Mwen te souvan te panse de vizite Avann ak li te vin yon dezyèm fèmen nan yon pwosesis deliberasyon destinasyon erstwhile ak yon bon zanmi kèk ane de sa (yo te gen pipped nan post la pa peyi Zend). Lè yon imèl tonbe nan bwat resepsyon mwen enfòme m 'nan yon kou ekri dis jou ak Steven Berkoff sa ki te rive emplacement joliman nan yon peryòd de konje mwen te sispann yo te desiziv sou ki kote yo ale pou avanti pwochen mwen ak rezerve vòl.
Se pa toujou Greggers ak nòmalman youn nan egzante moun aktivite an gwoup redoutable, ke yo te te konn rasanble toutotou ak ale sou jou m 'ki nan limit sere avèk moun ki pa yo chwazi m', sa a wasnt ki kalite bagay mwen ta nòmalman ale pou (omwen pa pandan y ap sou jou ferye). Anplis de sa mwen te gen pa janm te deja te santi bezwen nan yo dwe ede moun pa yon kou ekri men li te kirye al kontre maestro a nan yon anviwònman anchanteur. Se konsa, mwen siyen li pou pwogram etid la nan Iconiţă abana lib otèl la (sèl lokatè konplètman peye moute nan kou) , li ranje avanti klè peyi mwen an Valle de Vinales bò kote l '.
Sou nwit la la mwen te nan 'rantre nan' el groupo mwen tann alantou an briyan ak capacious pèrsiye gwoup la, mwatye heartedly jollied ansanm pa yon kolada Pina. Lè kondisyone espas la te bon, Mwen renmen anonim nan séduire nan vèstibul otèl men mwen wasnt reyèlman kap pou pi devan pou reyinyon 'yo', lòt moun yo, nan tout. Mwen te aktyèlman fè yon kèk nouvo zanmi bon soti nan li tout kòm se souvan ka a, men nan moman sa mwen te ap tann repiyans yo dwe asosye ak rès la nan bann bèt li yo.
Mwen te pandye alantou an zòn yo deziyen an nan gwoup la vize deyò fè m 'pa resepsyonis la, jouk sa ki parèt okòmansman yo dwe yon wishy personnalité gwoup sitou fanm te kòmanse rasanble nan gwoup la e li te ofri mwen yon wishy personnalité enbuvabl mojito nan yon tas plastik. Mwen plane alantou dèyè ekipaj la unpunctual, anvi jis jwenn kèk detay debaz san yo pa gen twòp retade ankò ak lè sa a ale nan pou dine. Ansanbl la te yon ti jan retade menm jan yo te te gen yo rete tann nan ayewopò a pou yon moun ki na vire leve. Sa a gwoup dinamik antye nan ap tann alantou pou moun se patikilyèman fatigan, espesyalman si yo Dont vire leve. Petèt sa a an patikilye anonim ta ekriven na menm vle rantre nan peyi a lè an posesyon plen nan nouvèl la mwen te sou yo resevwa.
Mwen te deja gen yon patikilye premye fèmen swa pa restoran destine pou dine (Koupon pou Achte Tratorya a sou Calle 0 ant Calles 23 ak 25, jis alantou blòk la) ki pa gen enterè oswa pasyans pou lyezon ak manje ak 'oh kote nou va ale nan?'Jis ankò. Yon flaneur ezite nan background nan, pare yo pant nan nenpòt moman, Mwen te mande si mwen te ki moun ki mwen te ak remèt yon orè pou danse salsa ki mwen na kesyon kòm te pasyans mwen rive nan limit li yo, te gen sèlman anpil kesyon petinan adrese a tout gwoup la yon moun ka kenbe fèm. Li trè fatigan lè gen kèk moun ki panse ke li nan nesesè pou yon gwoup antye nan moun lòt nasyon pou koute repons yo maladwa nan yon natif natal ki pa a "Èske li san danje?, 'Ou ka bwè dlo a?’ ak 'ki jan yo kapab mari m' kontakte m?.
Ap tann pou leve a, yon ti nonm timid mande m '' yo ou youn nan m '?', sa a imedyatman rankled men se pa vle jwenn nan sou yon pye move mwen te sispann mande tèt mwen kont 'youn nan ou sa?'Ak reponn nan yon fason ki sniffy ke mwen te isit la pou kou a ekri e ke mwen te resevwa yon orè pou danse salsa. Ti Antipodean a olye dekonsèrte reply te 'li pwobableman sou menm bagay la men nou Dont konnen ki lè George vle kòmanse' yo ki Mwen reponn 'ki moun ki nan George?'
'Titè a'
'Mwen te panse tutor a te Steven Berkoff' '
‘ A.. ou na ou jwenn imel la… li te kapab vini '
'Pa gen mwen te nan Vinales pou kèk jou ak havent tcheke imel mwen…'
Twa jou anvan dat la kòmanse nan kou a wouldnt reyèlman yo te yon tan gran yo pran yon lòt nan nenpòt ka. Sa a vrèman wasnt sa m 'te te vle tande.
George, George, George. George te kòmanse premye sesyon an nan suite li, li te kenbe refere li a sal li yo ak yon chanm vwazin kòm suite li kòm si li hadnt te soti pi devan. Im trè asire w li hadnt te soti pi devan. He was wearing some sort of a kimono and kept telling us all about his recent milestone birthday and his engagement. He started his first tutorial (numbers already depleted by several members who had defected join a concurrent salsa course) by asking us to add another descriptive word to out given names. He kicked the whole thing off with Gorgeous George. This kind of thing is what makes group ‘activities’ detestable. So we had Sassy Sue and Mellifluous Mel and Kindly Kate and Amazing Ailon and all sorts of silly rubbish which would have been unbefitting of the august Mr Berkoff. We were prompted to write and perform a bit and some of it was great fun. The emphasis was on the acting out of what we had written, George being a stage actor and a thespian. I’d never heard of George. More people were to defect to salsa.
George had an obsession with Edgar Allan Poe and in particular with his narrative poem the Raven. During one hilarious reading of which a cleaner burst into to room with a hoover just as him was shrieking, ravenesesque ‘Nevermore’!
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me – filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
`’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door –
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; –
This it is, and nothing more,’
George often had visitors at his chamber door and held court out of hours. He was insecure and in need of reassurance often repeating tiresome personal details that were of no interest and made one long to be out of his suite and by the pool. He built up a small fan base of which he slept with at least one, upsetting others in this pack of women (more men it seemed prefered to salsa). He had exclusive dinners to which not all of the group were invited. It was obviously an all expenses paid trip but it transpired he was losing out because he was an out of work actor on the dole and couldnt claim benefits for a week.
Havana was wonderful in spite of the absence of the big draw, our original intended mentor. The disgruntled ones along with all the others were offered a free weekend of coaching with Steven Berkoff (who had had contractual obligations) on The Isle of White and the best fun ones went along and it served as a marvellous reunion. Hours were spent in elegant high ceilinged rooms and ye olde pubs with the mesmerising and formidable thespian and captivating raconteur.
11 panse sou "Lahavàn Akote: Absan Mr Berkoff a ak Gorgeous George”
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Sit sa a sèvi ak Akismet diminye Spam. Aprann kijan done kòmantè ou se trete.
As you might know, more for logistic reasons, than for the need to be shepherded, I often meddle myself with the social inconvenience of group tourism..
Reaching far and forgotten lands, without a very minutious planning, and a large availability of a precious commodity such as lots of spare time, would be quite taxing for someone that can take only a couple of weeks off work at the time, to explore such a big planet..
Epi, since Charley Boorman i am not, nor I have Gervais and Merchant to take care of the bookings, the most convenient way for me to see exotic places, has been to join what they call “adventure tours”..
even then, i am afraid, one cannot expect always to find streetwise ex SAS to be one’s travel companions, but given the very small size of the group, and the high level of freedom involved, one can cope with the omnipresent “never been further away than Ibiza” person..
no, actually that wouldn’t be too bad after all, there could be worse, I am sure you get the picture.. anyway, i have a sure method to sort out the people, and avoid excessive interactions with the unworthy ones..
at the pretour meeting, where everyone asks if it is safe to flush the toilet paper down the bog, or if bottled water tastes more refreshing with a local ice cube in it, the line i often use to introduce myself to the group is:
“Hello, my name is Emily, i have been using since i was twelve..”
.. Trust me, it always works..
Pleasure Pier
Ha ha ha! Thanks Emily! Thats a very good idea. I get your point about the adventure tours, they are good if you have a short amount of time to cram lots of places into. I used to be able to go away for four or five weeks at a time but unfortunately in my present situation that isnt possible, then (and still now to some degree) I plan the whole thing logistically at home, not always possible I know
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I love Havana! And this trip sounded like great fun…
good read
You met Steven Berkoff? What was he like? Was he intimidating?
He was charming and a great raconteur!
Many thanks.