APAPS 25.04: Tons Of Mustard But No HP Sauce

For the second week running, John was relieved of the burden of arranging the breakfast and, not only that, but on this occasion  he did not even have to plan and lead the walk because Antje stepped nobly into the breach and organised both walk and breakfast. To quote Bill Shakespeare, "For this relief much thanks" (Hamlet: Act 1 Scene i).

The walk was on the boardwalk at Dona Ana, Lagos, a walk which Antje has led for us on numerous occasions, so there is not really much to say about it, except that this was the first time we have done it as a breakfast walk which meant that the light of the early morning sunshine glinting off the sea made for some tricky photo shots. One other remark. Quite a few of the screws used to build the board walk have "sprung" and some are protruding dangerously; if you are fit enough to go for a run there, be careful! Apparently, Mike Pease has noticed the same problem on the Meia Praia boardwalk and takes an electric screwdriver with him to do repairs. Good on him.

The Starters: Myriam, JohnH, Hazel, Maria, Antje, and Christl.

 

Intsability

The Track and the Statistics

The actual distance done by the majority of the group was 5.3 kms; the statistician and his recording gizmo took a cunning short cut at one stage.

The Breakfast.

This was at the Lagos Saturday Group´s favourite café, Aqui Há Gato, which is an odd name for a café. The unaware and/or ignorant estrangeiro was informed that the phrase does not mean "There is a cat here", but is instead a colloquial phrase signifying that there is a suspicion that something is wrong but no one knows exactly what something. In English, it is along the lines of  "something´s up," "there´s something fishy about this." or "I smell a rat." You can´t use the phrase in Brazil because "gato" seemingly means "cute" in Brazilian; instead they say "there´s a dog in the forest."

Even so, it´s still an odd name for a café - Portuguese sense of humour ?

Group 1

Group 2

Group 1 + 2

The breakfast, although not the Full English, was substantial. Huge sausage (bratwurst maybe?), good bread and two eggs reduced from the advertised three.

Plus a very impressive selection of mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup, presented in industrial sized containers.

Why the ketchup and mustard in kgs and the mayo in mls is known only to those in the catering trade. 

There was a reluctance by some to have a beer, it being thought that 11 am was too early for that, although Maria said it was OK because it was past 12 noon in Spain. Didn´t bother JohnH what time it was. 

Myriam proposes this news item as a discussion topic for the next walk.

Music has been lacking from previous APAPS blogs so I thought that we would introduce a musical theme for the next few weeks which is railway songs. The first one is about a railway in Kenya which when it was first proposed in the late 1890s was derided in the House of Commons as The Lunatic Line.

"What it will cost no words can express,

What is its object no brain can suppose,

Where it will start from no one can guess, 

Where it is going to nobody knows. 

What is the use of it, none can conjecture,

What it will carry, there is none can define,

And in spite of George Curzon´s superior lecture,

It is clearly naught but a lunatic line."

(Henry Labouchère, MP)

(Don´t mention UK´s HS2 project.) 

It was built between 1895 and 1903 connecting Mombasa on the coast with Lake Victoria, and in 1931 an extension linked it to Kampala in Uganda. 

It eliminated the need for African porters to carry goods to and from the coast and Central East Africa and so contributed to the ending of slavery in those parts. 

The British brought in 36,811 indentured workers from India to build the line. 2,493 workers died during its construction, include several eaten by lions near Tsavo, but most returned home after their contracts were over. However, 6,724 stayed in East Africa starting the Indian community there, most of them setting up as Dukawallahs or small shopkeepers.

A lot of their descendants were later expelled from Uganda and settled in UK, many running corner shops. Quite few became very rich and one descendant was briefly UK´s prime minister. Strange outcome of British imperialism.

Now the railway line has fallen into disrepair and the non-imperialist Chinese are trying to build a replacement, although it is said that they have got bogged down somewhere in the Rift Valley; Chris and Rachel will be able to tell you more.

Anyway, here is the song, "The Good Old E A R & H" which has a touch of nostalgia:-

APAPS 25.03: Have We Got a Collective Case Of Hypsophobia ?

I ask this question about hypsophobia, also known as acrophobia ot fear of heights, because this was the second week running where our highest elevation was 15 metres and our lowest 2 metres. Coincidence ? Maybe.

But what it does mean is that, for those of us who hold to the belief that for a walk to be considered as a good walk it must have some decent hills in it, there hasn´t been a good walk for two weeks, and even three weeks ago, it was a pretty tame version. Something must be done.

At Lagos Train Station, the normal Starter pic was taken, including Sasha and her walker Andy, and the five walkers set off quite promptly just afer 07.00.

We restricted ourselves to the Meia Praias boardwalk and timed ourselves carefully so as to be back at the starting place by 09.30 which we managed almost to the minute.

Acrophobia or fear of heights is not to be confused with climacophobia or fear of climbing which this young gentleman did not appear to be suffering from. He soon stopped showing off after Myriam and Maria laughed at him.

Not much else happened on the walk - there is only so much a boardwalk can offer.

The Statistics

Reasonable overall speed.

Back at Lagos Train Station, we had expected to meet Paul who was to guide is to his new-found breakfast palace of delights, Café Viva.This was his red letter day, organising the breakfast. But he wasn´t there having sent some messages which few of us had read that he would meet us there. Then Myriam buzzed off in her car although she did offer a lift if any one wanted it. But Lesley was there and with her and then Andy and Chris W who we met shortly after, seven of us headed off past the marina, over the pedestrian bridge and onto the Avenida.

Verbal directions to the Café were somewhat confusing - "back street , behind the Adega." Luckily, Antje had some idea of what that meant and JohnH who had looked it up on Google was convinced the Café had a frontage on the Avenida. Anyway, we found it in good time before its 10.am opening - beside the Adega. The kindly Moldovian owner lady let  us in early. Then Paul arrived, 10 am on the dot and we all sat down.

The Breakfast

Gosh, I needed that

A clever mirror picture by Myriam

Some had the full English breakfast with added mushrooms.

Some had the full English breakfast with added mushrooms but no sausage. 

Antje, I think it was, had scrambled eggs.

and Lesley, after forensically cross-examining the waitress about the life expectancy of the fluffiness of the omelettes, plumped for a lettuce sandwich

with perhaps a smidgin of cheese inside.

All in all , the breakfast was good; perhaps not quite up to the standard of Café Martins. Bread not caseiro and quantity adequate. Service friendly, and efficient. Basic meal price reasonable but drinks, as Paul cautioned us beforehand , very much at tourist prices. Worth a repeat visit sometime. 

Myriam, who you will remember had taken art work photos in the ladies´ loo at Clube Nautico the previous week, continued her toiletry researches here and came up with this one.

but be warned, if you want privacy, lock the door.

and another clever mirror picture by Myriam

Going back to the topic of phobias, some people attend APAPS walks but won´t eat breakfasts. Do they have a fear of breakfasts? There is no specific phobia attached to the meal breakfast itself but it has been suggested that such a fear could fall under Cibophobia - the fear of food - or Deipnophobia - the fear of eating in front of others.

But don´t let that put you off, unless of course you have a fear of phobias in which case I will not provoke you by telling you that one of the longest names for a phobia is the name for a fear of long words, Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.