The decision to leave Laos and come to Cyprus was not an easy one. Although I had a second bout of food poisoning which had left me once again hesitant to eat anything I was still reluctant to leave South East Asia with which I had connected on so many levels. However the instinctive need to go to what I hoped would be comfortable and hygienic circumstances with a diet that was familiar was very strong and in spite of cost and a long journey it has all been worth while. Andy and Nicky, the workaway hosts, have been exemplary in providing a high standard of eveything I had hoped for and the work has been enjoyable and satisfying with the consequence that I feel fully recovered. Since I arrived there have been Oleg and Irina, a Ukrainian couple and Sabrina, a German woman here as volunteers as well and the conversation has been interesting and informative especially listening to the Ukrainians and their sad stories of a country being torn apart by meddling foreigners whose only concern is greed. Last weekend we all had a very enjoyable visit to Nicosia visiting both the Greek Cypriot part as well as crossing the "green line" and walking round the Turkish controlled part of Cyprus. The German volunteer has now left and tomorrow the Ukrainians are moving on as well. This afternoon friends of Andy and Nicky have asked if I will undertake a small plumbing job (paid) on a property that they are caretakers for and I have also received a request to volunteer at a workaway project in Thailand which I will seriously consider in May or June although summer in Eastern Europe has its appeal!
I first became interested in South East Asia, especially Malaysia, when I read Somerset Maugham's short stories based upon his own experiences of travelling in that region in the early 1900's. Having spent the last four years living like a hermit in France, the need to go out and travel became ever more attractive and SEA seemed like an obvious place to go. When I was told about Workaway and cheap backpacking Hostels the possibility of travelling on a very tight budget became a reality.
Friday, 30 January 2015
A warm winter in the Island of Cyprus
We are the blue icon
View from the hosts balcony
Waiting for the pool to warm
Local landscape
Street scene in Nicosia
Restored building in Nicosia
L - R, Sabrina, Andy, Nicky, Irina, Oleg
Andy & Nicky call in at the French workaway project on their way back to UK
Location:
Maroni, Maroni
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