A Time Patrol Movie We lived in Kenya from 1967 to 1971. Years of absolute magic. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Kenya flag, but to me, it still carries the magic of Africa. Mount Kenya in the distance. Altitute: 5,200ms. For the Kikuyu and other tribes it is the home of…
An African childhood movie I had an island in Africa. Well, not exactly ‘had’, but close. We lived in West Africa, where my father was the Air France country manager in Conakry, Guinea. There was a group of three islands called the islands of Los, half an hour away from the harbour. My parents were…
An African childhood movie Riding at our friend Barbara’s in the Karen neighbourhood of Nairobi, Kenya. Left: Little Sister Gaëlle on Storm, right: yours truly on Honey. Looking back at those images, I realise my hands were a bit too high and too tight. Camera-nervous maybe? Lipoy, our Luo gardener was a magician with roses.…
Introduction I’ve lived in or travelled to more than 40 countries, over most continents: Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas. Developed and ‘emerging’ countries. (Though the word ‘emerging’ I find misleading.) I’ve lived in all shades of political governance. From democracies to dictatorships. In those days when America is moving fast towards authoritarianism, where the Rule…
An African Childhood Movie I had a house by the African sea. My little sister and I were little “Princes of tides.” Nothing but the sea stood between us the horizon. Every morning would be different. High tide? Low tide? Dolphins? Magic boats? African fishing boats sailed past. No engines then. Just a single so-called…
A Time Patrol movie We lived in Cambodia in 1956-57. My father ran the newly formed national airline, Royal Air Cambodge. My mother being the boss’s wife had certain privileges such as shooting her 8mm movies from the pilot’s cabin. Planes were DC3’s. Twin propeller engines. Flying off over the Tonle-Sap, a tributary of the…
A Time-Patrol Movie In 1936, Hemingway published his short story “The snows of Kilimanjaro”, based on a personal experience he’d had in East Africa in 1934. In 1968, a mere 30 years later, we were living in Kenya. Of course we went to Kilimanjaro. On the way there, in a place called Sultan Hamud, we…
An African Childhood “Mommy! Mommy! I finished my homework!” “Are you sure? All of it?” “Yes! Yes! I swear. Liar, liar…” “Hmm…” “Can I go swim? Can I?” “All right,” said my mother. “We’ll check your homework before lunch.” I was about eight then. We lived in West Africa, in Conakry, the capital of newly…
Previously on “Riding in Narc Hills”: The narrator drives to a remote town in the hills of Cíbola, a country in Latin America. A mysterious Narc Lord seems to have set his lair in the region. If you haven’t read Part I, click here: After a delicious lunch of grilled meat, and seven varieties of…
“What’s the plan for the week-end?” I asked. “Let’s go to San Miguel”, Charlie said. “To San Miguel?” I said. “Are you out of your mind?” “No,” Charlie said, “it’s safe now”. “Safe? That’s the Narc Lord’s lair.” Carlos smiled. Everybody calls him Charlie. He’s my primo, my ‘cousin’. In a time when beards were…
Equinoxio 