Introduction

Hoteliers must have hated us. We were among the worst sorts of guests, and at our very worst at breakfast. Just about every member of the delegation would be feeding themselves up for the day on enormous quantities of just about whatever there was to feed on: and then – worst of all – would leave with as much secreted in their bags and pockets as possible. Some limited themselves to fruit, especially bananas (there is a reason for this). Others would be busy making up sandwiches out of rolls, meats and cheeses for themselves, and others. I doubt the hotel kitchens could have done a better job. Indeed, in some instances I know they could not. We once asked if the kitchens might provide us with some take-away sandwiches. They did. But when the packets were opened (amazingly, during the course of a helicopter flight being taken to reach a particularly remote part of a country) they were full of cockroaches. Some hardy souls removed them and pressed on with what remained. Others did not. The desperation to eat was real enough. There would be no other opportunity for the rest of an extremely long and hard day.

At least there were cockroach sandwiches. Another visit, another hotel – the only one that was available for us to stay at. No chance of helping ourselves from the breakfast buffet as there wasn't one. Indeed, I cannot now recall whether there was any breakfast available at all. I suspect not. After all, there was only hot water for an hour or so a day, and electricity intermittently. There was a ‘restaurant’ attached to it, but it was rarely open. One evening, returning from a visit around 7 pm (no breakfast, no lunch), the restaurant was closed. The only other was twenty minutes’ drive away. A flat tyre later, we arrived around 9 pm, and the kitchen was closed. Ultimately, we had to prevail on the manager to ask the cook to come back, and we ate whatever there was.

Another ‘no breakfast’ morning – but we had a meeting with the local authorities at the airport so we could eat there instead. No café, or shop. But we were meeting the local officials in the VIP lounge, so – jelly babies only. The long flight of five hours: biscuits with a drink.