Chan chan 2

Chan chan 2, originally uploaded by Angela Amanatullah.

Chan Chan 1

Chan Chan 1, originally uploaded by Angela Amanatullah.

Chan Chan Bristol

Chan Chan Bristol, originally uploaded by Angela Amanatullah.

Edinburgh Festival

Rosita, our driver and I started our journey to Edinburgh on Wednesday 31st July. I finished work at 3. 30, rushed home and we were on our way by 4. 15 and the rushed trip down the motorway got us to Notting Hill in time to listen to Dante’s band Amaru III play in the shopping centre. We only missed the first half hour and Layla was already there dancing when we arrived. The acoustics in the shopping centre were brilliant and they sounded much better even than at the Contigo Peru (anniversary of Peru’s independence) concert. They were playing by the fountain in the centre of the 3 or 4 storeys high atrium topped by a dome, and had a vast crowd around them whilst they played and at each break the crowd were queueing up to buy their CDs.

We could have joined the band for a drink in a nearby pub afterwards and might have done, had they not taken forever getting their equipment up together. I was conscious of Claire having to be up at 5 am next day and that is where we were staying, so we said our goodbyes about 10 pm. At this point, on arrival back at the van, we were upset to discover that a parking ticket had been placed on the van, even though our driver was sitting in it. Unfortunately the ticket was written before our driver knew what was happening. This meant finding £40 within 14 days, or £80 if it was paid after 14 days. I was disappointed because it meant contributing £20 towards it. I told them their priority when they earned some money was to pay it within 14 days as I didn’t mind paying a £20 share but was reluctant to pay £40.

We set off across town to head for Claire’s place, after saying our goodbyes to Layla and the band, but with the busy traffic, one way streets, roadworks in the Trafalgar square area etc, we were still trying to get out of SW1 over 3 hours later. We had to give up in the end and drove to Camden because they knew how to get there okay, and found a quiet street where we parked up for the night and slept in the van, me in the front and them plus dog in the back. I slept okay considering.

Our journey from London to Edinburgh was quite eventful. When we awoke on thursday we had to make our way to New Cross to where Aquiles lives and this took us three hours. The traffic in London is horrendous - all the time (as evidenced by the 10 hour journey home the previous sunday) - which is something I never realised before always having previously used the train and underground train systems. First of all we thought we would never find the place where Aquiles lived. It took us three hours to get from Camden Town to New Cross. Well we found our way to New Cross okay but ended up going back and forth on the Old Kent Road, getting lost in the back-streets etc. We phoned him several times but ended up getting more lost than ever. Finally on about the fourth phone-call when we were in traffic lights just before a split in the road, he said ‘hang on I can see you’ and then we could see him running towards us!!! After collecting his things and him, the next trip was to Bethnal Green - Clare’s house - to collect all the equipment. I anticipated another episode of getting lost, knowing full well that Aquiles normally sleeps through any journey, so was really impressed to see how well he knew his way around London. We got to Bethnal Green in no time, loaded the equipment, and then he directed us to the M1 quite easily and finally we were on our way to Newcastle. With an extra person in the van only two could sit up front, so the third person had to get up on the bed in the back. Aquiles said there was no way he was getting in the back with the dog so Rosita opted to get in the back for the first part of the journey and later on at the next rest stop it was my turn.

The bed at the back is only about 2 feet from the ceiling of the van (with a large storage area underneath) and getting in and out was awkward to say the least. I tried putting one leg in first but then couldn’t get my head in and ended up with an undignified scramble and then being a contortionist to end up lying down. The worst aspect of being in the back was the fact that Inti the dog did not like travelling. He was panting in a stressed out manner continuously and drooling everywhere. I climbed into one of their sleeping bags to escape the drool. Luckily Inti is a gentle dog despite his fierce look. He is a labrador sherpay cross but his face looks like a pitbull terrier. Having seen him demolish a whole chicken, bones and all, it was a little nervy to see him so stressed out with the journey. Fortunately he responded well to sounds of comfort, although the panting only stopped whenever the van was stationery! Getting out of the van was even more difficult as the only was was bottom first but after a few attempts it got easier. All the way to Newcastle and then Edinburgh Aquiles was adamant that there was no way he was getting in the back with the dog!

On arrival at Newcastle which was around 11 in the evening, we drove to Peter’s house, a friend of Rosita’s and slept in our sleeping bags on his lounge floor. We had done some shopping earlier with the intention of me cooking for everyone and as it proved impossible that evening, and Aquiles was looking forward to the meal, I ended up cooking an enormous curry and rice which we all enjoyed for our breakfast! We then went out as Rosita wanted to show us around Newcastle, but the weather was horrendous with torrential rain, high winds etc. The beach looked really desolate in that weather and none of us felt like sightseeing in such conditions so eventually we all ended up back at Peter’s house. Rosita had set her heart on going to Salsa Viva that evening to see some friends and we got ready and arrived there for 8 pm. It cost £4 each to get in and we had to sit through two boring salsa classes at first. After a while Aquiles and I felt quite bored and were ready to leave early but Rosita wanted to stay until the end - 2. 30 am! She was enjoying herself, dancing with several of her friends, so we didn't have the heart to spoil that. At one point Aquiles and I left for a while as he was hungry and wanted to get something to eat. I went with him not because I was hungry but just for something different to do but he didn't want to walk far and the kebab takeaway we ended up in held no appeal for me and I just chose a portion of chips to keep him company. He chose kebabs but changed his mind and asked for chips instead when he heard me order them - and it is probably just as well. They were the most disgusting chips ever eaten and we threw them away before we had half finished. Rosita told us later that that place was regularly closed down because of people suffering from food-poisoning - so we were lucky to have no ill effects. Had we eaten anything other than chips we may not have been so lucky. The best part of the evening was meeting Coco Vega de la Puente, one of the musicians in Apu, but acting DJ each friday night at Salsa Viva. I first met him in 2000 and he still remembered me. We were hoping that Alex of Apu would also be there but unfortunately he wasn’t.

By 1 pm I had had enough and decided to go and wait in the van until Rosita and Aquiles rejoined us at 2. 30. our driver was already sleeping in the van in preparation for our night drive onward to Edinburgh and I managed to read for a while by the light from street lamps (something I got quite adept at whilst in Edinburgh as well!) and listened to my music through headphones until they came back.

Because Rosita needed to navigate our driver out of Newcastle it was up to me to get in the back again but this time I did not mind. At 2. 30 am I was ready to sleep, a much easier process lying down in the back than sitting up in the front. I was soon snug in a sleeping bag and listening to my music on headphones. our driver had wedged the back doors of the van slightly open so that there was plenty of ventilation, so soon I was asleep and the next I knew we were parked up on the outskirts of Edinburgh and then Aquiles was opening the back door of the van, asking if I’d mind getting in the front, that he was exhausted from lack of sleep and that dog or no dog, he just had to lie down! We all laughed heartily at this that finally he didn’t mind about having to share the bed with the dog!

Until this point the weather was only slightly improved. It was foggy and grey with a light drizzle of rain and that early in the morning quite cool temperature as well. After a couple of hours rest there our driver drove us onward into Edinburgh as we had to drive to the place where Claire was staying with the other members of the opera company in order to off-load all their equipment. Claire had flown to Edinburgh in the early morning of 1st August as the opera company were performing in one of the theatres daily from 1st up until 12th August - Claire being one of the musicians in the orchestra and the show was Mozart’s ‘The Marriage of Figaro”. When we arrived, Claire was there, and Aquiles immediately asked her to ask her companions if they would mind if he stayed there also, and when she came back with their agreement I was so disappointed as half the fun was having him with us. Suddenly the prospect of camping etc without him did not somehow have the same appeal. Although I felt pleased for his sake that he had somewhere comfortable to stay, both I and Rosita were disappointed when we drove away afterwards leaving him behind.

We drove out of Edinburgh again looking for a suitable place where we would park up that coming night. With no one but me to pay the campsite fees I realised that for the first week at least I could not afford to pay them on my own, so we were looking for somewhere hassle-free where we could stay overnight. The original plan had been for our driver and Rosita to sleep in the van as usual and Aquiles and me to camp in two little tents nearby. Without him nearby for protection, there was no way I was going to sleep in a tent on my own with them sleeping in the van, so this meant all three of us sleeping in the van. To gain a measure of privacy I opted to sleep across the seats in the front compartment, with them sleeping in the back as usual. We found a nice place to camp up and this remained our place to stay for the next few nights. It was the little car park attached to a nature reserve about 4 miles out from the centre of Edinburgh. The car park was used regularly by people walking their dogs in the woods and fields of the nature reserve and was overlooked by nearby houses so therefore not too isolated and we felt comfortable there. Our first job on arrival there was to reorganise the van, following the off-loading of all their equipment, making it easier to find things. Then we received a phone call from Aquiles asking us to meet up and we drove back to Edinburgh and collected them both. With a 4th person this meant two in the back, so Claire and Aquiles sat up front with our driver, Rosita stayed on the bed and I sat on a fold up stool in the back. We went to a supermarket and three of us shared the cost of the food and then drove down to the quayside and parked, where I cooked for us all. You would have laughed if you could have seen us all sitting around tucking into herby sausages cooked in tomatoes and onions served with chunks of buttered crusty bread.

Aquiles was really happy in that, even though Claire was staying in a place with several women, they didn’t mind about him sharing the accommodation too. Claire was lucky in that she had a room on her own which he could share - as some of the women had to double up in twin rooms. I realised that morning that although he was sleeping elsewhere he still intended spending as much time with us as possible so I felt a bit happier about the situation once I realised that. We arranged to meet up again in the evening because Kantaro were playing at El Barrio night club and we were all keen to go. Aquiles said that as I was the one who knew the members of Kantaro the best it was up to me to get us in free and when I asked the bouncer on the door he let us in readily - half an hour later and we may have had to pay £4 each. Kantaro only has two of its original members - Luis and Eloy - I’ve kept in touch with Eloy since 2000 and he remembered me and gave me a big hug and was pleased to see Aquiles as well. We had a lovely evening at El Barrio and I thoroughly enjoyed dancing to Kantaro’s music - which is different than it was in 2000 - more a mix of salsa/tropical/andean music than the purer form of andean music it had been two years previously. But very suited to the atmosphere of a night club and it was impossible not to want to dance to every single song. Whilst we were in El Barrio, our driver was parked in the van nearby and sleeping and we rejoined him soon after the band finished, leaving Aquiles to enjoy the remainder of the night with his other friends and agreeing to meet up again the next day. our driver drove us back to the nature reserve where we stayed for the night - that first night sleeping in the van properly with sleeping bag etc was pretty uncomfortable and I woke up several times, and consequently was feeling pretty tired the next day.

Next morning after breakfast I washed my hair in a bowl of water and soon we were on our way into Edinburgh. They dropped me in the centre and said they would catch up with me later as they wanted to return to the nature reserve and spend the day resting. I was too eager to get into Edinburgh to want to waste time sleeping (the few hours of the night in that van was more than enough for me!!!!). Fortunately the rain had stopped and although slightly misty the weather looked as though it was gradually getting brighter. My first stop in Edinburgh was a long visit at the internet cafe to get caught up on messages since the previous wednesday and then after a light lunch it was time to meet up with Aquiles. Claire had got us two free tickets for A Marriage to Figaro and we all got to the Gateway Theatre about 1. 30, Claire to join the rest of the cast and Aquiles and I had a coffee each in a nearby outdoor coffee shop until it was time to go in for the start of the show at 2 pm. She had got us free tickets for the show and we sat near the front. The only trouble is, feeling so tired, I had to fight to stay awake and Aquiles spent the whole performance having to nudge me awake every time I drifted off to sleep. The opera was a bit hard to follow the story, especially sleeping off and on through it, but I did enjoy the music by the London Camerata musicians, it was really beautiful. Back outside afterwards Claire asked if we would like to see other shows as she could get the tickets really cheap. She then got us tickets for Dood Rock on Monday and a love story mixed with illusion on Tuesday.

We then went strolling around town looking for a place to eat, discarding them one after the other, and ended up in a pub selling Chinese food - which turned out to be pretty disgusting food. After that I was ready to rejoin our driver and Rosita at the pre-arranged place. I decided to wear a fleece jacket inside my sleeping bag that night. What a mistake that was. I woke up at 3 am boiling hot and had to struggle out of both fleece and sleeping bag to cool down, and then could not get back to sleep all night. It seemed a very long time until 8 when they woke up. Thank goodness for my music, which is always near me and I listened to a few cds to pass the time.

You would not believe how the weather then changed from that monday when we woke up. From the cold, fog, wind and rain on the journey to get to Edinburgh everything suddenly changed dramatically for the better. Both Monday and Tuesday were so hot it was almost impossible to walk about in it and certainly the best weather I have ever experienced in Scotland. I spent a good part of monday in the beautiful park off Princes street, relaxing in the sunshine, although it was a hefty climb and walk to go and get a drink whenever I needed one. After 2 half litre drinks disappeared less than half an hour after puffing my way back, I decided to be better prepared next day! There was not much andean music evident that day which is why I spent so much time in the park. Although there were hundreds of other things going on everywhere, I had only come to Edinburgh for the andean music, so was happy to sunbathe in the park best part of the day, listening to my own andean music through headphones.

Aquiles caught up with me about 4 pm, having slept off a hangover from the night before! He had gone out with his friends Lolo and Pepe from the Waykis band and got back about 6 in the morning. Claire phoned and explained and said she had left a message for him to contact me when he woke up. He phoned about 3 pm to say he was walking down and I explained where I was and when he caught up with me he had Lolo and Pepe with him and we went off in their van and drove to the Botanical Gardens which are amazing. Unfortunately it was too late to go in the glass houses - the most enormous I have ever seen - but just looking around the gardens was lovely. We spent about an hour and a half strolling round, then Lolo drove us to the theatre where we arrived a bit late. I forgot I still had my sunglasses on and when we went in it was pitch black and I had to feel my way round to the seats, and the show had already started. Luckily there were still a few seats in a packed house, but we all had to sit separately. The nine musicians of the Dood Rock ensemble were brilliant. It was a high energy performance of strenuous drumming, rock music and energetic dancing. This ensemble were the group who played at the opening celebrations of the World Cup football earlier in the year. For me it was the best show other than andean music seen during my whole visit at the festival this year.

Afterwards the plan was to go to Garibaldi’s a Mexican restaurant where Kantaro were supposed to be playing. It took over an hour to find the restaurant, me finally asking two policemen sitting in a police car who rang the police station who looked it up on the computer and then they explained how to find it. Then when we got there the band were n ‘t playing after all! So they next wanted to try out the Bongo Club which was about 2 miles walking, and when we got there they ruled that out too, as that night’s entertainment was Indian (it sounded like a mosque, the wailing of somebody as we climbed the stairs, which completely put Aquiles off and he said we could go another night when something more exciting was on. By this time I was running out of time as I was meeting Rosita and our driver at 11 pm. They walked me round to where she was performing and stayed and watched her last performance and then we said our goodbyes until the next day. I was starving by this time. We drove back to the usual place and they were cooking pasta but I didn't fancy pasta with no meat in it so opted for two slices of bread and butter instead, but only had butter on one of them because I demolished the first slice before our driver had time to get the butter out! Believe it or not I actually slept right through that night. It was about midnight by the time we settled down to sleep and I laid on top of my sleeping bag and climbed into an empty quilt cover and slept in that and it made a big difference, having my legs a bit freer. When your legs are trapped together in a sleeping bag it is impossible to get comfortable in such a confined space.

On tuesday I helped sell their CDs when they were playing during the morning, until Claire had to go on her way at 1 pm for her show. Then as Kantaro had set up their instruments nearby I stayed and listened to the first of their shows. Then went to see the Waykis perform as Aquiles had opted to stay with them, but when I got there the pitch had been reserved by two other bands and they had a 4 hour wait before they could play. So instead of hanging about so long, I disappeared to the park again, this time stopping at Sainsburys to buy salad, fruit and a litre of orange juice as well as a couple of diet cokes so that I would not have to move all afternoon. It was great lying in the sun again, listening to my music which accompanies me everywhere. I had a good book with me that day as well.

I also managed to get my mobile phone charged up. A young lad in Carphone Warehouse kindly took my phone and charger up to their office and put it on charge, with me to collect it a couple of hours later. Because of the difficulty of getting it charged I only kept it on in spells rather than all the time, so that each charge lasted as long as possible. There is an emergency charger available for more up to date phones, a battery style charger, but unfortunately nothing like that is available for my phone which at 3 years old is too out of date for such things. After my Peru trip in January I am definitely going to buy a more up to date phone, which although a luxury extra at home was an absolute essential whilst in Edinburgh for keeping in touch with Claire and Aquiles when not with them and also for contacting Rosita so that we met up again at night.

When I rejoined Aquiles and Waykis at 5 pm, they were still waiting to play, and said that when Claire rejoined Aquiles at 5. 30 they were intending to play a couple of sets, so I left them agreeing to rejoin them at 7. 30 so that I could have a decent length of time in the internet cafe. That night’s show would be at 9. 30 and was a love story interleaved with illusion, and magic tricks, so sounded quite promising. Rejoining them at 7. 30 meant we would have plenty of time to find a nice place to eat first. The reality was that when I left the internet cafe it was pouring with rain and had been for ages and although I knew it was a wasted walk I went back to where they were playing and of course they had already gone. I phoned Aquiles and they had hurried home with the equipment and were just in a Chinese restaurant about to order, so I said I would catch up with them at the theatre rather than walk all that way. With nearly two hours to kill I decided to walk to Garibaldi’s which was not too far away. There I chose a main meal previously unknown to me - hailed on the menu as Mexico’s most popular dish - although I did not like it very much. I made that a couple of Mexican beers last me until it was time to walk to the theatre, 15 minutes away on foot.

The show turned out to be rather boring. There were not many people, not like the packed houses both days previously. Yet again I was struggling to stay awake throughout, this time Claire nudging me awake each time I dropped off to sleep. Aquiles was so bored with it that he left in the interval and went to rejoin his friends. We stayed on until the end - or near the end - which was a complete waste of time. Four minutes before the end the lights failed and the end could not be performed without the lights for the magic illusion - a great disappointment to us both bearing in mind that the whole show was supposed to end with an amazing finale. Everyone was told they could come again for free but I doubt if anyone took them up on it. Sitting through all that again would have been more an ordeal than a pleasure just to catch those 4 minutes at the end!

Afterwards I rejoined Rosita and our driver and we had another reasonable night. Aquiles and Claire had invited me to join them to go to some Indian music show but I decided against going because it was £6 to get in plus all the drinks etc. I said I would see them the following evening instead. Rosita wanted to go to the salsa club again and we were both invited by Lolo and Pepe but I didn’t fancy that either. I decided to stay in the van and have an early night instead - this being a more attractive option at the time because the book I was reading was so exciting I could hardly put it down. With my own music as well as some wine I had all I needed for a quiet night. Our driver parked in a quite well lit up area so that I could read with ease even after it got dark. I had bought a load of snacks so was happily ensconced for the evening.

Eventually I must have fallen asleep because I did not hear our driver come back and get into the back of the van to sleep. The next I knew it was 4 am and Rosita arrived back at the van accompanied by Isaac who wanted a lift home. I remembered Isaac from my previous two visits to Edinburgh - although the loveliest person when sober he can be difficult when he has had a lot to drink. Rosita had been insisting the previous couple of days that we park the van outside the city and all walk in each day in order to save fuel and here she was offering a lift to a guy who lived 28 miles outside Edinburgh!

Anyhow we set off, with me directing our driver the way to go, and eventually we got to his place in Dunbar and all piled into Isaac’s flat, with me thinking at least we could have a shower there in the morning instead of having to pay £2 for one at Waverley station. After unloading our stuff to take indoors I directed our driver to a nearby car park where he could park for free, instead of having to get up before 8. 30 and move the car, due to parking restrictions in the road outside during the daytime. Once indoors we were trying to work out where we would sleep with me insisting to both Rosita and our driver that the three of us all sleep in one room, knowing full well that Isaac would pester either her or me and our best protection was our driver’s presence. In the past when I have been there with Claire and Aquiles, this arrangement worked perfectly with Aquiles being the protector of us both and as guessed everything went haywire.

At 6 in the morning we were stuck in the van in a car park in Dunbar and it was pouring with rain. It poured with rain all day and they slept all day. After reading a book until the shops opened, I explored Dunbar from one end to the other, had lunch in a small hotel and occupied myself in the afternoon by washing all my clothes by hand and then taking it to a launderette and getting it all dried. The food in the hotel was so disgusting that I ended up sending it back (highly unusual for me!). Then more reading of book until they woke up. At this point Rosita was talking about going to Newcastle. That prospect definitely did not appeal to me one iota. Admittedly I saw Newcastle at its worst in the pouring rain - and the prospect of going there again in more pouring rain was anathema to me. I said I would prefer to go home if they were leaving Edinburgh, and that I could take a train home in the morning. Rosita was willing to hitchhike or ride the train without paying to get to Newcastle and leave our driver and van with me but that prospect did not appeal to me either. At least in Edinburgh I had other friends and I was enjoying the music every day and even made a new friend as well - more about that in a moment. Whilst we were still arguing the points between staying in Edinburgh or going to Newcastle, my phone went and it was Aquiles who sounded really shocked that I might be going home so soon and he asked if we could all meet up as he had something he wanted to tell all three of us. Rosita realised I was serious about going home by listening to my end of the conversation and when the call was finished she said she would stay with us in Edinburgh.

We drove back to Edinburgh and pulled up outside the place where Claire and Aquiles were staying. I phoned to say we were outside and next minute Aquiles appeared with a glass of wine in one hand and an aluminium container full of food. I thought we had disturbed him with his dinner but no, the food container was for us and contained enough for all three of us! Aquiles then said that there was a small spare room in the flat where his friends at Waykis were staying and there was a chance that we could have it for a week if we paid £50. This was really cheap but I said I would be willing to pay half if Rosita and our driver could come up with the other half, so we left it like that. Rosita said she would try to earn that money during the day. Aquiles, Lolo and Pepe were going to El Barrio and invited us to join them, so we did. Anything was a welcome break from being in that bloody van all day!!!!!

We had a really enjoyable evening. By the time we got there it was time to be paying £4 to get in but Aquiles had a word with the bouncer on the door in Spanish and he said to wait outside a moment, smiling at me as he said it and I realised he remembered me from when we were there the previous saturday when I had asked if we could get in free to see my friends in Kantaro. Sure enough once the people waiting to pay to get in had all gone through he beckoned us forward and let us go in for nothing! Also, Rosita had smuggled a bottle of pisco in under her poncho and we all bought glasses of coca cola and spiked it all night with the pisco - very nice it was too! We stayed in the club until about 2 am - it was full of people salsa dancing to the music provided by a DJ. I was hoping Aquiles would want to go there again the following two nights because Kantaro would be performing there again on saturday and on sunday at 10 pm there would be a flamenco music and dance show, followed by another Spanish band afterwards at midnight.

Apart from that dismal raining day in Dunbar, I was enjoying myself tremendously every day with all the live andean music. My favourite group was the band led by Marco Parrado. All the musicians in that group were Bolivian and two or three of them had come from the Czech republic just for the festival, were going to Germany in September to cut a CD and then returning to their homes in Czech Republic. The two CDs they were selling were Pachakuti CDs so they obviously had some connection with that band - but I could not buy them as I had both CDs in my collection already. I did not realise it at that time but the guitar player - Arturo - formerly played with Jacha Mallku, one of my favourite Bolivian bands.

The charango player was very sweet - about 4 foot tall and with a very plump face. He spent his whole hour break that first time I spoke to him, playing his charango for me and talking about music in general. This was really nice for me because he couldn’t speak English and it was great to have an opportunity like that to practise my Spanish, and it was probably nice for him to have someone different to talk to as well. He asked for my address and email address and I gave them to him and he gave me his - his name was Froilan, nicknamed Froy for short. The best thing was that he comes from Oruro in Bolivia and it is great to have a contact there in view of the fact that I intend to be there for the carnaval in february. I will be able to ask him for the name of a good place to stay. He said he might even be in Oruro in February as well, which would be even better.

After about a week of sleeping in the van I was beginning to suffer from backache - Unfortunately by this time we had dithered too long and the £50 room had been taken by someone else. After that awful rainy day in Dunbar it was great to see the weather improve the following day - not much sun in evidence but at least it was dry and relatively warm. I saw in the newspaper that there was a scare about contaminated water in Edinburgh, so although I was drinking some tap water to save money, I soon put a stop to that! I was soon back on diet cokes, tango and the like. I was still undecided at this point as to how much longer I was staying - I would have returned that day had Rosita continued her plan to go back to Newcastle. But she agreed to stay on and knowing that the Bolivian band were doing a live show at an evening venue on the 19th I was hoping to stay at least as long as that. But Aquiles was returning to London on the 12th and Claire on the 13th, so I decided to leave it until nearer the time and then decide whether to stay on beyond their departure.

The following morning I went to the train station to find out how much it would cost to get a train home. I decided that I might return home around the same time as Aquiles and Claire as I simply couldn't face much longer sleeping at night in the van, especially since developing back ache. The previous night I could not get comfortable at all and as soon as it was light I passed the time reading my book and listening to music. I had enjoyed my stay in Edinburgh overall but was looking forward to going home as well. Colin seemed delighted that I might be going home around the 13th as he was missing me and I missed him as well. If only I could have persuaded him to come to Edinburgh too but he didn't think it would be his scene and he was probably right.

On sunday morning I went to Waverley station for my every 2-day shower. This after an hour and a half at the internet cafe where I discovered that had I stayed there and used all my allocation I could have stayed online for 4. 75 hours for £1- it’s really cheap at non peak times - later in the day one would only get 54 minutes for £1 with the time remaining on the unused portion of the ticket reducing accordingly. I enquired about trains and discovered it would cost £81 to get to London, or £64 if the ticket was purchased 24 hours before the day of travel. On leaving the station I saw Aquiles’ friends from Waykis all set up with their equipment but awaiting the other musicians and told Lolo that I would be there to listen in about an hour’s time as I needed to revisit the internet cafe - this time to check out the cost of cheap flights - which is when I discovered I could fly home for £50 which is about the same and maybe even cheaper than the long and tedious journey by bus. The only problem was that one needed photo id to be able to fly (passport, photo driving licence etc) none of which I had with me.

When I came out of the internet cafe the second time it was pouring with rain. I hurried back to the band, not really expecting them to still be there but they were - three of them huddled under an enormous umbrella which protected both them and the equipment. On the way to them I saw a 2-course set lunch on offer at a hotel for only £4. 75. I told Aquiles about it but they had already eaten. I said I would pop along there for the lunch and then come back and he said if they weren’t there they would be in the pub around the corner.

I enjoyed the lunch in the hotel and then went back and saw that their equipment was under the umbrella with no one minding it. I realised they were in the pub so went to join them and Aquiles said the Chinese guys who were sharing the pitch were keeping an eye on all their stuff (same guys they normally share the pitch with in Covent garden). I then spent a very pleasant afternoon with nine Peruvian musicians in the pub - three of the members of Kantaro, Lolo and Pepe, Aquiles and some others, including Isaac, and really enjoyed myself there with them all. I was able to practice my Spanish on some of them and chat about music etc to others - Eloy of Kantaro promised he would give me their latest CD which was just released the day before as a gift. When I told them about the passport problem, Eloy offered to receive it at his house if I had anyone at home who could post it. So I immediately got on the phone to Colin who said he would go to my house to collect it that afternoon and then send it to me express delivery care of Eloy’s address the following morning.

About 5 pm Aquiles, Lolo, Pepe and I hurried through the rain to where one of them had a vehicle parked and then we drove to a Chinese restaurant for one of those eat as much as you like places for £8 a head (Aquiles calls them eat as much as you can) and had a nice meal and Claire joined us there. After that we took a bus back to where they were staying as the plan was to go to the 7 pm showing of Festival of Funk at £5 a head but when we got there it was to find the festival was only on weekdays and not weekends, so we said we would probably go the next night instead. So we went back to where Claire and Aquiles and the rest of the opera company were staying. It was a beautiful place. We decided to relax in the lounge watching TV until 9. 30, the time to leave for El Barrio, but with one and a half hours to spare I decided to get a bus to the internet cafe and book my ticket to be sure of getting it at the £50 price. The bus service in Edinburgh was absolutely brilliant - you never had to wait more than a few minutes and it was simple to get from one place to another quite easily as the bus drivers were really helpful at explaining and pointing out where each bus stop was. After 9. 30 am it was possible to get an off-peak ticket which enabled you to ride the buses all day. I didn't take advantage of this but maybe on a future visit I would.

After booking the ticket on line, I looked for the immediate acknowledgement in my email inbox and that was when I was dismayed to find it said Dear Eloy Munez, thank you for booking your ticket with Go fly etc etc! You can imagine my dismay, thinking the ticket was booked in the wrong name. My plan next morning was to get that acknowledgement printed and take it out to the airport to sort it out, so you can imagine how relieved I was to find the itinerary from Go Fly in monday’s messages, which stated that the passenger name was Angela Amanatullah. This meant I could enjoy listening to music all day because en route from information centre to the bank I bumped into two members of the Bolivian band - one of them Froilan, who said they would start playing about 11 am. I knew that Waykis with Aquiles and Claire would also be playing, so I would be bouncing back and forth between the two bands most of the day and would probably catch up with Rosita there as well. She had managed to get £20 wired to her account from a friend so that I could send the £40 cheque for that parking fine that day, which was essential as the 14 days would be up in a couple of days and then the fine would rise to £80.

When I got back to where they were staying, Aquiles had hopped into bed and was sound asleep and Claire said she hoped he would still want to go out. Luckily when we woke him at 9. 15 he was still willing to go, although spinning it out until the last minute before getting out of bed and me nagging him that the part of the show I wanted to see started at 10 pm!!! He said they never start on time at El Barrio. We walked there which took about half an hour, as going by bus was too complicated and would have involved about 3 buses. Normally if you arrive at El Barrio before 11 pm it is free to get in but not on sundays! Because of the two shows, they were charging £3 to get in which we were all reluctant to pay. The girl on the door was Polish so I said I would ask the bouncer outside - but whereas he has let us in after 11 on previous nights he couldn’t that night because he said the boss was there. We went back in and the girl said ‘are you going in free?’ so Aquiles said yes and all three of us went in, but the bouncer noticed this and followed and said we had to pay because of the boss being there. Aquiles had disappeared into the loo so we had to wait for him to come out and then went back out and paid our entrance fees and came back in. I went up to the bar to get a drink (£1. 60 for a can of coca cola) and the boss was there and said “so you decided to come in after all!” with a smile on his face and I said we were all poor musicians and usually ensured we got there before 11 and did not realise it was a different arrangement on sundays. He said that because of the two shows the cover charge was essential to cover the costs as both acts had come from Spain. Because of the boss being so observant, we all finally understood why on this occasion the bouncer had insisted on us paying to get in - he may have got into trouble himself otherwise. Aquiles was right in that the show did not start on time. We were lucky to find seats with a good view and the first show started at 11 o clock - with two musicians on stage and 2 girl flamenco dancers and it was a brilliant show. The guitar playing of the musicians was unbelievable and the dancing fantastic, far better than any flamenco show I’ve ever seen before and the applause was deafening by all those watching. After the flamenco dance act, there was a short spell of DJ music - again Spanish - whilst the group ‘The Bastarda Bin Band’ set up their instruments and their music was brilliant too, and the flamenco dancers were in amongst the dancers on the dance floor and everyone trying to imitate them. I stayed until about 2 am, managing to make 3 cokes last all night (4 hours which must be a record for me!) I was with Claire, Aquiles, Lolo, Pepe and Rosita. Claire left after the flamenco show as she was quite tired but I hung on until 2 am, thinking I might be able to sleep if I settled down late. Rosita and Lolo walked me to the van and then went back

Next morningI went to the other pitch where both Waykis with Aquiles were sharing with the Bolivian band playing and selling Pachakuti music (Froy, Marco etc). The remainder of my time that day was spent with Aquiles, Lolo and Pepe (the two guys from the Waykis band). They souned pretty good as a threesome and Claire joined them for the odd hour at times as well. I tried to persuade Pepe to sell me his cardigan which is beautiful with a condor design on it - he didn't want to unfortunately but has given me the name, address and telephone number of his Mum in Cusco who makes them for a living - so I will write to her and ask if she will make me one that I can collect whilst in Cusco in February. The third band - Kantaro - were playing about 100 yards away on the other side of the road, so I didn't actually get over there on monday, but hoped they would be playing the next day, as I needed to contact Eloy as regards meeting up to collect my passport and their CD.

It was a really hot day on tuesday until mid afternoon and I was so enjoying listening to the music of the three bands. Before that Eloy of Kantaro caught up with me when I was hurrying from internet cafe to playing pitch and gave me my passport which had arrived safely and told me they were playing in Marks and Spencers doorway and that if I popped by later I could collect the cd. I enjoyed chatting to Froy again and he played all sorts of songs to me on his charango during his breaks. Aquiles had told me that Marco is in charge of the band and drives them to town each day to play and then drives them home again and they never go anywhere else so with this in mind I decided I would like to take Froy for a drink and I asked Marco to ask him if he would like that. I asked via Marco who I’ve known 3 years running here in Edinburgh - and Froy was delighted. We agreed to meet at 9 pm. I asked Marco if he would pick up Froy later but he said don’t worry, he knows his way home! About mid morning I went to listen to Kantaro and Eloy gave me the CD and the whole band signed it for me. I met up with our driver at the van so that I could change into some clean clothes and then we parked centrally near where I was to meet Froy. At this point I had an hour to spare so went into that hotel again because the daily set lunch was available until 9 pm and was excellent value. I finished there and walked along to meet Froy and then we walked back to our driver who then drove us to El Barrio and parked nearby where I could find him after leaving the club. When we walked in there was hardly anyone in the club and no live music, just a DJ playing latin music. Because there was no live music the stage was taken up with tables and chairs and we found a choice place to sit and were talking for hours - this is when he compiled the list of Oruro bands for me. He bought the first drink and I had a very embarrassing moment when I got up to get the second. I completely forgot about the step down from the stage and stepped into thin air and consequently found myself skidded halfway across the room on that wooden floor with both legs bent awkwardly under me. I leapt to my feet in an instant and continued to the bar as if nothing happened but felt incredibly embarrassed!

We stayed in the club until 11. 30 by which time it was really busy and full of salsa dancers. Froy asked what time the buses ran until and of course I did not know. I had been under the mistaken impression that he was staying somewhere in Edinburgh but instead he was in a village outside called Dalkeith and had to go back on the bus. Once I knew this we finished our beers quickly and left and shook hands outside the club with me to see him at the playing pitch next day and I walked around the corner to the van. I couldn't offer him a lift home because by this time our driver may have already been asleep). As it happened, he was awake and wanted to move to the next street which was quieter and not so lit up. He drove, crossing a set of traffic lights in the process, and just as he was pulling into a space I heard a polite voice asking him if he would step out of the van. It was a policeman and I could imagine our driver’s dismay. Fortunately, it was just a case of our driver having forgotten to switch on the van lights when he made that move. The police asked his name which they had already pre-checked against the van’s registration. They left us with a warning not to let that happen again and both of us heaved a big sigh of relief when he went away! Luckily when I asked Froy the next day, it was to learn that he had managed to catch the last bus back. Also I had no ill effects from my fall - the position I ended up in I was lucky not to have a broken leg!!!!

I sorted out all my stuff on tuesday morning. I filled two black bin-bags with my things which our driver was going to stow right at the back of the storage area of the van, ready to give me the next time they are down south. The suitcase was less than half full in order not to exceed the weight limit of only 20 kg. Other essential things like the CDs, a book etc were in the bag I would be using as a flight bag which whilst stowed at the station all day on wednesday could be placed inside the suitcase until I arrived at the airport later.

As Aquiles was returning to London after playing that day he enlisted our driver’s help in collecting his stuff from the room and getting it all to the station. I had to explain in detail to our driver how to get to the point where he could pick up the equipment where Aquiles was playing, walking him down the streets until he was sure he could remember (he is hopeless at finding his way about and needs someone to guide him all the time). Then when he finally arrived we had to fetch the rest of the equipment - one could hardly move in the van - and much of it would be staying in the van until they next arrived in London. We had a bit of time to kill so drove to the theatre to collect Claire and then Aquiles wanted snacks for the journey so we drove to the supermarket and dropped them both there with us to drive down into the station and unload all the stuff he was taking. We parked where we shouldn't and just taking it out of the van 5 guards told us to move. I was trying to put the stuff on the trolley and secured it with the stretch hooks but it looked very precarious. Aquiles arrived just as the guard got really cross and next minute Aquiles was calling us back as our driver was driving off. I had to leap out of the van and tell them to turn left and then left again and that I would come out of the station at the other exit. Aquiles had called me because he didn't want 2 of the items. I realised as I hurried to the other exit that I had left coat, bag, phone, passport, cash, everything in the van. Had they chosen to drive away I would have been helpless at that moment. Luckily they didn't and were awaiting me near the other exit!!!!

It was about 7 pm by the time we said farewell to Aquiles, and we had no plans to go night-clubbing without Aquiles and his friends, so I paid for Rosita and me to have a long spell in the internet cafe as there was not much else to do. our driver sat in the middle and was happy to watch while we were busy tapping away for the next couple of hours! Afterwards we drove to the nature reserve and did a big sort out of the van which was so full nobody could hardly move. They were storing most of Aquiles equipment as well as much of my stuff and all their own belongings. our driver managed to get all mine and Aquiles things in the back of the van, so they could better organise the inside of the van for their own everyday needs. He parked facing a street lamp so that I could read for a while, after we finished the food I had bought at the supermarket for the three of us. Then finally he turned the van round so that the slope was in my favour and I slept reasonably well apart from waking up with cramp in both legs at once in the night which was excruciating and even when it wore off I was afraid to lie down again and slept sitting up and then read my book once daylight appeared. We arrived back in town about 11, our driver dropping both Rosita and me off at Waverley station - where I left my case in left luggage which was well worth the £4 cost rather than wheeling it about everywhere with me all that last day. When I collected it later I could wheel it up the slope where the cars come down to park, cross the road and arrive at the airport bus stop! All that last day Rosita and I were perched up on the wall just behind the Bolivian band, enjoying the music when they were playing and chatting to the various musicians in their breaks. I had a chat with Arturo, ex guitar player with Jacha Mallku and he wrote down the titles of their CDs - there was one he could not remember the name of, and just one that I could see that I did not have called Hojas de Otono - I shall now be looking everywhere for that one. He confirmed that as far as he knew Primero es Bolivia was the last CD they did. I asked about a website and he said to look at discolandia. com, which I will do once I get time. Maybe Lauro have a site as well and if so both are well worth a look, being the two main music promotors in Bolivia. I had a nice photo taken with Arturo, plus one with Marco and I got them all to pose (including the chaps selling the cds) for a nice group photo. Chatting to all of them was fun as it was good practise with my spanish - with the exception of Marco who is married to a Scottish girl with whom he has a 2 year old son, most of them only had a minimal amount of English. I think all of them except Marco and the guys selling the cds will go back to Czech Republic after the festival finishes. The grande fireworks finale is on 31st August. There is a hotel on Princes street where one can enjoy a 3 course dinner on the rooftop terrace with a birds eye view of the fireworks and the music. At only £42. 50 per person it is well worth the cost. One day I would love to be there for that. Froy promised to keep in touch by email and he gave me a big hug when I said my farewells to everyone at 5 o clock. It was sunny all day and a thoroughly enjoyable last day in Edinburgh. Even though I had given her one lecture after another, and she looked a bit cross to be on the receiving end of some of them!!!, Rosita said that she really enjoyed having me travelling with them. Overall I enjoyed the Edinburgh adventure tremendously - it was only the poor sleeping arrangements that drove me home in the end.

After saying goodbye I collected my case from the station and was soon on the bus to the airport, where I arrived 45 minutes too early to check in. I enjoyed a large 250 ml glass of Fetzer rose syrah whilst waiting for check in time, and then went back and ordered another one after checking in my case which I enjoyed along with a Mexican meal. I knew the time to board the plane commenced at ten past eight and about that time left the pub and made my way to screens to find the gate number. All the screens only stated where to check in so I asked and was told to go to departures and look on the screens there. This was quite a long walk and on the way I browsed in the duty free shops, finding a Panasonic cassette player reduced from £45 to £25 and wanted to buy it but it was out of stock! Probably just as well as I may have missed the plane. As I was reaching the departures lounge they were calling the last call for passengers for the Bristol flight - I saw on the screen that it was gate 12 and I think I was the last person to board the plane with minutes to spare before they shut the doors. I had a window seat and it was a pleasant fight home. Considering it was a budget airline everything was perfect. The plane took off on time and in fact landed 10 minutes early with a 5 minute wait to arrive at the stop position because we had to wait for a plane to move from there first. Only 10 minutes wait for the suitcases and then I was walking out into the airport where Colin awaited me. It was great to see him again and we gave each other a big hug and then were walking back to the car park. I said “I bet you set out from Bath about the same time as I set out from Edinburgh” and he said “no, he had been at the Pelican inn, no great distance across country from the airport which is way outside Bristol and closer to Timsbury than Bristol is. I said ‘ooh can we go there for one drink on the way home and he said Richard and Kerry had asked just that, so in no time we were sitting in the bar at the Pelican inn, and it was nice to be back and chatting to good friends. The little dog I had cuddled 2 or 3 weeks previously was there with his owner and I asked if I could cuddle him and had him on my lap for ages. Richard said ‘that dog has just had half a pint of lager and two bags of pork scratchings; I would not have him on my lap if I were you!” I laughed and said it was worth the risk as he was so cute. He is now about 7 or 8 weeks old. Luckily there were no accidents!!!

The weather since my return was lovely and warm and on thursday my first job was to mow the lawns, water plants etc and I relaxed all day in the garden both thursday afternoon, all day friday and saturday morning. I had a nice evening at the Pelican with Colin on friday and I phoned Aquiles on saturday to check they would still be in London for Notting Hill carnaval but they still had not made up their minds between returning to Edinburgh, a trip over to Ireland or remaining in London. He suggested I joined them for the latino festival the following day, so I decided that yes I would and would book my train tickets and then call back to confirm. Sure enough, tickets were still available, albeit at much higher prices than the advanced supersaver rate I normally buy them at. I then phoned Aquiles to confirm I would arrive at Paddington at 10 And would catch up with them at Elephant and Castle as soon as possible thereafterwards. On Saturday evening I went to Colin’s and we cooked for each other instead of going out and it was a pleasant evening with a bottle of wine and some of my latest andean music. Upon my return from Edinburgh there were 15 CDs arrived from Stasha plus a tape from Quipu in Weymouth, all of which I enjoyed listening to every possible moment since. Stasha had confirmed another 12 were also on their way to me, plus I could look forward to a further 20 from Jorge in Argentina later in the month.

On Sunday morning I was up at 6 am, in order to have a shower and breakfast and we left the house about 7. 45, had a further coffee at the station and I was soon on my way on the 8. 27 train, happily ensconced with a good book and my most recent andean music to enjoy on the journey. The train arrived on time at Paddington and I got the underground on the bakerloo line to Elephant and Castle, 11 stops down the line. On arrival I looked for Aquiles and Claire in the shopping centre but without success so phoned Aquiles and he said I would find them in the outdoor carpark around the back. I found my way there but no sign of them. I phoned again and realised I was in the right place and a few moments later I realised why I had not seen them. Both of them were dressed up in mariachi costume, with enormous sombrero hats on, as they would be taking part in the carnaval parade from Elephant and Castle to Burgess Park where the latino festival - Carnaval del Pueblo - was being held. I took photos of them and had one taken of me with Aquiles’ hat on, and when the carnaval parade started I walked alongside, taking several photos, looking in shops on the way etc. The parade kept stopping and starting so I soon lost track of the distance travelled. I could not believe later on just how far we had walked.

Finally about 1 pm we all arrived at Burgess Park. I noticed on route that the fiesta was bill-boarded on posters as Southwark Annual Show. The site was enormous and I spent the first couple of hours looking at all the stalls, purchasing a few latino craft souvenirs from Peru and then checked out many of the food stalls. Wow, what fantastic food was on offer all day! I ended up eating loads. I started off with a Peruvian fish soup and then followed it with an Ecuadorian pork dish with rice, roasted potatoes and corn bread. The weather was incredibly hot and luckily I had dressed accordingly as the humidity levels were high as well. By the time I finished eating the afternoon programme of events on stage was beginning and I enjoyed tremendously the first few groups which were andean - a community cultural group, followed by a dance troupe who danced to a Kjarkas Saya, then the community cultural group again. When this finished and another different group came on I wandered off again looking at more stalls and bought a useful Latin American Spanish phrase book. The next band which I enjoyed immensely were a mix of Peruvian, Venezuelan, Colombian musicians called Bahareque who had recently taken Bulgaria by storm with its music of the Andes, viewed by some 8 million people on TV etc. Their performance for me was the best of the whole day and I was lucky enough to be standing right at the front for it. By this time two hours had gone by since I lost touch with Aquiles so I phoned him and asked where he was. I told him I was right by the stage so he said they would find me. Sure enough they approached halfway thorough Bahareque’s performance and explained where they were standing and I said I would join them as soon as that show was finished. I was sorry not to have found a way of purchasing Bahareque’s CD which although had female singers, had an excellent Venezuelan harpist. Their brand of andean music was really excellent.

I rejoined Claire and Aquiles afterwards, who were also with Ivan and his wife and two children and thereafter throughout the day various other friends joined us, including a lovely couple - she was Fernando of Chan Chan’s daughter, the one member of Chan Chan I have yet to meet (he is currently doing a Social Sciences degree at a Devon university and not playing with the band at present). Both she and her husband said they recognised me having visited my website. Later more and more friends joined us - Moses of Khenaya, Dante joined us for a short while, Willy and another of Antara’s musicians, and for ages I was chatting to a Peruvian guy I met at Dante’s party after Contigo Peru. All sorts of bands were performing - a big Brazillian samba show called Rhythms of the City incorporating the best of Rio, Mexican Mariachis (with Claire as one of the musicians) playing traditional romantic ranchero music, Grupo Tambo, a tropical music group from Columbia, Conjunto Sabroso (a salsa orchestra), a Salsa and merengue dance show, Los Latinos children’s orchestra from the Latin American school, Ancizar and his puppet doll, a comical salsa show and finally the main band, Willie Colon and his 12-piece orchestra. All afternoon and evening we were drinking cans of beer, enjoying more snacks (I had Bolivian lechon and later on Caribbean jerk chicken), and for the last couple of hours non-stop dancing. One of the Peruvian guys - Antonio - a friend of Willy’s - asked me to dance and I thought it would just be one dance and that was it, but no he wanted to dance every dance. I don’t know where I found the energy as I was already exhausted after being on my feet all day in such hot sunshine, but somehow I danced the night away and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

As it started to get dark I was getting anxious about getting back to Elephant and Castle, it not being an area of London one would want to be on one’s own in once it became dark, and had it not been for Antonio insisting on dancing every dance, I may have slipped away and made my way back to Elephant and Castle whilst there was still daylight but it was impossible to leave. Eventually, Claire said she was leaving as soon as the main band finished and would be able to accompany me to the station so I relaxed and thought all would be okay. The only problem was that at the moment we decided to leave Antonio protested at me leaving - I turned for a moment to explain I had a train to catch and then lost sight of Claire and Aquiles and could not find them! Antonio said not to worry, that he would accompany me to Elephant and Castle and we started walking and 20 minutes later were still walking and I stopped to ask someone if we were still going in the right direction and the guy said, it will take you at least half an hour, if I were you I would try to get on that bus just coming! Luckily we were able to get on the bus, the last 2 to board as the doors were closing and then walked through the subways to get to the underground station - something that would have terrified me had I been making my way to the station alone! At the station I thought he would leave me there, but no, he said he would accompany me all the way to Paddington, which I thought extremely kind of him. At Paddington we waited until the platform number of my train was announced and then he walked me right to the train before saying goodbye and continuing on his way. By the time I got on the train I was so tired it was an effort to put one foot in front of the other. I felt really uncomfortable the whole journey home where I was so overtired. I arrived back in Bath just after midnight and fell asleep even before my head hit the pillow and didn't wake up until 10 the next day - an unheard of lateness for me as I am usually awake by 6. It was a brilliant day out though and I definitely will be there at that latin fiesta every year from now on! One of the most exciting things I discovered that day was that Los Kjarkas are coming to London and are performing on 19th October, ticket prices £22. I will definitely be there for that and hope to book my ticket this week. I don’t even care if I end up going alone, although will be very surprised if many of my friends don’t end up there as well. I know the guy I met at Dante’s party is definitely going and hopefully Aquiles and other friends as well.

A week after Carnival del Pueblo I went to London again - this time to attend both days of the Notting Hill carnival on Sunday and Monday. I arrived at Paddington at 11 o clock and made my own way to Notting Hill, knowing that Claire and Aquiles would be playing in Leicester Square until about 3 pm and then joining me at Notting Hill later in the afternoon.

I followed the crowd when I exited Notting Hill Gate station and arrived at what looked like a good corner position about 20 minutes later. This proved even more excellent when the Police closed off access with gates a few minutes later. I was right in the corner, with the police on the other side of the gate so didn’t need to worry about pick pockets etc, which is always a worry in such a big crowd. The sun was trying to appear and I hoped it would as anticipating another hot weekend like the previous week at Carnival del Pueblo I was wearing a sleeveless summer dress and had not brought either cardigan or coat with me.

I enjoyed the parade when it was moving but there were long gaps with no floats passing and things got a bit boring waiting for something to happen. Luckily I could listen to my own music in these long gaps. Being boxed into the corner I could not look for food outlets and was quite hungry by this time but although the police allowed movement about every half an hour or so, I did not want to lose such an excellent place either, so decided to go hungry instead! Luckily I had brought a cold drink with me. The best part of that day’s parade was a float with walking participants who were covered in wet red paint. One of the guys - a really handsome Caribbean hunk – approached me and I was nervous in case he put paint on me, but he was really nice - asked me if I was enjoying the carnival and asked for a kiss so I gave him a big kiss on his cheek!

I knew that anyone coming to Notting Hill could not exit that station between noon and 6 pm so about 5.30 I started walking back and once I got away from all the noise phoned Aquiles. They had phoned five times whilst the carnival was on and I didn't hear the phone and even when I checked and realised they were ringing me I could not ring back - again because of the noise - as I could not even hear their voicemail messages. The noise was incredible when floats were passing - with banked up speakers pulsating with so much sound that it hit you in the chest as it passed and you could feel it vibrating through you. (Pity it wasn’t andean music which would have been rather pleasant!!!!). When I spoke to Aquiles he said they were already on their way and expected to arrive at the station within 45 minutes. On arrival at Notting Hill station I was tempted to go and eat something at a nearby Indian restaurant but Aquiles phoned again at that point and when I said where I would be he said to hang on and we would all eat together when they got there.

When they arrived we walked back and saw a fe more floats but this was nearing the end of the parade so our next priority was looking for something to eat. We stopped at the first Caribbean stall and they ordered jerk chicken and I ordered a curry but what I ended up with tasted awful - it was quite expensive as well. I wished afterwards that I had thrown it away but I was so hungry by then I ate it anyway. Later we found some fantastic food stalls but I was no longer hungry enough!!! We stayed until about 9 pm but by then I was getting nervous as judging by the ankle deep litter in the streets of beer cans etc, people had been drinking all day and as it was getting dark I felt anxious. Had any trouble broken out it would not have been a nice place to be. Luckily Claire was feeling tired by this time so when they suggested going back I was glad to. Aquiles wanted to go on somewhere else but we were both too tired. We travelled back on the underground, with Aquiles leaving us halfway to go back to his own flat. We had arranged that I would make my way to his place the following morning and wake him up!

Back at Claire’s we watched TV for about half an hour and then went to sleep quite early as she had to be up early next day, for a recording session with her other band. Next morning we both left at 9.30 am, Claire having given me precise directions how to find my way to Aquiles flat at New Cross Gate. I walked to Whitechapel station (stopping at Sainsburys on the way for a few fresh croissants and a bottle of Chardonnay to drink later) and was lucky that there was a small market at Whitechapel because it was a really cold morning, grey with no sign of the sun and I was feeling the chill with no jacket or coat. I bought a nice sweater in the market at quite a bargain price. Then on arrival in the station there was a train waiting on the platform going to New Cross Gate and I hopped on it just moments before it was leaving.

At the other end it was about 10 minutes walk to his flat and on arrival I phoned from outside before knocking the door and when he answered he said ‘you can’t be here already!’ and a few moments later a very sleepy Aquiles answered the door in his dressing gown!!!! Once inside I spotted his new laptop on the desk and said ‘you c an go back to sleep for a bit if you wish if you don’t mind me going on the internet’ - he agreed I could use his computer but didn’t go back to sleep because he was expecting Elena, a Bolivian friend, to arrive any moment as well. When Elena arrived it was nice to meet her - she is over here studying but also working in a Bolivian shop a bus ride away from New Cross. (This is a source where I can buy Peruvian ingredients and I have lined up this possibility with her).

About 12.30 we all set off to the underground station, Aquiles buying a supply of booze on route. Claire and some other friends were making their own way there and we would meet up there. We found a nice corner position again - which had an empty shop on the corner and the paved area of its ‘garden’ did not have any people in it. We went in and Elena climbed up on the high wall between that garden and the next, with people already up there helping her up and Aquiles lifting her as well. He and I were standing in two large flower pots containing bay trees and had quite a good view but a bit later Aquiles managed to get himself up on the wall as well and when Claire arrived she climbed up also. When I saw how difficult she found it getting up, I was glad that I had not attempted it myself. I was quite happy in the flower pot that Aquiles had vacated, leaning against the bay tree (which looked in a bit of a sorry state later on!!).

We stayed there all afternoon, and enjoyed the parade, but like sunday there were still long gaps in floats going by. But we were enjoying our booze and having fun so it didn't really matter. The atmosphere with so many people was fantastic in itself. About 6 pm I was anxious to try and find my way back to Notting Hill gate as I knew the station would open at 7 pm and needed to leave early in case of roads being closed with gates like the day before. So Aquiles, Claire and Elena departed to find Claire’s other friends and I walked back the way we had come. I arrived at the station in plenty of time but five minutes before it was due to open the police moved everyone on, saying it would not open until much later because of congestion in the other nearby stations. I told him I had a train to catch and he directed me to the next underground station which took about 15 minutes walking in the crowd, I passed an Italian homemade icecream shop on route and treated myself to an enormous chocolate one. In the station I managed to get on the third train rather than the first because the platform was completely full of people waiting, which meant waiting right on the edge of the platform, a nervy process in such a crowd with electrified rails beneath!

I was certainly glad I had allowed so much time to get to Paddington because instead of 2 stops from Notting Hill Gate to Paddington it was the 15 minute walk and then one stop to another station and then 6 stops from there to Paddington. I realised when in the train that I had lost my ticket but was relieved at the other end that due to the crowds all the barriers were open and no one was checking tickets. Even with the detour I arrived still in good time and had to wait 10 minutes before I could board the train to Bath. I was happy that it left on time but then dismayed when it stopped only 15 minutes into the journey. Having planned to buy a magazine to read on the train and finding the shops at paddington selling magazines were shut, it was a long boring journey home. We were delayed an hour which according to the announcement was due to a fatality in the area. I finally arrived back at Bath around 11 pm where Colin met me and I stayed overnight at his house again as I was too tired to drive home.

Next day, Tuesday, I went to visit my sister Kathryn as arranged and then decided to visit Tracy as well as I know Mum usually goes there on Tuesdays. There I learned they were all planning to go to Weymouth next day and asked if I would like to go as well. There wasn't room in the car and I did not want to drive, so I phoned the train station and found there was a train leaving at 9.50 am which would get me to Weymouth by 11.45 so we arranged to meet on the beach near the clock tower.

It was a lovely hot day and the journey was pleasant. Although only half the distance of London, the train was a slower one which stopped at lots of stations and finally arrived at Weymouth just before noon. From there it was a short walk to the beach and I soon found Mum Tracy and the children and we had a great day on the beach, six and half hours in glorious sunshine all told which we all thoroughly enjoyed. We had a picnic and shared the bottle of chilled wine I had brought, and finished the day off with fish and chips on the beach at 6.30 pm, with them making their way back to the car park and me helping them with their things. I noticed en route a pub with internet cafe inside so walked back afterwards and had 40 minutes on the internet with a large glass of wine until it was time to catch my train.

Then a couple of days later I had another day at the seaside when Colin and I went to Lynton and Lynmouth, where we spent our easter short holiday earlier in the year. Although not a hot day it was dry at first and we had a nice drive down, stopping once on the way down for coffee and scones with jam and cream in a nice teashop. Then the drive over Exmoor which is really beautiful, arriving at Lynton about 1.15. We went straight down the cliff railway and were lucky to get a table in the Rising Sun pub at Lynmouth where we enjoyed a nice lunch. By this time the rain that was forecast had begun and when we came out of the pub it was raining quite hard but it didn’t stop us looking in all the shops and then enjoying a large icecream before returning to Lynton via the cliff railway again. In Lynton we enjoyed a few more shops and then decided to make our way to the White Horse Inn at Exford, in the middle of Exmoor for my second large glass of wine of the day. Whilst drinking that we were trying to decide whether we could make it back to that teashop before it closed at 5.30 and deciding after all that it was too risky and we might not make it, we decided to round off the day with a cream tea at the pub which was most enjoyable. Usually on Friday nights we go to the Pelican Inn at Chew Magna and as we were passing near Chew Magna on the route home we stopped there just for one drink before going on home.

My last weekend before returning to work was excellent hot weather and I enjoyed myself relaxing for a few hours in the garden both days. First of all I went into Bath on Saturday with my sister and we had lunch in an Indian restaurant and bought a few things in the shops, including stocking up on spices at the Thai shop and deciding that 2 weeks hence we would buy everything necessary to cook a Thai meal for seven of us. In the evening Colin and I went to the Turkish restaurant which was nice as usual and I don’t know who was most surprised - us to see Justin and Ceri there having a meal or them to see us situated two tables away from them! After all our meals I was able to cuddle Jasmine for a bit before they went home. It was a birthday celebration for Ceri, her birthday being that saturday and I had taken her out for lunch earlier in the week to Ocean Pearl as well.

Sunday was the official celebration of her birthday and everyone arranged to meet at their flat for 7 pm. I didn't go out to lunch as usual with Colin because it was the first rugby game of the season with Bath playing against Reading - at Reading and he was driving there with his son. So I had a nice relaxing day in the garden and then got ready and went to get the bus at 5 pm (deciding to leave my car at home so that I could enjoy a few drinks). Unfortunately my son had misinformed me regarding the bus because when it arrived, it was going in completely the opposite direction through about 6 different villages and whereas that bus normally ends up at Bath it was only going halfway with the destination even further from Bath than Timsbury is!!! The only other bus going in the right direction wasn't until 8.22 which was far too late. So I walked back, collected what I needed for the night as well and drove the car to Colin’s house and parked on his driveway. I then decided to walk into Bath, thinking there might not be many buses running on a sunday and it was a lot further than it seemed driving by car! All told it took me an hour to walk to Ceri’s flat, but I got there just about 7 pm (and Colin arrived about half an hour later). It was a lovely evening, everyone enjoying drinks at the flat first and then we went to an Italian restaurant where 22 of us sat down to her birthday dinner. Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely and Ceri received lots of lovely presents. We finally said our goodbyes at midnight and I then spent the night at Colin’s house, and went to work from there next morning. All in all it had been a fantastic four and half weeks of summer holiday from work.