Fidler in the Hood: The Russians are coming!
Ekaterina is certainly a citizen of the world who turned her passion for visiting faraway places into a successful career.
GREETINGS, friends. After spending a week in the stifling heat of Johannesburg, it’s good to be home once more in the cooler climes of the Hibiscus Coast. Plus the sanity of ‘our own’ patch of paradise. Great to visit the City of Gold, but all that glitters is not gold in ‘Joeys’. One stray step off the path and you are in some kind of hell’s kitchen: from world-class facilities to the depths of degradation.
ALSO READ : Fidler in the Hood: Biding my time: That’s the kind of guy I am
From Russia With Love
It’s amazing what you might find ‘up north’ and bring back as a souvenir. Your scribe and the CO were introduced to a very nice young woman (well, compared to us ‘golden oldies’) visiting from Russia. Ekaterina Goroshko from St Petersburg turned out to be no ordinary visitor: she is a professional tourist who is actually paid to visit places and tell the world what she has discovered and make recommendations for would-be visitors. She explained that she has her own website with more than 350 000 followers. Tourist boards, business companies approach her to ‘cover a country, or a particular world-class destination’ and ‘tell it like it is’. She is in South Africa to report on Cape Town and other big cities here.
Have blog, will travel
Ekaterina is certainly a citizen of the world who has turned her passion for visiting faraway places into a successful career. After telling her that your scribe wrote for the Bonus with a personal following of some two dozen readers, she was suitably impressed and encouraged setting up a blogging site, and she would happily show him the ropes.
Wonderful Copenhagen
New-found friend Ekaterina commented that, despite the problems here in South Africa, the Beloved Country compares favourably with many places she has visited. The big cities in Russia, she told us, are frightening places in which to live and ‘protection money’ is big business.
Moving to Copenhagen, Denmark, she admits, is better, but it’s not really the ‘Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen’ of Danny Kaye fame – the weather is miserable, grey, cold and wet.
The Danes and northern Europe are all in the same boat too. The only difference in southern Europe, she pointed out, is that locals are struggling as well, but the weather is warmer. And ‘uska dara, oh, those Turks’! They’re not really Turkish Delights! Words of wisdom from Ekaterina: the grass is still greener and sunnier on this side of the street.
Whistle-stop Visit
Sadly she could only make a whistle-stop visit to our sleepy shores, but has promised to come back in early next year, to discover the tourist delights on offer. So, if you happen to see your Uvongo scribe hidden behind dark glasses, sat in a café, furtively passing secret papers under the table, it’s all in a good cause: mine and the Hibiscus Coast’s interests! In the meantime, brush up on your Russian language – the Russians are coming.
For a better Uvongo
A special meeting of the Uvongo Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association was held at the Uvongo Town Hall yesterday evening. It was agreed that the current set-up provided by the municipality is hopelessly inadequate and therefore propose that the formation of a Special Ratings Area be established for the general upliftment of Uvongo and surrounding areas, providing funding for safety, security and an overall cleaning up of the town.
Over and out
The next Uvongo neighbourhood news will be on January 9, 2019. Your scribe and the CO wish everyone a wonderful Christmas, a peaceful and happy New Year, and safe travelling. Until next year.
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