h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have to go to Limassol tomorrow to conduct some business but I'm thoroughly looking forward to the trip. My wife is joining me and we plan to have leisurely lunch and do a little shopping while we are there. Limassol is a 120km drive away and almost the entire journey will be done on modern motorways. If I stick to the speed limit of 100km/h (which I can assure you I will) we'll be there in just under an hour and a half.

I made mention of this to Andreas today in a jaunty conversation which then abruptly stopped. "All the way to Limassol?" he uttered while shaking his head in sympathy, "That's a long, long way."

You see, all Cypriots think in this manner. Anything further than the next village is considered an arduous trek that will require months of forward-planning and in-depth preparations for an overnight stay. When I was living in the UK, I journeyed a similar distance twice a day, five days a week. It was called 'going to work' and when I explained this to Andreas he couldn't understand why I didn't work in the village in which I lived.

It was one of those inexplicable moments when, suddenly, you both realise that there is such a cultural division between each party that no matter how much talking and explaining you do, neither will ever fully comprehend the others reasoning. I'm sure that Andreas will relate this humorous tale of 'the crazy Brit' to all of his friends at the Kafeneion this evening, much as I am doing here with you.

On our way tomorrow, I fully expect to see some driving. Driving in Cyprus is an experience, that for some, is so troubling it will eventually force them off the roads. For the rest, statistics indicate that you will, at some point, be forced off the road whether you can deal with the experience or not. Cyprus has one of the highest accident rates (per head of capita) of any country in Europe. That's not necessarily surprising when you consider that just 30 years ago, the primary method of transport was a donkey.

I'll cover more on that subject tomorrow, but for tonight, I need to wrap this journal up. It's rapidly approaching 9.00pm and I've got a tortuous journey to undertake in the morning. I'm taking Andreas' advice and allowing 5-6 hours, each way, for the odyssey. He's also given me a number for Elefteri (his cousin who lives near Limassol) just in case there is a need for an overnight stop.

I'm really enjoy these pieces..

I wonder if you'll be able to link them together in some way?