p18 Columnist Dec4 1/12/09 18:37 Page 18
news comment
ttglive.com
Derek Jones Kuoni
“The semi-automatic weapon
slung across the chest of the
security guard brought me
back to my senses”
M
any of you will be familiar short excursion succeeded in colouring in
with the social networking site almost a quarter of my globe!
WAYN.com (Where Are You My addiction to this activity became
Now?). It provides potential worryingly clear to me last week as I was flying
travellers with the opportunity to find out more to Sri Lanka (a nice one to tick off, but India,
about their next destination from people who just above and almost connected, still remains
have already visited. annoyingly un-visited).
All of which is good. But the one feature on On the way to Colombo the plane stopped
WAYN that I can’t get enough of is the map of for an hour to refuel and during the brief wait
the world which automatically colours in all the the doors remained open to allow cleaners on
countries you’ve been to. board. The steps to the runway were in place,
It’s great. I spent ages inputting all of my inviting me to go down and step foot on new
travel history thinking I would put Michael land and claim the Maldives as my own – not a
Palin in the shade, but when I looked back huge win in the whole scheme of things but a
at the map it was still nearly all plain prize worth bagging nevertheless.
white. The trip to see Mickey Mouse The rules of this game, by the way, are very
back in 1999 had thankfully shaded clear: it’s essential to actually step foot in the
in the whole of North America for country. Passing within sight of land on a cruise
me, and Australia last year made a ship, or sitting in transit on a runway, simply
big mark, but the Kenyan safari doesn’t count!
had only filled in a tiny proportion In every other way the cabin crew were fan-
of Africa, the rest of which, tastic but they simply could not be persuaded to
apart from Egypt and Morocco, allow me to walk the 20 steps down to terra
remained stubbornly blank. firma. I tried explaining WAYN to them – my
Time to think about this map, the colouring-in situation – but they
tactically. Three visits to Hong were struggling to follow my logic. I was
Kong had made no discernable briefly tempted to make a break for it but
mark on the map but then I the semi-automatic weapon slung across
remembered the day trip the chest of the security guard quickly
into China; it consisted brought me back to my senses.
of a visit to a local school, a Some people collect stamps, others
foul-smelling market selling football cards. What’s so odd about
caged birds, and a very ropey collecting countries? Thanks to WAYN I
guide who I remember only now know I have 52 under my belt.
for refusing to let us leave his coach until we
tipped him with dollars! Now, however, this Derek Jones, distribution director, Kuoni
18 04.12.2009
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