501 Places

Me and Diego

Almost everyone has a story of an accidental encounter with a famous person at some point in their life. An old school friend provoked great jealousy among our group of friends in declaring that he had spent many an evening at home alone with Kim Wilde, a legendary British pop singer of the early 80s. That he was only 6 at the time and she was his babysitter made little impact on the bragging rights that the story gave him.

Living in New York, everyone seemed to have a story about a celebrity that they chatted with in a line at the sandwich shop, or with whom they shared an apartment building. We also shared a building with a Yankees baseball star, but not knowing anything about the game I never took the time to identify him, much to the disdain of my work colleagues.

Our most notable encounter with the sporting elite occurred back in 1998 on a flight to Sri Lanka. We had opted to pay the extra to Air Lanka to upgrade for the 15 hour flight, and were pleasantly surprised to find the entire business class section empty as the boarding process was coming to an end.

It was at that point that the captain made an announcement. He reminded all the passengers that the previous day the Sri Lankan cricket team had made history by beating England at Lord’s, the home of English cricket, for the first time in their history. With that he invited all the passengers to give the team a warm welcome as they boarded the flight. And there we were, alone among the victorious Sri Lankan team and their partners.

We exchanged numerous conversations with the players in the course of the overnight flight, and in contrast to the likely antics of an England football team, the players were quiet, respectful and polite. As a cricket fan I was excited to see so many of those I’d previously paid to watch, and have remembered some of those little inconsequential exchanges we shared on our way to their homeland.

On arrival in Colombo the airport was thronged with local supporters waiting to greet their heroes, while we were able to slip away quickly and enjoy the start of our holiday.

Which famous people have you met on your travels, and did they live up to their public reputation?

The name itself conjures up an image of a cutesy tourist attraction, and Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage does not disappoint.

A natural stop on the road to Kandy, the elephant orphanage organises regular feeding slots to coincide with the passing traffic. The highlight of the day however is bathing time, when all the elephants are led down to the river and are then washed by their keepers, or left to their own devices to splash, swim and play together in front of the specially erected viewing platform.

I might sound a little cynical here, and I should add that a visit here was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed watching so many elephants in what appeared to be a well-maintained environment. Seeing a little baby who was also two weeks old was also a great spectacle, as was the sheer mass of elephant in the river at peak washing time.

If our visit helped provide funding for the ongoing care of these speical creatures, then I am glad to have contributed and would recommend the visit to others who are passing that way (if you’re travelling with a guide, you won’t miss it anyway!)

(Oct 1998)

As the sun dropped behind the imposing Tien Shen range to our west, the mercury plummeted. In less than 30 minutes we went from relaxing out on the pasture in T-shirt and shorts, to tightly wrapping up with a hat, gloves and several warm layers to keep out the mountain chill.

Kyrgyzstan is a land of contrasts – mainly mountainous, the capital Bishkek nestles in one of the few valleys for miles around. While Bishkek was humid and oppresively hot, we found the daytime temperatures in the hills to be ideal for hiking. And what a place to hike! A stunning vista appears around every other corner, and apart from a herd of yak or the odd mountain goat, we didn’t see much in the way of company.

Where we did meet the Kyrgyz people, these encounters were even more memorable than the scenery. Sogan Bai, the eagle hunter; proud old man, previously a big cheese in the local kolhoz (commune) when the country was part of the USSR. My faltering Russian gave our little group a precious insight into how life has changed for the nomadic people during the years of Russian rule and through the transition to independence. Sogan Bai personified the Kyrgyz approach to its clashing predominant cultures of Russia and Islam. He observed many of the Islamic rituals of cleanliness, yet washed it down with a healthy (?) dose of local vodka.

And the shepherdess Nargul at Son Kyul lake, who hosted us for two nights in a yurt (above). She had raised a family in the harshest conditions, and at the same time managed to set up a community tourism project from scratch. A fiercely independent and determined woman, her hospitality was crowned when she produced scones with clotted cream and jam for breakfast one morning. The look of surprise on our faces was a picture!

Kyrgyzstan is very much off the beaten track, and does not have much in the way of western facilities outside of the capital. The roads are rough across most of the country and require a 4×4 to negotiate them. Yet the reward for taking the time to explore this beautiful little country at the tip of the Himalayan range is immense – the people, the solitude, the amazing views will all stay with you long after the smell of mutton has left your clothing (and your hair). Just one word of warning – stay off the mare’s milk (kumys) that you will inevitably be offered.. you’ve been warned!

(Aug 2008)