FAO Canada Bob

[Joe DiMaggio]

Hey was trying to get in contact with you havent noticed you being on the board recently either.

[ICTFCkev]

Was thinking I hadn't seen anything from Bob in ages either, hope he's gettin on okay.

[Scarlet Pimple]

I think Bob may be on an extended business trip and will not possibly be seen for months.

[EWS]

Has he not gone down to Cameroon?

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

Yeh - he had said earlier in the year he was heading off to Africa in November for the next phase of his new project - I assume he has either gone early or just busy with the final planning stages but he did say he would be off the radar for quite a while.... B)

Bob's Trip

[Canada Bob]

Well I haven't been near a Betting Shop for months, but I've had me share of excitement,

I've just got back from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, yesterday, and what a trip that was.

I knew that Nigeria was a tough place, but I didn't know how bad Port Harcourt was, folks walking around with machete's, handguns even AK 47's it was like being a bit player in that "Lords of War" movie.

You soon get used to the sound of gun fire, most the time it's in the distance, but not on Tuesday morning as I'm having me breakfast. I was sat there with me "minder" Rocky having bacon, eggs toast etc, when there's a burst of automatic gun fire and it aint far away, I'm thinking less than a mile away, so that was it, no time to mop the eggs up, straight to the Land Cruiser and off down the road {if you can call it that} in a cloud of mud, few roads are paved here so when it rains {and it rained a lot while I was there} the roads turn to mud.

By the time we got back to the GRA {a secured compound where expat workers live} we were told that some 40 MEND rebels {think gangsters} had attacked a convoy of oyibo's {expat workers} killing one of their armed guards, badly wounding a driver, and initially kidnapping 4 Brits and a Colombian, but in the confusion of the gun battle, just a mile away from where we were !

One of the Brits made a run for it and escaped, not the wisest thing to do, you are told that if you get attacked to take cover and stay put, let the guards and the gun men sort it out, if you run for it the rebels get hissed off, and you become a target, if you stay put they won't harm you, it's not you they want, it's the ransom, so they want you alive, check the link for the story...

Kidnapping

MEND, away supporters...

That was the closest I came, and I won't be going back there, Nigeria is a ticking time bomb, just a matter of time before the Muslims {who are now the majority} start a civil war, and the mystery about the missing {rumoured dead} President is likely to pull the pin on it all.

Wednesday was somewhat eventful too, I was scheduled to fly out late at night, but rather than be on the road with just 1 "minder" {if he gets shot I'm knackered}, so we set off for the airport at 4 pm, stopping for a last bottle of Guinness with Rocky {a George Foreman look alike if ever there was one}, but this guy carries a S&W .41 revolver magnum !!! pistols are women's guns here, real men carry revolvers !!!

Anyway, we pull in at a little roadside bar, hadn't been there 5 minutes when a pick up truck with what looked like an anti aircraft gun bolted on the flatbed rolls up, {they call these things "Technicals"}, thankfully it wasn't the rebels, it was a security team, but we drank up and set off anyway, not wanting to be around if anyone took a dislike to them.

We got to the airport 4 hours before my flight, just so that Rocky wouldn't be driving back in the dark, I heard the next day what he'd seen on his way back, am I glad we'd gone early, check the link...

Talk about Gory !!!

Followed the next day by this...

Like the Wild Bleedin' West !!!

The above wasn't the end of the excitement for me though, the Air France flight to London was cancelled {due to an ATC strike in Paris} leaving 200 or so of us stranded at the airport, in the middle of the night. We were given the option of returning to Port Harcourt {under armed escort} and to stay there a couple of days until the stike was over, or to take a 'plane to Casablanca at 05:30.

I'd seen enough of Port Harcourt, so along with around 60 other folks we took the option of taking a flight to Casablanca and then get routed on to where ever we were headed {me back to Lanzarote}. I tried to get a bit of sleep in the airport lounge, but at 04:00 they came round to tell us the AF flight to Casablanca had been cancelled, they'd conned us, they must have known earleir, but conned us out of costing them hotel rooms for the night.

Had to be rerouted again, this time to Lagos by Chanchagni Airlines {who the **** are they}, but they did the short haul for us, and from there I got a flight to Heathrow, had to overnight there and then nip up to Gatwick to get a charter flight to Arrecife, it took me 2 full days to get back here, sigh...

This trip was more Indiana Jones than Canada Bob, I won't be going back to Nigeria, I'll be staying well away, my mosquito stuff stops the bites, but it don't stop bullets...

Canada Bob.

Edited January 16, 2010 by Canada Bob

[clacher_holiday2]

Bloody hell Bob, good to hear you made it out, isnt a safe place for anybody out there and as you say your skin colour made you a target.

I've only ever met one Nigerian and he told me his country was doomed, that was 3 years ago and it doesnt sound like its changed much. In the town he came from there was a scandal involving a catholic priest, he was telling people to bring condoms to his church so they could destroy them, somehow went from that to AK47's and gang warfare..! This guy sent money back from the UK for his sister to goto school as soon as he arrived here, she was killed 18 months ago, I think one of his parents were killed aswell.

Seems crazy when you consider that 50 years ago they had some of the highest literacy rates and healthcare in Africa, I seem to remember being taught that they and Uganda came out of colonialism the best, with all their natural resources they should be a rich country by now.

Thought it was Cameroon you were off too?

Like I said its good to see you back on here.

[Canada Bob]

Hello Clacher,

Yea things are bad in Nigeria, mind you the Super Eagles would do well enough in the SPL, so it aint all bad for the natives out there, having said that, the heat just got ramped up by MEND, they are threatening all out war right now, I'm glad to have got out when I did.

As for Cameroon, I have a trip coming up to Douala, but I have to fit in a trip to Munich first, 21st to the 27th February, a meeting with the EPO re my Patent Applications, once that's out of the way I;ll be off to Cameroon, should be a walk in the park, long as I don't have a run in with any black mamba's, I'm told they are knee deep in them the last few months

Canada Bob.

PS... Laying against Wigan {big time} this afternoon...

[Canada Bob]

Wigin did the honours for me today, they helped put a few quid in me pocket this afternoon, best part of 2 grand, but I had to lay better than 5/2 to get the bets on, but with Wigin strugglin' and Everton in form it looked a safe bet...

Watching Match of the Day here in Playa Blanca the now, with a bottle of Drambuie to celebrate the win :angry:

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

Slainte - enjoy the break :angry:

[Canada Bob]

Just got a phone call from a lad I know in Ireland, he says have a bet on "City of Doral" in the 3;45 race at Nass,

just had a look, it's a 7/1 chance in a Handicap Hurdle, so a few quid EW will be my bet on the horses today, other than that, I'm Laying Bolton {heavy}, it'll cost me ore 2 grand if they win, but I'll chance it...

[Canada Bob]

Just got a phone call from a lad I know in Ireland, he says have a bet on "City of Doral" in the 3;45 race at Nass, just had a look, it's a 7/1 chance in a Handicap Hurdle, so a few quid EW will be my bet on the horses today, other than that, I'm Laying Bolton {heavy}, it'll cost me ore 2 grand if they win, but I'll chance it...

A decent day today, the 'orse won by 3 length, and the Bolton Wunderers did the honours too, sinking further into relegation, picked up a good few quid today, just wish I had a bit more on the 'orse, I finished up with 50 quid EW on it, but that'll pay for the rest of this month...

I hope some of you were on it too ?

Canada Bob.

[Canada Bob]

In the hope that I'm on a bit of a run, I've just backed Fulham @ 8/11 to 1100 quid...

I know that Fulham struggle to score {don't we all}, but Burnley haven't won away all season, and they've only managed to draw once !!!

Add to that they've only scored 8 goals whilst letting in 35 !!! FFS !!!

The worst away defence in the Premier League !!!

C'mon Fulham, give us a goal, or three {by half time will do}...

Canada Bob.

[Scotty]

Fulham 2-0 up

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/e...rem/8503958.stm

[Canada Bob]

Yea, Fulham did me a good turn, won 800 quid off that bet, and was tempted to back Arsenal last night, but why give the bookie a chance to get his money back, so I'll no be having a bet for a while, better me spending it than Billy Hill.