solo female traveller – How Not to Have a Midlife Crisis

Hot! And Cold…

December 21, 2022 No Comments 3 Mins Read

There are times this week when I would have preferred major dental surgery to my intensive ski course in Verbier. Not least of all on the first morning of the course. 28 ‘Super Skiers,’ plus me, lined up at the top of a steep run and we had to ski down, one by one, to be assessed by the 6 instructors standing at the bottom. This was probably one of the most humiliating experiences of my life. 28 skiers descended with perfect parallel turns, then it was my go… I zig zagged and slid down the slope like Bambi on skis and decided to make up for my ineptitude with a perfect stop in front of the line of instructors. Sadly I misjudged the timing of the critical last turn and collided with 2 unamused members of staff. This was not a great start to my week and, unsurprisingly, I was put…

To ski or not to ski?

December 13, 2022 No Comments 3 Mins Read

As a further consolation for having to curtail my ‘Big Central American’ adventure this year, I booked onto an intensive ski course in Switzerland. Considering the amount of times I have been skiing in the past, I should be a contender for the British Ski Team, but, sadly, I am still absolutely terrible. Whilst skiing in March, Husband got infuriated with me whimpering at the top of a blue run, so I decided to ‘Go for it’ as instructed. This resulted in me sustaining two broken ribs. I continued skiing (badly) for the rest of the week, but was unable to cough or laugh for a further six weeks. I see this ski course as my last attempt to improve, before I hang up my ski poles and just concentrate on drinking cappuccinos in Alpine cafes, whilst everyone else hurls themselves off mountains. My journey here yesterday was pretty challenging.…

Welcome to Mexico

September 29, 2022 No Comments 3 Mins Read

Just in case… My journey from Havana to Merida, Mexico should have been pretty straightforward; a 21/2 hour direct flight. However when I walked out on to the Cuban runway, in the searing heat, I wasn’t entirely sure that I was going to make it. My transportation was the oldest plane, barring a Spitifre, I have ever seen. It had 2 dirty propellers and the fuselage looked like it had skidded along a runway on numerous occasions. Before boarding I took a quick selfie and sent it to my family, so that if I did disappear over the Gulf of Mexico they would know why. My concerns over flight safety were heightened when I noticed that the plane had ashtrays in the arm rests which, on inspection, had not been cleaned out. I was very relieved when, just over 2 hours later we made a bumpy, noisy but nonetheless safe…

Difficult Times

September 12, 2022 2 Comments 2 Mins Read

The death of our Queen has sent waves of sadness to most corners of the globe but not to Cuba. It has not been mentioned here and this makes me feel strangely disconnected. Communication with the outside world is a struggle at the best of times. I queued 6 times to get a local SIM card for my phone and eventually I managed to trade 2 tubs of powdered milk I had brought with me for a precious SIM. Even so WIFi is scarce and loading the BBC News app takes an enormous amount of my data. So my news from home is sketchy. It is strange how the loss of someone I never met, but had known my whole life, has affected me so profoundly and the inability to share my thoughts and sentiments with my peers makes it so much worse. This year has been a year of…

Who Am I Kidding?

September 5, 2022 1 Comment 2 Mins Read

Plane Jayne When I started writing this blog a few years ago I thought ‘How not to have a Midlife Crisis’ was a great title. However now, at the age of 57, it is hard to kid myself, or anyone else, that my desire to head off every year, armed with a case of mosquito repellent, is some form of Midlife anything. The truth is I am beyond midlife (sadly) but I still love travelling. That is why I found myself on Saturday in the departure lounge at Gatwick once again, before catching planes to Madrid and then on to Havana, Cuba. So this is a big Hello from Havana, home of the cigar, rum and Salsa. So far I have seen plenty of all three amongst the crumbling relics of what once was a beautiful city. The people are incredibly friendly and the rum is flowing but don’t come…