Automatic For The People

We have been using the car a lot the last few days. It?s a little city car so doesn?t have the acceleration I?m used to but it does OK. It?s also an automatic which is the first time I?ve driven such a beast. I thought I?d find it tricky not having a gear stick to play with but it seems that it is pretty easy pick up the Stop/Go driving style. I guess the real test will be when I get home to my real car.

Lee and I went down to the clubbing area again. We arrived too early (9ish) so it was quite dead. The way the clubs work down here is the bars start getting busy around 10.30, then close around 1.30 when the clubs open until around 4 at which point people depart for the beach/after parties until the early morning. It makes the Rock World all nighter seem tame by comparison, fuelled unlike it Baleric counterpart by large quantities of alcohol. We started in the only Rock Bar in the town, with by far the most un-even pool table in Cyprus, before doing the usual circuits for free drinks. We eventually ended up (after the usual ?free ticket? confusion) in a club called Bagleys which was playing more House music. We left after a while as Lee complained the club was too small and started to head back home. There was a slight ?misunderstanding? with the taxi driver, but I?m sure to save Lee?s blushes I can tell that story when I get back ;-)

We planned to have an early evening as the PR?s in Aya Nappa had said Sunday was a quite day due to the transfers. After being fed by Sheila I went with Lee to see the Dancing Waters display in Protaras. It was quite a spectacular show which is basically a elaborate computer controlled fountain display with lights, smoke, lasers and even a burning fire machine all set to music. Well worth the five pounds it cost to get in. I should of taken my camera though?.

After making an effort to get up early today we went up to the hills of Deriana to view the Turkish occupied zone. For those of you who aren?t aware Cyprus was invaded by Turky in 1974 and the north of the Island occupied before international pressure stopped the war. The result is you cannot visit the North of the Island without going through Turkey. However you can go up to the UN buffer zone and from the vantage point of the hills you can see down into the town of Ammochostos which was evacuated during the war. The result is a deserted ghost town with the occasional UN jeeps patrolling the buffer zone and in the distance a few Turkish watchtowers and bunkers. Its was quite sad, its certainly a subject that still understandably a hot topic with the locals. Possibly Northen Ireland is an easier problem to solve.

So after the culture I?ve left Lee and Sheila to roast in the midday sun and take the car to the ?net caf? in Aya Nappa to spank my broadband monkey. I?ll probably be going for a drive around the local area to see if I can get some decent pictures of the scenery before retiring to a bar to do some more reading (so far I?ve read ?Masquerade? and ?Brave New World? and have just started ?Use of Weapons?). We plan to do another evening of clubbing tonight and possibly the Water Park tomorrow.