This is quite embarrassing.
I had a look at my contacts list on my gmail account, and saw that there were some shocking omissions from the list of people who usually receive these emails about my travels. I have increased the number of people who receive this by about 50%. Still, feel free to forward this on to anyone who I've missed out, and let me know so I can add them to my email list for next time.
So for those of you who are new to this, see the end of the email if you need an idea of what it's all about, and what I've been up to for the last 12 months.
And for all of you, I took a heap of pictures on this trip - almost 300 - and have lifted a few from fellow travellers also. They all have captions, so if you just want to browse through the photos hopefully you can figure them out!
Bish's Précis
- This email is different to my previous ones - more stories and less narrative. I've tried to keep it as short as possible but I did so much!
- The atmosphere at the cricket games was disappointing as the ICC priced the locals and therefore the atmosphere out of the games, especially the Party Stand
- The final was more farcical live - we had no idea what's going on and no PA system
- The Fanatics continue to disappoint me
- Off the field the beaches were a highlight, but on one fantastic day we handled a snake, climbed a peak, saw an amazing sunset and had some incredible fish in a great setting
- Shaun Tait was stalking me - he might still be
- I have an Andrew Symonds related groin injury - stay away from him if he's been drinking
- Pup dealt with criticism way better than Symmo dealt with complements
- I'm all over the media in the Caribbean
- The people were absolutely amazing, especially in Grenada
- Find Banks beer. Drink. Repeat. It's amazing.
- What are you doing on August 4?
Most of these emails followed a narrative structure (if waffling counts as "structure"). This one will be different for one simple reason: I did so much, there's no way I could burden all your inboxes with a long description of my travels. If you want that, read Lord of the Rings. Or my next email. This email will just go through some of the highlights of my fantastic two-and-a-half week trip, to give you some idea of what it was like.
Raisons D'Etre for the Trip: the Cricket Games
I saw five games, Australia against Ireland, Sri Lanka and New Zealand in the Super 8s, the Semi Final (against South Africa), and the final (against Sri Lanka). The main attraction for me to go to the Caribbean was the whole experience of watching cricket in there, which involves plenty of partying and music, lots of distractions in the stand, and quite a bit of rum.
So for those of you who are new to this, see the end of the email if you need an idea of what it's all about, and what I've been up to for the last 12 months.
And for all of you, I took a heap of pictures on this trip - almost 300 - and have lifted a few from fellow travellers also. They all have captions, so if you just want to browse through the photos hopefully you can figure them out!
Bish's Précis
- This email is different to my previous ones - more stories and less narrative. I've tried to keep it as short as possible but I did so much!
- The atmosphere at the cricket games was disappointing as the ICC priced the locals and therefore the atmosphere out of the games, especially the Party Stand
- The final was more farcical live - we had no idea what's going on and no PA system
- The Fanatics continue to disappoint me
- Off the field the beaches were a highlight, but on one fantastic day we handled a snake, climbed a peak, saw an amazing sunset and had some incredible fish in a great setting
- Shaun Tait was stalking me - he might still be
- I have an Andrew Symonds related groin injury - stay away from him if he's been drinking
- Pup dealt with criticism way better than Symmo dealt with complements
- I'm all over the media in the Caribbean
- The people were absolutely amazing, especially in Grenada
- Find Banks beer. Drink. Repeat. It's amazing.
- What are you doing on August 4?
Most of these emails followed a narrative structure (if waffling counts as "structure"). This one will be different for one simple reason: I did so much, there's no way I could burden all your inboxes with a long description of my travels. If you want that, read Lord of the Rings. Or my next email. This email will just go through some of the highlights of my fantastic two-and-a-half week trip, to give you some idea of what it was like.
Raisons D'Etre for the Trip: the Cricket Games
I saw five games, Australia against Ireland, Sri Lanka and New Zealand in the Super 8s, the Semi Final (against South Africa), and the final (against Sri Lanka). The main attraction for me to go to the Caribbean was the whole experience of watching cricket in there, which involves plenty of partying and music, lots of distractions in the stand, and quite a bit of rum.
Unfortunately, the pricing of tickets was out of reach of the locals, who of course provide all the atmosphere. Some tickets were released cheap (and in some cases free), to fill up the grounds, but the Party Stand tickets (which included 8 free drinks and a meal) were still out of reach, which meant that:
- the real party was in the cheap seats, not the Party Stand
- the Party Stand was full of mainly young, boozed up Aussies, who didn't add to the atmosphere: it wasn't much different to sitting on the hill at the WACA
Also, there were no real close games. Australia were very dominant and most games were over with heaps of time left. This made the Party Stand a bit more restless.
But there was also plenty of good stuff. Heaps of people wanted to talk cricket. Often these were the India supporters, who had very little else to talk about after their team had been eliminated. If there's one place where a cricket nerd like me will find someone like-minded to talk to it's the World Cup.
There were also plenty of highlights. Hayden's ton against New Zealand, Watson's cameo, and the destruction of the South African top order in the Semi stand out on the field. Off the field, playing two-up behind the stands on ANZAC Day and meeting the Prime Minister of Grenada were highlights. Not to mention catching up with a heap of friends I hadn't seen for a while.
Of course, I wore my ToMarto Cup South East Guatemala baggy blue cap to all the games, and my rival Deano did up a banner for the Semi Final. ToMarto!
The Final
The final started wet and stayed wet for a while. Still, the crowd was kept entertained by Gravy, the famous entertainer in the stands of Windies grounds, and also by Greg's massive beach ball, which floated around the stand for ages. In the meantime I was getting texts asking about the weather from some of you. I had no idea, but did the best I could! The Banks I was consuming was increasingly blurring my judgement.
When play started, we were treated to probably the best one-day innings of all time, Gilly's 149 . Better I think than Kapil Dev's 175no in 1983.
Later in the game, farce descended . If you had no idea of what was going on at the closing stages of the final, those of us at the ground knew even less. Even if they told us what was going on - which they didn't - we wouldn't have known, as we had no PA system in the temporary stands. We didn't know what the revised target was when they went off in the Sri Lankan innings (nor, apparently, did the players themselves), and knew even less about the 3 overs bowled in darkness. Then they wanted to have a frickin' closing ceremony.
The party in Barbados was much more muted than expected after the game. We had a few drinks on the way to the hotel, and then on to St Lawrence Gap where Greg had a go on the slingshot. But it wasn't as huge a night as expected. It was a shame that the players had retired to Jamie Packer's yacht to celebrate.
The Orange Roughy
Off the field there was one other highlight that was particularly close to my heart. Many of you will know my disdain for the Fanatics, a group which organises tours for Australian supporters to various events. My objections to the organisers are:
- the real party was in the cheap seats, not the Party Stand
- the Party Stand was full of mainly young, boozed up Aussies, who didn't add to the atmosphere: it wasn't much different to sitting on the hill at the WACA
Also, there were no real close games. Australia were very dominant and most games were over with heaps of time left. This made the Party Stand a bit more restless.
But there was also plenty of good stuff. Heaps of people wanted to talk cricket. Often these were the India supporters, who had very little else to talk about after their team had been eliminated. If there's one place where a cricket nerd like me will find someone like-minded to talk to it's the World Cup.
There were also plenty of highlights. Hayden's ton against New Zealand, Watson's cameo, and the destruction of the South African top order in the Semi stand out on the field. Off the field, playing two-up behind the stands on ANZAC Day and meeting the Prime Minister of Grenada were highlights. Not to mention catching up with a heap of friends I hadn't seen for a while.
Of course, I wore my ToMarto Cup South East Guatemala baggy blue cap to all the games, and my rival Deano did up a banner for the Semi Final. ToMarto!
The Final
The final started wet and stayed wet for a while. Still, the crowd was kept entertained by Gravy, the famous entertainer in the stands of Windies grounds, and also by Greg's massive beach ball, which floated around the stand for ages. In the meantime I was getting texts asking about the weather from some of you. I had no idea, but did the best I could! The Banks I was consuming was increasingly blurring my judgement.
When play started, we were treated to probably the best one-day innings of all time, Gilly's 149 . Better I think than Kapil Dev's 175no in 1983.
Later in the game, farce descended . If you had no idea of what was going on at the closing stages of the final, those of us at the ground knew even less. Even if they told us what was going on - which they didn't - we wouldn't have known, as we had no PA system in the temporary stands. We didn't know what the revised target was when they went off in the Sri Lankan innings (nor, apparently, did the players themselves), and knew even less about the 3 overs bowled in darkness. Then they wanted to have a frickin' closing ceremony.
The party in Barbados was much more muted than expected after the game. We had a few drinks on the way to the hotel, and then on to St Lawrence Gap where Greg had a go on the slingshot. But it wasn't as huge a night as expected. It was a shame that the players had retired to Jamie Packer's yacht to celebrate.
The Orange Roughy
Off the field there was one other highlight that was particularly close to my heart. Many of you will know my disdain for the Fanatics, a group which organises tours for Australian supporters to various events. My objections to the organisers are:
- that they make a pretty penny out of the patriotism of others, often by marketing the tours as the way to show patriotism, thereby also making patriotism a competitive (rather than unifying) trait
- that they are (in my experience) overly controlling of the supporters - having set chants etc and not letting people come up with their own
- that they insist on branding the events as their own, e.g. selling beanies for the 2006 Gallipoli tour that read "ANZAC Fanatics" - I found that particularly offensive
Anyway, at the game, some idiots are trying to start a wave (usually a sign of boredom or lack of action on the pitch). They're Fanatics. One of them, a tall thin pasty bloke with long red hair, comes over to our block and abuses us for not doing the wave. He had a bit of Dutch courage. But he was met with contemptuous silence. Thinking he hadn't been heard, he asked again, and someone said, "Why do you want to do the wave mate? Are you bored?? At the World Cup Final??" He tried to argue the point but was told to go forth and multiply (or words to that effect). He pouted and trudged off.
Schadenfreude? Maybe. But it summed up the Fanatics for me. They seem to be at these events to show off themselves (and their brand), rather than to watch the cricket or (in the case of Gravy and other Caribbean personalities) to selflessly entertain.
Shaun Tait Needs a Restraining Order
Shaun Tait, the Aussie fast bowler, had a magnificent tournament. Derided before it began, he finished as the third highest wicket taker. Still, he's not without his faults.
The first signs of trouble emerged when I was hiking in the Grand Etang National Park in Grenada. After hiking around Lake Etang to Mount Qua Qua, myself and Drew (a mate who I met in Grenada) headed to the relaxing St Margaret's falls, the last of the Seven Falls, where the cold fresh water plunges into a tropical pool. Fantastic. But we get there and Shaun Tait is there. He's ostensibly with a few mates, but is giving us the eye and sheepishly keeping his distance. Despite not knowing the bloke, I was suspicious.
The drama continued to unfold after the Australia vs New Zealand game, when we all headed to Bananas, the main nightspot in Grenada. He was there again, watching from afar. I was especially suspicious because Andy Symonds and Michael Clarke were also there, but he wasn't out with them - he had his own agenda.
My suspicions were confirmed when, the next day, we headed to KFC for a recovery breakfast. Not long after we get there Tait is out the front, loitering while his mates go in to get some "filthy bird."
Enough was enough. When I saw him again in St Lucia, lurking with intent, I had to approach him about it and tell him to back off. If I must have a stalker, I'd prefer it was an attractive young lady thank you very much.
Seriously though, Shaun Tait is a top bloke. I spoke with him for a while in St Lucia after he got his best ODI figures and he was impressive, and certainly not full of himself.
My Andrew-Symonds-Related Groin Injury
Shaun Tait contrasts sharply with Andrew Symonds. That same night in The Lime in St Lucia, I was chatting to a bloke about cricket when Andrew Symonds walked into the pub with a minder and a friend. I was facing the door and said immediately "that's Symmo." The bloke I was chatting to, a massive fan of Symmo, turned around, stuck out his hand. Symmo shook his hand, and then held onto it as he continued walking past me, yanking the bloke towards me and causing him to knee me in the groin. Ouch.
Symmo was off his trolley (hopefully only on alcohol), and continued walking around the pub, seemingly lost. He walked past us towards a dead end of the pub and then back past us, at which point the same bloke offered unrestrained praise to him about the way he plays his cricket.
"You're what its all about for me, you're great" he said.
Symmo replied, "You don't know what you're talking about. Shut up."
"I'm only complementing you - I think you're a great cricketer"
"F*ck off. Go back to drinking your f*cking rum"
At this point the other bloke, also boozed, understandably got upset that his idol was an @rsehole. I thought he was going to try and hit Symmo, which would've been mad because Symmo's absolutely massive. Before things escalated I had to step in. I looked into Symmo's eyes - they were glazed over and completely vacant, utterly devoid of sobriety. I said "Enjoy your night Symmo. We wanted to complement you on your cricket, but we'll let you enjoy your night now. Cheers."
Symmo just stood there. I had to be less subtle, but not get beaten up.
"Have a good night mate. Good luck for Saturday. I'll see you on Saturday at the final."
Finally he walked off. It was as close I've come to telling an Aussie cricketer other than Stuart MacGill to f*ck off.
I heard that after the previous game he had to be literally dragged out of Bananas by Michael Clarke at about 5am. So if you see him out, complement him at your peril - he's a complete unit.
Pup cops it
Also in Bananas, Michael "Pup" Clarke was the complete opposite to Symmo. Despite being out late, he seemed to keep his head. And he copped a heap of flak. That day he'd been bowled for 49, leaving a straight ball that hit middle stump 2/3 of the way up. Added to that his girlfriend is Lara Bingle, who's had a string of dodgy relationships with sports stars since shooting to fame for saying "where the bloody hell are you" in a bikini.
The morning after in KFC (with Shaun Tait lurking outside), Slips recalled with surprise that Pup hadn't let him take a photo with him after talking with him for a while. We asked what he talked about, and he said "I asked him what the f*ck he was thinking leaving a ball on middle stump."
Was that all?
"No, I also asked where his girlfriend was"
So not surprising that he wasn't in the mood for photos then. But not as bad as someone else who walked up to him and sang very loudly in his face "Is she really going out with you?" He did well to put up with it, only replying "mate show a bit of respect" and walking off.
Ross Duckham, Media Star
The day after the first game, Australia vs Ireland, I headed down to the shop to get the paper there. Luckily I had my sunglasses on and maintained some modicum of anonymity, as I found I was on the front page of the paper (err ... that's me sticking my head above the head of the dancer). My stardom was further confirmed when Jim Maxwell snapped me with my "entourage" in the pool after the semi final. See it here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/abc_grandstand/477444419/in/set-72157600012112569/
I was a multi-media star! In the wake of this I also met the Prime Minister of Grenada. He was glad to have met me.
Non-Game Days
I'd done quite a bit of research about my destinations before travelling, so I had an idea of what I wanted to do on days off before I got there. There was some good hiking on Grenada and St Lucia, and time to travel to nearby islands like Carricou for a day.
But, as an Aussie living in the UK, I was drawn to the beaches. The best I think was Grand Anse beach in Grenada. It's the main tourist area of the island, and it's easy to see why: hotels and a few local restaurants and bars line the two-kilometre-long beach, but don't dominate it. I spent my whole first day in Grenada there, and have the sunburn to prove it. Whichever beach I went to, the water was warm and clean, and you could often see fish or sea snakes swimming near you.
I also did a bit of haggling in the markets when I had time, which is always fun.
"Je Te Possède, Gros Piton!" - the Best Day
Off the field, the highlight for me was the Monday before the semi final in St Lucia. Greg and Silvia Stace had just arrived from Switzerland and we hired a car to see a bit of the island. Starting later than we wanted to, we headed south from Rodney Bay towards the Pitons, the iconic twin peaks of St Lucia that climb out of the ocean about 900 metres. The road there follows the coast and is windy, so on the way we stopped at a couple of lookouts and took some photos.
At one of them a Rasta bloke approached and spoke to us for a while and then said, "wait here" while he headed into his house and brought something out. It was a snake! Silvia bolted. He invited us to hold it. Greg and I were both game, but Silvia was reluctant to get anywhere near it. It was a great experience, if a little nerve-wracking, and we tipped the guy and headed off.
The bloke said it was a Boa Constrictor, but as we left Greg mentioned it didn't look much like a Boa to him. And I remembered that, when we handed it back to the bloke, it was getting hot from the sun and tried to strike him - not the sort of action you'd expect from a constrictor. So I guess we're still not entirely sure what it was, but we all got away safely.
After that we headed through Soufrière, the former colonial capital, and stumbled on to the best restaurant in town. After an excellent and unfortunately filling lunch, we headed to the Pitons themselves, further south, to try and climb one of them (the taller but easier Gros Piton).
Climbing up and down takes four hours, so the Visitors' Centre, where you get your compulsory guide, closes at 2pm. By the time we got there it was about 2:45pm, but we were lucky to get a guide for the trip nonetheless. I have to admit I was very reluctant to attempt the climb, because the thought of coming down the mountain in darkness was not appealing at all. But we had a crack anyway.
The climb is described as "moderate to strenuous," and for some of the second half you're clambering up rather than just walking. But the view from the top was nothing short of spectacular, and absolutely worth it. And because it took us only 90 minutes each way, we managed to get down well before dark. So I'm very thankful to Greg and Silvia for being more enthusiastic than I was for the climb!
Once back at the bottom, I looked up at the peak I'd conquered and said, "I own you, Gros Piton!"
We all badly needed a swim to clean up after the sweaty climb, and headed back through Soufrière. We were greeted by another incredible sight as the sun set . We had a quick dip and then headed up the coast to meet up with Nicole & Greg, Hugh and Deano at their magnificent resort apartment in Marigot Bay. Not only was the place incredible, they'd got hold of some amazing fresh fish at a market during the day - yellowfin tuna and marlin. And Greg (Nicole's Greg) did an amazing job of cooking it up - it was fantastic. We stayed there chatting on the balcony, overlooking the idyllic resort, until the wee hours, and then Greg (Stace) drove us home. An amazing end to a great day!
The People
I've often heard that people in the Caribbean were very friendly, but I didn't realise how open many of them were until I got there. Grenadans, in particular, were very open and friendly - very often starting conversations with you. The site of Cold War conflict, they have a difficult history, and are still cleaning up after Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005) devastated the tiny country in consecutive years. There's still tarpaulin all over the place, and it's definitely the poorest country I've ever been to (though still not third world). Maybe that's why they're so happy you're visiting.
I had a gap in my accommodation so stayed at a homestay for two nights in Grenada. I'm really glad I did - I was well taken care of ( despite my sleeping quarters), and I heard heaps of other people were similarly pampered!
The Bajans were a little more used to tourists (still very friendly though), and in St Lucia a few more people were a bit more interested in getting money off me than just being friendly.
One exception in St Lucia was on the Thursday before the final, when after dinner a local girl approached me and offered me a massage "or something". I thought that was very nice of her, but politely declined. She then asked for US$2 to buy beer. Alas I didn't even have that much money on me. Poor girl.
Nightlife
Not surprisingly, each island has many of its own rums, and also its own beers. Grenada has Carib beer, St Lucia has Piton, and Barbados has Banks. The other two I found a bit watery, but Banks is a brilliant beer. We spent most of our time in Barbados getting as much of it as possible into us, including a cheeky one at the airport while our flight to the UK was boarding. I'm keeping my eye out for it in London.
Highlights from the nightlife included Crab Races at the Owl in Grenada, The Lime in St Lucia, and the excellent Oistins Fish Fry in Barbados. The fish fry is usually held on the beach on Fridays, with heaps of shacks barbecuing fish caught that day. A typical huge piece of fish, with veggies and rice, is about US$10. And the food is magnificent.
Food
Speaking of food, Oistins wasn't the only place where it was magnificent. We were well looked after at a local eating spot in Dunfermline with huge plates of food, juice, and a slice of rock melon to finish for about US$6. The street food was pretty good too.
I'd been looking forward to some exotic offerings also - I'd heard of a place in St Lucia that had a turtle dish, but it wasn't there. I was also surprised to find dolphin on a couple of menus, and textied a few friends about how I'm eating smarter now. But dolphin refers to a fish in the Caribbean, not the mammal. Still, it was delicious - as was the lambie (conch shell).
To Conclude (Finally)
So all in all, an incredible trip! To anyone planning on going for the Australian tour there in 2008, I thoroughly recommend it. The place will have all the good stuff that I encountered - the people, the beaches, the scenery, the laid-back lifestyle, Banks beer - and none of the disappointments like overpriced tickets sucking the local atmosphere out of the games.
Big thanks to the people I met up with there - Northy, Greaney, Dunny Jr, Lochie, Willis, Johnny "slips" Cordon , Digger , the Coyles - C1 & C2 - and their crew, Greg and Silvia Stace, Kev Gill , Hugh, Nicole and Greg, Deano, Doc and anyone else I've forgotten! It was great to catch up with you all!
Other Stuff
Very quickly, I should remind anyone who'll be in the UK to save the date of August 4th, as I'll be having birthday drinks that day. In a year of sequels at the movies, this will be a sequel too: my second 29th birthday. Haven't got a venue yet, any suggested venues let me know!
I also went to Budapest last weekend. A much shorter email about that will be coming. I'll include an update on the home front too.
Anyways, that's all for now. Kudos to anyone who made it to the end!
Cheers, Rosco
---
ABOUT THE EMAILS
Bish's Précis
This is a very brief summary of what you'll find in the email. Many of you will know I have a tendency to waffle on a bit - especially those of you I went to uni with! So if you don't have time to read the whole thing, you can have a look at the précis and read the stuff that interests you. It is named after a good mate of mine who asked that I keep my emails short. There was no way I was gonna do that - this is as close as I come to a compromise.
I also try and include a bit of structure in my emails to make them a bit more readable. Let's face it, I need all the help I can get in that respect.
Hyperlinks
The hyperlinks are usually links to photos on my Bebo website ( plugger69.bebo.com). For those of you that don't know, Bebo is a lot like MySpace, so it might be blocked at your workplace. If so, you can also see (most of) the pics at my Picasa webpage ( picasaweb.google.com/ross.duckham - its linked to my gmail) - it might be easier to access, but you might not know which photos relate to which stories.
- that they are (in my experience) overly controlling of the supporters - having set chants etc and not letting people come up with their own
- that they insist on branding the events as their own, e.g. selling beanies for the 2006 Gallipoli tour that read "ANZAC Fanatics" - I found that particularly offensive
Anyway, at the game, some idiots are trying to start a wave (usually a sign of boredom or lack of action on the pitch). They're Fanatics. One of them, a tall thin pasty bloke with long red hair, comes over to our block and abuses us for not doing the wave. He had a bit of Dutch courage. But he was met with contemptuous silence. Thinking he hadn't been heard, he asked again, and someone said, "Why do you want to do the wave mate? Are you bored?? At the World Cup Final??" He tried to argue the point but was told to go forth and multiply (or words to that effect). He pouted and trudged off.
Schadenfreude? Maybe. But it summed up the Fanatics for me. They seem to be at these events to show off themselves (and their brand), rather than to watch the cricket or (in the case of Gravy and other Caribbean personalities) to selflessly entertain.
Shaun Tait Needs a Restraining Order
Shaun Tait, the Aussie fast bowler, had a magnificent tournament. Derided before it began, he finished as the third highest wicket taker. Still, he's not without his faults.
The first signs of trouble emerged when I was hiking in the Grand Etang National Park in Grenada. After hiking around Lake Etang to Mount Qua Qua, myself and Drew (a mate who I met in Grenada) headed to the relaxing St Margaret's falls, the last of the Seven Falls, where the cold fresh water plunges into a tropical pool. Fantastic. But we get there and Shaun Tait is there. He's ostensibly with a few mates, but is giving us the eye and sheepishly keeping his distance. Despite not knowing the bloke, I was suspicious.
The drama continued to unfold after the Australia vs New Zealand game, when we all headed to Bananas, the main nightspot in Grenada. He was there again, watching from afar. I was especially suspicious because Andy Symonds and Michael Clarke were also there, but he wasn't out with them - he had his own agenda.
My suspicions were confirmed when, the next day, we headed to KFC for a recovery breakfast. Not long after we get there Tait is out the front, loitering while his mates go in to get some "filthy bird."
Enough was enough. When I saw him again in St Lucia, lurking with intent, I had to approach him about it and tell him to back off. If I must have a stalker, I'd prefer it was an attractive young lady thank you very much.
Seriously though, Shaun Tait is a top bloke. I spoke with him for a while in St Lucia after he got his best ODI figures and he was impressive, and certainly not full of himself.
My Andrew-Symonds-Related Groin Injury
Shaun Tait contrasts sharply with Andrew Symonds. That same night in The Lime in St Lucia, I was chatting to a bloke about cricket when Andrew Symonds walked into the pub with a minder and a friend. I was facing the door and said immediately "that's Symmo." The bloke I was chatting to, a massive fan of Symmo, turned around, stuck out his hand. Symmo shook his hand, and then held onto it as he continued walking past me, yanking the bloke towards me and causing him to knee me in the groin. Ouch.
Symmo was off his trolley (hopefully only on alcohol), and continued walking around the pub, seemingly lost. He walked past us towards a dead end of the pub and then back past us, at which point the same bloke offered unrestrained praise to him about the way he plays his cricket.
"You're what its all about for me, you're great" he said.
Symmo replied, "You don't know what you're talking about. Shut up."
"I'm only complementing you - I think you're a great cricketer"
"F*ck off. Go back to drinking your f*cking rum"
At this point the other bloke, also boozed, understandably got upset that his idol was an @rsehole. I thought he was going to try and hit Symmo, which would've been mad because Symmo's absolutely massive. Before things escalated I had to step in. I looked into Symmo's eyes - they were glazed over and completely vacant, utterly devoid of sobriety. I said "Enjoy your night Symmo. We wanted to complement you on your cricket, but we'll let you enjoy your night now. Cheers."
Symmo just stood there. I had to be less subtle, but not get beaten up.
"Have a good night mate. Good luck for Saturday. I'll see you on Saturday at the final."
Finally he walked off. It was as close I've come to telling an Aussie cricketer other than Stuart MacGill to f*ck off.
I heard that after the previous game he had to be literally dragged out of Bananas by Michael Clarke at about 5am. So if you see him out, complement him at your peril - he's a complete unit.
Pup cops it
Also in Bananas, Michael "Pup" Clarke was the complete opposite to Symmo. Despite being out late, he seemed to keep his head. And he copped a heap of flak. That day he'd been bowled for 49, leaving a straight ball that hit middle stump 2/3 of the way up. Added to that his girlfriend is Lara Bingle, who's had a string of dodgy relationships with sports stars since shooting to fame for saying "where the bloody hell are you" in a bikini.
The morning after in KFC (with Shaun Tait lurking outside), Slips recalled with surprise that Pup hadn't let him take a photo with him after talking with him for a while. We asked what he talked about, and he said "I asked him what the f*ck he was thinking leaving a ball on middle stump."
Was that all?
"No, I also asked where his girlfriend was"
So not surprising that he wasn't in the mood for photos then. But not as bad as someone else who walked up to him and sang very loudly in his face "Is she really going out with you?" He did well to put up with it, only replying "mate show a bit of respect" and walking off.
Ross Duckham, Media Star
The day after the first game, Australia vs Ireland, I headed down to the shop to get the paper there. Luckily I had my sunglasses on and maintained some modicum of anonymity, as I found I was on the front page of the paper (err ... that's me sticking my head above the head of the dancer). My stardom was further confirmed when Jim Maxwell snapped me with my "entourage" in the pool after the semi final. See it here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/abc_grandstand/477444419/in/set-72157600012112569/
I was a multi-media star! In the wake of this I also met the Prime Minister of Grenada. He was glad to have met me.
Non-Game Days
I'd done quite a bit of research about my destinations before travelling, so I had an idea of what I wanted to do on days off before I got there. There was some good hiking on Grenada and St Lucia, and time to travel to nearby islands like Carricou for a day.
But, as an Aussie living in the UK, I was drawn to the beaches. The best I think was Grand Anse beach in Grenada. It's the main tourist area of the island, and it's easy to see why: hotels and a few local restaurants and bars line the two-kilometre-long beach, but don't dominate it. I spent my whole first day in Grenada there, and have the sunburn to prove it. Whichever beach I went to, the water was warm and clean, and you could often see fish or sea snakes swimming near you.
I also did a bit of haggling in the markets when I had time, which is always fun.
"Je Te Possède, Gros Piton!" - the Best Day
Off the field, the highlight for me was the Monday before the semi final in St Lucia. Greg and Silvia Stace had just arrived from Switzerland and we hired a car to see a bit of the island. Starting later than we wanted to, we headed south from Rodney Bay towards the Pitons, the iconic twin peaks of St Lucia that climb out of the ocean about 900 metres. The road there follows the coast and is windy, so on the way we stopped at a couple of lookouts and took some photos.
At one of them a Rasta bloke approached and spoke to us for a while and then said, "wait here" while he headed into his house and brought something out. It was a snake! Silvia bolted. He invited us to hold it. Greg and I were both game, but Silvia was reluctant to get anywhere near it. It was a great experience, if a little nerve-wracking, and we tipped the guy and headed off.
The bloke said it was a Boa Constrictor, but as we left Greg mentioned it didn't look much like a Boa to him. And I remembered that, when we handed it back to the bloke, it was getting hot from the sun and tried to strike him - not the sort of action you'd expect from a constrictor. So I guess we're still not entirely sure what it was, but we all got away safely.
After that we headed through Soufrière, the former colonial capital, and stumbled on to the best restaurant in town. After an excellent and unfortunately filling lunch, we headed to the Pitons themselves, further south, to try and climb one of them (the taller but easier Gros Piton).
Climbing up and down takes four hours, so the Visitors' Centre, where you get your compulsory guide, closes at 2pm. By the time we got there it was about 2:45pm, but we were lucky to get a guide for the trip nonetheless. I have to admit I was very reluctant to attempt the climb, because the thought of coming down the mountain in darkness was not appealing at all. But we had a crack anyway.
The climb is described as "moderate to strenuous," and for some of the second half you're clambering up rather than just walking. But the view from the top was nothing short of spectacular, and absolutely worth it. And because it took us only 90 minutes each way, we managed to get down well before dark. So I'm very thankful to Greg and Silvia for being more enthusiastic than I was for the climb!
Once back at the bottom, I looked up at the peak I'd conquered and said, "I own you, Gros Piton!"
We all badly needed a swim to clean up after the sweaty climb, and headed back through Soufrière. We were greeted by another incredible sight as the sun set . We had a quick dip and then headed up the coast to meet up with Nicole & Greg, Hugh and Deano at their magnificent resort apartment in Marigot Bay. Not only was the place incredible, they'd got hold of some amazing fresh fish at a market during the day - yellowfin tuna and marlin. And Greg (Nicole's Greg) did an amazing job of cooking it up - it was fantastic. We stayed there chatting on the balcony, overlooking the idyllic resort, until the wee hours, and then Greg (Stace) drove us home. An amazing end to a great day!
The People
I've often heard that people in the Caribbean were very friendly, but I didn't realise how open many of them were until I got there. Grenadans, in particular, were very open and friendly - very often starting conversations with you. The site of Cold War conflict, they have a difficult history, and are still cleaning up after Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005) devastated the tiny country in consecutive years. There's still tarpaulin all over the place, and it's definitely the poorest country I've ever been to (though still not third world). Maybe that's why they're so happy you're visiting.
I had a gap in my accommodation so stayed at a homestay for two nights in Grenada. I'm really glad I did - I was well taken care of ( despite my sleeping quarters), and I heard heaps of other people were similarly pampered!
The Bajans were a little more used to tourists (still very friendly though), and in St Lucia a few more people were a bit more interested in getting money off me than just being friendly.
One exception in St Lucia was on the Thursday before the final, when after dinner a local girl approached me and offered me a massage "or something". I thought that was very nice of her, but politely declined. She then asked for US$2 to buy beer. Alas I didn't even have that much money on me. Poor girl.
Nightlife
Not surprisingly, each island has many of its own rums, and also its own beers. Grenada has Carib beer, St Lucia has Piton, and Barbados has Banks. The other two I found a bit watery, but Banks is a brilliant beer. We spent most of our time in Barbados getting as much of it as possible into us, including a cheeky one at the airport while our flight to the UK was boarding. I'm keeping my eye out for it in London.
Highlights from the nightlife included Crab Races at the Owl in Grenada, The Lime in St Lucia, and the excellent Oistins Fish Fry in Barbados. The fish fry is usually held on the beach on Fridays, with heaps of shacks barbecuing fish caught that day. A typical huge piece of fish, with veggies and rice, is about US$10. And the food is magnificent.
Food
Speaking of food, Oistins wasn't the only place where it was magnificent. We were well looked after at a local eating spot in Dunfermline with huge plates of food, juice, and a slice of rock melon to finish for about US$6. The street food was pretty good too.
I'd been looking forward to some exotic offerings also - I'd heard of a place in St Lucia that had a turtle dish, but it wasn't there. I was also surprised to find dolphin on a couple of menus, and textied a few friends about how I'm eating smarter now. But dolphin refers to a fish in the Caribbean, not the mammal. Still, it was delicious - as was the lambie (conch shell).
To Conclude (Finally)
So all in all, an incredible trip! To anyone planning on going for the Australian tour there in 2008, I thoroughly recommend it. The place will have all the good stuff that I encountered - the people, the beaches, the scenery, the laid-back lifestyle, Banks beer - and none of the disappointments like overpriced tickets sucking the local atmosphere out of the games.
Big thanks to the people I met up with there - Northy, Greaney, Dunny Jr, Lochie, Willis, Johnny "slips" Cordon , Digger , the Coyles - C1 & C2 - and their crew, Greg and Silvia Stace, Kev Gill , Hugh, Nicole and Greg, Deano, Doc and anyone else I've forgotten! It was great to catch up with you all!
Other Stuff
Very quickly, I should remind anyone who'll be in the UK to save the date of August 4th, as I'll be having birthday drinks that day. In a year of sequels at the movies, this will be a sequel too: my second 29th birthday. Haven't got a venue yet, any suggested venues let me know!
I also went to Budapest last weekend. A much shorter email about that will be coming. I'll include an update on the home front too.
Anyways, that's all for now. Kudos to anyone who made it to the end!
Cheers, Rosco
---
ABOUT THE EMAILS
Bish's Précis
This is a very brief summary of what you'll find in the email. Many of you will know I have a tendency to waffle on a bit - especially those of you I went to uni with! So if you don't have time to read the whole thing, you can have a look at the précis and read the stuff that interests you. It is named after a good mate of mine who asked that I keep my emails short. There was no way I was gonna do that - this is as close as I come to a compromise.
I also try and include a bit of structure in my emails to make them a bit more readable. Let's face it, I need all the help I can get in that respect.
Hyperlinks
The hyperlinks are usually links to photos on my Bebo website ( plugger69.bebo.com). For those of you that don't know, Bebo is a lot like MySpace, so it might be blocked at your workplace. If so, you can also see (most of) the pics at my Picasa webpage ( picasaweb.google.com/ross.duckham - its linked to my gmail) - it might be easier to access, but you might not know which photos relate to which stories.
You can also browse my pics at my Bebo website (bottom right of the main page). And if you're a member, send me an invite and we can become Bebo friends!
Old Emails About My Travels
My old emails are stored in the blog section of my Bebo website (bottom left of the main page). The only problem is that I can't include hyperlinks with them (which in some cases means the sentences make no sense). If you want the whole kit and caboodle, shoot me an email and I'll send you the original email, hyperlinks and all. I'm working on getting a proper blog up.
The Basics
To those of you who haven't heard from me since I left Oz, here are some of the basics. I'm working at the Borough of Luton, just northwest of Greater London (home of London Luton airport, obviously). I've been there since early Feb, and I commute there every day from my house in West Hampstead, which takes about 50 minutes door-to-door. My house, a nice narrow terrace with a back garden, is full of four Aussies (Luke and Carly, Amanda, and myself), and one French student (Virginie). West Hampstead is just northwest of central London, not far from Lord's cricket ground.
Old Emails About My Travels
My old emails are stored in the blog section of my Bebo website (bottom left of the main page). The only problem is that I can't include hyperlinks with them (which in some cases means the sentences make no sense). If you want the whole kit and caboodle, shoot me an email and I'll send you the original email, hyperlinks and all. I'm working on getting a proper blog up.
The Basics
To those of you who haven't heard from me since I left Oz, here are some of the basics. I'm working at the Borough of Luton, just northwest of Greater London (home of London Luton airport, obviously). I've been there since early Feb, and I commute there every day from my house in West Hampstead, which takes about 50 minutes door-to-door. My house, a nice narrow terrace with a back garden, is full of four Aussies (Luke and Carly, Amanda, and myself), and one French student (Virginie). West Hampstead is just northwest of central London, not far from Lord's cricket ground.
My previous jobs have been at the London Boroughs of Hillingdon and Havering. As you'll see from my old emails, I have already done quite a bit of travelling, getting to Latvia, Estonia, Dublin, Edinburgh, Munich, northern France, Brussels, Berlin, Prague, Wales, Sweden, Lithuania, Poland and a few places within England. And I have a few more trips planned!
No comments:
Post a Comment