Sunday, November 05, 2006
Back in harness
Yes, I am back and to those who said that I could not go on holiday for a week without blogging - you were wrong.
In fact I took advantage of half-term to take my only proper holiday of the year, an out-of-season break in Malta where the temperature was in the 70s for most of the week. What is more I did it without hiring a car. Instead we spent an interesting and at times, unnerving seven days exploring the island by service bus.
Maltese buses have an unfair reputation as being a bit random. Instead we found them to be reliable, cheap and clean. The drivers were friendly, albeit occasionally haphazard in their driving. The Lonely Planet guide to Malta and Gozo says that 'There is something of a macho, devil-may-care attitude among young male drivers and the accident rate is correspondingly high. This attitude extends to the buses too, and as a passenger there will be times when you might suspect that a kid has stolen his father's bus and is taking you on a joyride.'
The three incidents that stuck out for me were being driven through heavy traffic between Valletta and Sliema whilst the driver was conducting a conversation on his mobile; getting on a bus near Mdina only for the driver to lose his way; and hitting a kerb as the driver raced for an ever-so-slightly too small gap in on-coming traffic somewhere between Sliema and Buggiba.
My task now is somehow clearing all the backlog of e-mails, post and newspapers before a very busy week ahead. Oh yes, it really is very cold back here.
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Welcome back. It's been very strange not having you blogging or immediately accessible by email.
Lots of Maltese bus drivers in Pontypridd - Shamrock coaches recruited them. May explain some of the traffic chaos around there!
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Lots of Maltese bus drivers in Pontypridd - Shamrock coaches recruited them. May explain some of the traffic chaos around there!
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