21 KILOS…..contd. to the end…. (all lost in Accra when the electricity died…)

Mary S.

We met about 30 years ago…a lifetime! Mary’s sense of humour has been a constant throughout our ups and downs. And she knew there would be times when I want to be warm and glamorous, hence the lovely pashmina which has not yet been used in the warmth of central Africa. But it will! On the other hand, being a bit mean, she gave me a small lavender-filled bag of the most delicate pink. Made by her who is making the ring cushion for her daughter’s wedding. Such an honour! It was a delight to go to bed on a hard surface in the desert and to smell the lavender….except that the bag was far too small and somewhere along the way it became lost... A bigger one next time please! And then Mary keeps asking in emails ‘where are you?’ I’m in Africa, Mary.

Memhet A.

Mem has been the backbone of the Guild of Registered Tourist Guides for a number of years. He has been a good friend and I am grateful to him for what he has done for the Guild. Typically, when I asked him for a letter, he did not hesitate to supply it. In it I am described as a tourist guide doing research about tourism opportunities in Africa. The letter elicites quite a bit of interest and can help in sticky situations.

Milly C.

When Milly’s daughter Jenny came to visit the UK just before I left, she spent some time with me and was incredibly helpful during the ‘packing’ days. With her, she had brought a delicate scarf with African patterns from her mother. Just the thing to make one look less rough. I wore it on the ‘plane to Agadir and in the tiredness of the moment, must have dropped it somewhere. What a start to the journey!

Mungovan Family.

Amongst the photos I carry with me, is the last one taken of Francis when he was with his Primary School Class boys at the Mungovan’s home. This had become an annual event when they came together to watch the Cup Final. Mary is the mother Francis always wanted; full of good cheer and a good listener and the world’s best cook who would never let you enter her house without you being showered with good food and bottles of wine. And Tom, one of Francis’s oldest friends, was the rock on whom to lean during the funeral when he read a lesson. He repeated this moving tribute at Dick’s funeral. They also kindly keep an eye on the joint grave.

Optician: R. Brown.

After the eye problems I had last year, the optician was very supportive and I have ended up with numerous pairs of spectacles for all occasions. I was also given two sets of plastic spectacle cases which are ideal for dusty desert conditions.

Paul F.

A loyal friend to Francis, Paul is an extremely good barber and I shall miss his haircuts when my dust-encrusted hair needs trimming. When they were in their mid-teens, Paul and his brother and another friend and Francis went to Italy for a holiday at Paul’s father’s place. Swimming in pools and the sea and walking through Rome with its monuments as a backdrop, with bare chests proclaiming their virility, is all captured on video. And one can listen at the way Francis never answered a question without thought.

Pete C.

Pete would probably not want to be called a son-in-law, but he has been a brilliant partner to Ingrid for over 16 years. Quietly he gets on with things and one knows that his advice is sound. He was going to get me a sturdy small tent but I then decided that would be one weight too many. But the two pairs of thick ‘designer’ socks to wear with my boots and to keep the mosquitoes at bay, have already proved their worth.

Practice Nurse, Astrid

Astrid, who thought I was very daring, wanted to make sure that I was prepared for all eventualities and thus gave me many precious appointments over many weeks to have injections, inoculations and requisite doses of whatever to protect me. Because she was gentle and did not rush the treatments, I had no side effects and she saved me from spending 100s of pounds!

Ramesh S.

To embark on two years of not seeing a dentist needs drastic preventative measures. One’s dentist does not necessarily feature in an account like this, but apart from the toiletry bag and various goodies like dental repair kit which he gave me, he has given me a new mouth of implanted teeth which means that, for the first time in over 50 years, I am not aware of my teeth every time I chew something. What bliss!

Ronnie L.

Years ago, when Ronnie and I were much in each other’s company, he gave me a very colourful African cloth. For over 40 years this has been used whenever I went on holiday to use as a cover-all on the beach or by the poolside. Sadly, the cloth disappeared in a Mali taxi. He introduced me to Interdens, those flavoured toothpicks which I still carry with me. Above all, Ronnie was an African who embraced life with no prejudices. In the 1970s he taught me to use the newly-introduced ‘Zola Budds’, which is the Tro-Tro or Poda-Poda taxi I have been using in West Africa. In those days in South Africa it was rather unusual for a white-skinned person to use them, but Ronnie was not aware of that and many a time we would go into ‘African areas’ without a thought. We saw each other regularly over the years and his humour was always there. When I last saw him three years ago in Cape Town, he introduced me to the attendant at the indoor baths we went to for a swim; “You’ll never think that we were lovers 40 years ago”. Last year Ronnie was stabbed in his flat, the telephone cables cut and he was left to bleed to death. Just another African statistic…

Sally O.

A gift of dental floss in a sturdy round container. Such a practical item! My dentist will be pleased and I enjoy the different uses it can be put to, which are endless. The ‘string’ currently sporting an interestingly shaped stone with a hole picked up on the beach.

Dr S.

Ann’s friend-in-crime….to defraud the NHS of items I shall need over the next two years. But as I shall not be there to waste their appointment time…. Dr S. prescribed antibiotics and various other medicaments which could be useful. My ‘medicine bag’ is bulging! But I am happy to let Africa heal and hope that I would not need any of those items. A good insurance though!

Sikkim Man.

--for lack of a name… In the foothills of the Himalayas, close to the home of the Dalai Lama, I befriended a gentle man from Sikkim who sewed tourist bags for the Tibetan Monks. I stayed in their monastery and it is the first time I have ever left an abode after one night because of the filth---not what I expected from monks! Anyway, this gentle soul took me to his home where he sewed me a white, unbleached cotton top in no time. It still washes well and looks smart. But I remember his home; a tiny shack as large as a single bed amongst the stones and trees on the side of a hill. In it he lived with his wife, sewing machine and 16 chickens.

Stanfords.

Where I bought my road atlas but where dreams are dreamt and one can read others’ dreams come true. I became a regular visitor there during the last year and always left inspired by just what mankind is all about and can achieve. No other bookshop reflects our physical world and man’s achievements against all odds, so well. Long may it survive!

Teresia T.

Over a few years, Teresia would bring her students from the USA for a semester and I would be asked to give them a guided tour of London. We became friends. She stayed in London and traveled about. When she left, she gave me a handy little thermos flask which was ideal for my winter holiday in Europe, but impractical for this trip. Also included was a magical ‘towel’ which, again, I used in Europe but did not include here as I do not believe in carrying towels when on this kind of trip. But it is the kindness of people which I appreciate so much and whose images come to comfort me when I need to think of friends.

Thea W.

A few years ago before she retired and became a Tourist Guide in the Cape, my sister supplemented her earnings with selling various cosmetics and cleaning products. I obtained a bar of shampoo which always struck me as a very useful item. It lay in a drawer, waiting for the right opportunity. And it has been very handy! Far easier to carry and use than a bottle which takes up unnecessary space.

TNT

The weekly ‘Bible’ for backpackers in London….A free magazine which keeps everyone in touch and up-to-date with what is going on in that nebulous world of moving people. Once a year they have an ‘Open Day’ in which their advertisers come together to sell you your dreams. I was even seduced this year into joining a Backpackers’ Club which offered all kinds of dreams and cheap accommodation and ‘price off’ deals. And they gave away free packs of playing cards. I try to wake up with a game of solitaire and marvel every day at the brilliance of the design of such a simple but effective thing which gives so many people pleasure or even ruins lives (gambling). And many a happy hour has been spent in the company of others around a pack of cards.

Tom E.

Francis’s oldest friend who has survived more travel and life experiences in his short life than anybody I know. Before going to South America a while back, having spent years working on the border with refugees from Borneo, he left his mosquito net in London. His mom gave it to me…. And very handy it has been too, although, fighting endless pieces of netting with nothing from which to hook it, on the mud-brick rooftop of a building with torch, book, radio and sheet-sleeping-bag, is not the easiest!

Van Eck Z.

Son of friends and a talented young man, brought up on a farm, who gave me extremely good advice based on his extensive experiences traveling through East Africa. His nimble hands made me a delicate leather bracelet which I wear. Inside this innocent-looking adornment, is enough space for a US $10 bill ‘in case of emergencies’.

Vi and Pat.

Near neighbours in my block of flats, they have saved many a situation because they hold a spare key to my flat. Vi bought herself a bright red-patterned cotton skirt once and then found that it was too long for her. She gave it to me and for months it has been my constant basic garment. However, swimming in the fast-flowing Niger river in clothes, did not do them much good and before I realized the damage being done, some of the button fastenings had been pulled off. In Lome, a small hut with a man and sewing machine, sewed up the glaring gaps and the skirt was as good as new! Except that I forgot to take it off the washing line when leaving a place and I just hope that somebody gets as much use out of it as I did.

Vinca and Zain.

An inspiring couple who traveled the Sahara and West Africa in an ordinary car. They have been a font of knowledge and good advice and I am enjoying recognizing the things of which they spoke. The books they lent me helped a lot and although I declined the loan of their water-purifier (weight!), their advice and experience stays with me.

William G.

William was a neighbour whom I befriended. He had no family in England and, when I discovered his relations in Ireland and we visited them, they showed no further interest as this old WW11 veteran reached the end of his life. He made me his Executor and it was an honour to inherit furniture from him. But there were also lovely wooden-handled tools and the odd items like a metal nailfile and unused razorblades, the latter being very handy on this trip. Yes, despite the often bucket-only conditions for washing, I am vain enough to shave my legs! And having no household or gardening chores to do, my nails are elegantly filed and undamaged; a state of affairs unknown under ‘normal’ circumstances!

WWWWW

Known as 5W (Women Welcome Women WorldWide), this is an organization for women from all over the world who may wish to visit and learn from others. I travel with the latest address list of its many African members and look forward to learning about their way of life. Sadly, in Ghana, despite my emailing and telephoning many addresses, there was only one response.


The above (and earlier parts of this alphabetical list) is the baggage made light which I carry with me through Africa. Much has already changed, been lost or added, but I will embrace the world as I always do and adjust accordingly. To know that so many friends have contributed to my comfort and memory, is a great solace. I think of friendship like a spider’s web. There are many interrelated strands. Some break and others are strengthened, but they are all part of a whole.