderstorm after lights out, so we were glad of our solid roof above us, very spectacular in the forest with the rain drumming on the roof and lightning throwing the forest into stark relief.

Our last morning after breakfast we saddled up for the trek back out, still taking our time to look at the pristine untouched rainforest. Some weird trees with flowers on the trunks or in the middle of leaves, really alien looking termite nests, and a huge variety of fungi and mushrooms were admired.

Eventually we once again reached the river and the edge of the forest, and returned to the river to meet up with the boatcaptain. On the way we saw a flock of blue throated bee-eaters which was also cool, and some barn swallows just freshly adorned in summer plumage ready for the trek to the North. We started slowly down the river while having some lunch, spotting a woolly-necked stork and black-capped heron in the trees. High overhead the Swifts were seen to be migrating toward Europe and their breeding season.
Eventually we reached the estuary again and poured on the power to return to Idenau and the cars.

Back in Douala and a hot shower was very welcome!