Crazy Colonel

My foot injury is keeping me off the roads at the moment. This gives me more time to consider the odd things and strange people which seem to people much of the world.

And they don't come much stranger than Colonel Gaddafi, with his wild collection of designer frocks.

I have only ever met one Libyan. I was sitting next to him on a plane. We were speaking together of things Libyan, so I asked him what he thought of Gaddafi.

There was no hesitation. "He's a lunatic. Everybody in Libya thinks he's a lunatic".

But he has ruled Libya for over 40 years.

New Zealand Is Srill Open For Business ...

... and so is my foot. I have made arrangements to see my podiatrist in Christchurch in a couple of weeks time. Not in the Central Business District, which is cordoned off to all visitors, on account of the continuing recovery effort and the danger of falling masonry. Over 750 buildings in the CDB will have to be demolished.

I think Nick will have to adjust my orthotics because, strangely enough, the problem which caused me to need them seems to be correcting itself. In the meantime he has given me some advice which - hooray - means that I can go for a walk tomorrow morning.

It is important to realise that, appalling though Christchurch's earthquake tragedy is, most of New Zealand is unaffected. It is still the most beautiful country on earth, with the most friendly people. Tourists should not stay away. In fact they need you more than ever. The cost of renewing Christchurch will be immense - 20 billion dollars being the starting point - and they need your money. And you need the balm for your soul which is provided by sights such as the above scene in Doubtful Sound.

Not Putting My Foot Down

This walking holiday has suddenly turned into a cycling hol. I have a very painful heel. This is probably plantar fasciitis or, even worse, a heel spur. So I am unable to walk very far without a buildup of pain and increase in hobbling. It's a good job this didn't happen during the Big Walk last year.

I have a very good podiatrist in Christchurch so I would normally plan to visit him about my foot next time we are anywhere near the city. He operates from several different buildings. One of these is outside the city centre and was already condemned as a result of September's earthquake. Unfortunately, one of Nick's other bases is bang in the city centre, near the cathedral and the Grand Chancellor Hotel, now both in ruins. Naturally, even more than needing to see Nick professionally, I am very concerned for his health and welfare, but have been unable to contact him since last Tuesday's quake. We have our fingers crossed for him.

We are currently at Kaka Point in the Catlins. The photograph is of the Nugget Point lighthouse, visible from our window, although the camera is in this case 9 kms from that same window.I have to confess that Gay took the picture last year - because of my foot, I have not been able to walk out to the lighthouse this time.

Later. I have now heard from Nick, who was in the City Centre when the earthquake struck. Naturally, he says it was scary. He is now operating from the suburbs. I hope to see him in a couple of weeks, when we head north. Another problem will be getting accommodation anywhere near Christchurch. All surviving accommodation in the city is taken up with the task of accommodating the hundreds of volunteer police and rescue people who have come in from other parts of NZ and from abroad. Or with people made homeless by the earthquake. Many other towns have their accommodation full of Christchurch residents who have fled the city.

Christchurch Earthquake: Citizens Last To Know

The dreadful news continues to pour out of Christchurch. Most of the city is still without electricity, so the population there have no access to news media or Internet. So they are mainly unaware of the size of the catastrophe.

They know what has happened to themselves and their immediate surroundings. They do not know that their city has been largely destroyed and that that there are multiple deaths.

The power should be on again within a few days, but the water supplies will take much longer. The sewage system is completely broken and will take weeks, months, or even years, to fix. In the meantime, they are not allowed to flush the toilet and will have to find other ways to dispose of their waste. There is obviously a great danger of cross-contamination between the broken sewage system and the water supplies, with consequent risk of disease.

One thing we, who hail from areas of the world not prone to earthquakes, are not aware of, is liquefaction. Solid ground turns to liquid mud.

And doesn't it warm your heart and renew your faith in youth, to see hundreds of students volunteering to help clear up areas badly affected by that liquid mud?

Taking A Bath

It is odd, is it not, how often one can be discussing something obscure, only to have that same thing pop up before your eyes, maybe for the first time in years.

Recently, Gay and I were talking (for some reason) about bath-chairs. You know the sort of thing – a cross between a chaise longue and a wheelchair. Neither of us has ever seen one, but they frequently featured in cartoons, usually containing a crusty colonel in plus fours, wearing a scowl, a monocle, a cigar and (so that you would be in no doubt of his gout) a bandaged foot.

This week, our regular morning walk of 25 kms takes us past the pictured item, which can surely be described only as a bath chair. It is by the side of the river track from the Alexandra bridge over the River Clutha to the Clyde bridge over said river.

Is it a work of art or a place to rest awhile? Presumably both. Certainly not a place to keep the coal.

New And Worse Christchurch Devastation

Today there was another earthquake in Christchurch. Unlike the one on September 4th last year, which was at level 7.1 (followed by thousands of aftershocks), this one was at 6.3, nearer the city centre and much nearer the surface. So the damage is much more severe. Many large buildings in the city have totally collapsed. Again unlike September's earthquake, which was in the middle of the night, this one was plumb in the middle of the working day.

So not only is there huge damage to buildings - including the cathedral, which has largely collapsed - but those buildings and the streets were full of people. The prime minister has already called this New Zealand's worst day. Although it is only a few hours since the quake - and already there have been many massive aftershocks, each one adding to the damage - 65 deaths have been announced. Experience from other earthquakes tells us that this will likely be only a fraction of the total.

It is appalling. Our friends and family around the world will be relieved to know that we are several hours drive from NZ (although the quake was felt here) so we are physically unaffected. We have many friends in and around Christchurch and so far we have heard from only some of them, who have damage to property but personal safety. We are worried about the others, of course.

Well, This Is A Bit Embarrassing ...

... but totally my own fault.

In January, a gentleman whose name I can not remember e-mailed me. He said that we had met while I was doing my Big Walk. He had been inspired and had now decided to do a major walk of his own - I think it was the Pilgrims Way.

He asked if I had any advice to give him. At the time, being away from home, I had limited Internet access and a lot of e-mails to reply to. So I gave him one or two pointers and said I would get back to him when I was able to do so.

I am still away from home but at the moment have much better I-access. So I sat down to make contact with a view to offering more help. But I seem to have accidentally deleted his message and my reply.

So, if you are still out there, I apologise profusely and ask you to contact me again, I learned a lot during the 2,000 kms walk and the 2 years of preparation, and would be very happy to help in any way I can.