I'm sitting here in Terminal 5 at Heathrow looking out on a drab, wet London morning having experienced the most amazing four weeks which took me from the depths of the South Atlantic (not literally, you understand) to the elephants of the Chobe National Park with many experiences along the way. Perhaps the best thing was not having internet access!
The focus of the occasion was the marking of the 50th anniversary since the British Overseas Territory of Tristan da Cunha erupted threating Edinburgh. No risk to the Festival or the Fringe - this Edinburgh is the settlement on the island, home to around 270 British citizens. It's the remotest permanent settlement in the world and, it has to be said, access isn't easy. We were incredibly lucky in being able to land on two out of the three days we were there. A lot of people stayed at the homes of islanders whilst others took day trips from the Royal Mail Ship St Helena. The first day the sea was too rough to use the gangway down to the wee boat which would shuttle us ashore and so we descended by means of a rope ladder. It was quite safe as each individual was attached to a harness and there were strong armed locals waiting at the bottom to catch us. it wasn't too bad until it came to getting back on board when the swell had increased and the job of timing your first step on to the ladder was, shall we say, challenging. OK - it was terrifying! But it's amazing what you can do when you have no choice!
The islanders had gone to a huge amount of trouble for us and we were made to feel hugely welcome. It's impossible to describe the emotions of those days and the sense of sheer privilege of being there. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and an experience I will never be able to describe and will most certainly never forget.
Recent Comments