The Sweet Sultans of Istanbul – The Blue Train Magazine
Gary Hirson : 23 August, 2012 10:26 am : The Daily GrindWith limited time to see the sites, I negotiated my way through the warren of cobbled streets of this ancient city. Side-stepping tea carrying waiters, I window shopped past rows of curio displays and fended off enthusiastic carpet salesmen, before my interest was suddenly arrested by the most succulent, vivid and artistic display imaginable. I Read More »
Big City Vibe or Small Town Living? – The Blue Train Magazine
Gary Hirson : 5 June, 2012 9:16 am : The Daily GrindGrowing up in Gauteng, the Karoo was nothing more to me than a flat wasteland to be endured while driving towards Cape Town for the summer holidays. From the still furnace of the car, dreams of lying on one of the Mother City’s beaches seemed as much an illusion as the mirages of heat rising Read More »
I just don’t get hiking. What is it about carrying a chafing rucksack loaded with dehydrated food, being harassed by mosquitoes, and sweating profusely in the midday heat while plodding from point A to point B. I mean come on, we live in an age where we have TV to watch sport – usually just Read More »
What’s in a Plate? – Horizons – BA In-Flight Magazine
Gary Hirson : 24 May, 2012 9:16 am : The Daily Grind“What to do today?” I pondered upon opening my curtains and taking in a perefect early morning Sunday. My energy levels jumped a gear as rising in front of me and seemingly suspended from the rich blue sky, stood the most colossal sandstone sculptor overlooking and guarding the city. I would have loved to be Read More »
SMOKIN’ POT – British Airways in-flight magazine
Gary Hirson : 21 May, 2012 1:15 pm : The Daily GrindWhen I’m depressed I need to eat! So after visiting the “Killing Fields” and Prison S21 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the two of the many places where Pol Pot interrogated, tortured and murdered anyone that he and his party, the Khmer Rouge, thought were counter revolutionary, I really needed to eat. I’d heard of a Read More »
Rise and shine in Cape Town – Abbout Time magazine
Gary Hirson : 17 May, 2012 2:30 pm : The Daily GrindAs the first spring days stretch out like a purring cat the more active Capetonian ready themselves in anticipation for the energetic feast that lies ahead. As the spring turns to summer and the rising sun encroaches more boldly into the very early morning night-time, the winter woollies are discarded and replaced with lighter more Read More »
Laos – a coffee country – Freshcup magazine USA.
Gary Hirson : 17 May, 2012 9:48 am : The Daily GrindWake up, smell and drink the coffee and only then can the day begin. That’s my philosophy on life. Filtered coffee with milk and sugar is the way I like it. Deprive me of these two pleasures and I’m not a pleasant person to be around. So while enjoying my first cup of coffee in Read More »
If drinking filter coffee was illegal I’d be a criminal, no doubt about it. I’m addicted to the rich aroma of the brew that fogs the air, the dark thick liquid filling the cup and the fantastic kick that jolts me awake. But I have a secret… , I know nothing about coffee, I’m nothing Read More »
Baboon Matters – Abboutime -1 Time Airline’s in-flight magazine
Gary Hirson : 14 May, 2012 9:15 am : The Daily GrindBaboons for me have always been the animals that taught Tarzan to swing heroically while yodelling, through the dense jungles of Africa. As I’m ignorant about primates, I could be mistaken, and it could’ve been Monkeys, Gorillas or Apes who were Tarzan’s tutors. Baboons, according to me, are dangerous, just sit in trees and steal Read More »
For the third time in 3 weeks I’d noticed that my recycling garbage bag had been ripped open and all the recyclables had been mixed with the non- recyclables. I’d spent the whole week separating my recyclable, consumable waste, placing it in the special plastic bags supplied by the garbage collectors. I felt I was Read More »