CNY - The life of unemployment... and a medio siglo

[LordAnubis]

So the last few months have been a change. It’s the first time I’m lighting up something in 8 weeks.

 

I quit my job mid August. My now wife quit her job the same time and we got married end of August in Perth. Since we now had nothing better to do, we started a bit of a trip. We were to be travelling for almost 5 months. We left Perth and went to Chennai. My wife’s family is from there. Since we both have large families, we decided we’d have the religious wedding ceremony in Perth and the reception in Chennai. So we got to Chennai and after first dying of profuse sweating from the heat and humidity, we had the reception. After that we went for a short trip to a different state in India. We went as a group of ten people (my wife’s friends from university). Thoroughly enjoyed the time. While I’ve been to India a few times, I’ve never done much tourist stuff, I’ve always just stayed in Mumbai for the week I was there. After a bit of touring Kerala and Maharashtra, we went back to Chennai to spend time with my wife’s family.

 

 

We departed Chennai and landed in Kenya. Our first stop in Kenya was a trip to masai Mara. We went to a tipilikwani camp. It’s called “luxury tents”. Basically large tent with a proper bed in it and showed etc. We managed to see 4 of the big 5 in the 3 days we were in Mara (didn’t see rhino).

 

 

When we got back to Nairobi is when we got some news from home. My wife’s father, it turns out, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. So we do a bit of a scramble to figure out what our plans going forward will be. In India medical treatment isn’t as simple as going to a hospital like you would in Aus. You have to find a good doctor at a good hospital. My wife’s sister luckily could go to Chennai to help her father decide on treatment options.

 

We went to the Emirates office to see what flight changes we could make. We looked at our options and then decided we’d cut our trip short. We stayed in Kenya for only 7 days of the original 16 planned and then went to Cape Town where we stayed for only 5 days of the original 18 planned. I love Cape Town. I have a cousin who was raised in Perth like me, but she married a Saffer and moved to Cape Town. I’ve been there several times. I have a really good friend there (more a distant family relative) who enjoys a smoke as well. Last time we met we were on a bit of a cigar marathon. This time was no different. I had bought some cigars in Dubai for us to enjoy. We both have an obsession with a HUpmann Half Corona. They just seem to tickle our sweet spot. Every. Single. Time. Apart from the excessive evening smoking, we got a great deal of Cape Town sight seeing done. Did you know there are penguins in Cape Town? African penguins! Da fuq?!?

 

After Cape Town we arrived back in Chennai just in time to cross paths with my wife’s sister for a few hours before she left to go back home to Melbourne. My father in laws treatment plan had been sorted out and he was going to be starting an 8 week course of radiotherapy. It’s been a pretty boring last 7 weeks to be honest, just hospital trips and babysitting the folks making sure they eat well and exercise etc. We did a small staycation to fancy hotel here called The Leela Palace. Sweet mother of Allah was that a good hotel. Perfect in every way. Which made me sad. See what I hate about India is that it’s not that they can’t make it a good country. It’s just that they choose not to. They clearly know how to provide fantastic service. But it’s a shame you have to pay exhuberant amounts for the privilege. Only about 0.5% of the Indian population would probably be able to afford this place. And this is same for everything here. Roads for example. There are a few roads where politicians and businessmen live that are maintained perfectly. So they do know how to maintain roads. But they chose to neglect ever other road in the city. I hate that.

 

I’m writing this in the plane. We’ve left Chennai and we’re heading to London for 2 weeks rather than the originally planned 7. It’s alright in any case. Get to catch up with the London fellas. Then head back to Perth where no doubt the Perth boys are waiting for the welcome back Mus herf. Can’t. F@&$ing. Wait.

 

Ohh right. This is a cigar review competition!

 

Medio Siglo - Box Code Unknown

 

It’s 01:30 on a Friday morning. I’m on the roof of a 5 story apartment building with a Cohiba Medio Siglo. Now that they’ve been out a while I thought I’d try a few. I bought a 3 pack of tubes when I last flew through Dubai over a month ago.

 

Why am I on a rooftop with a medio siglo at this hour? Well one it’s one of our friends birthday. She’s full on. She did a family dinner. Then desert with her husbands family. Then just left their kid with their parents and told the parents to drop the kid to school the following morning. Classic parenting Since our friend had a full on birthday evening we thought we’d save her the trouble of having a super late night. We didn’t hear back from her at about 22:00 so we messaged to say that the place we were going to meet is closing soon anyway and we’re going to sleep. She got back to her phone after finishing family stuff at 22:30 and would have a bar of it. “We’re meeting tonight whether you like it or not. Come out in your pyjamas.” Who am I to refuse?

 

We met up with our friend at the Taj here in Chennai. The most disappointing hotel restaurant I’ve ever been in. I mean they seriously have no idea how to cook food. Nor how to make a simple coffee. Terrible. Even their service is mediocre at best. It’s open 24 hours is the only advantage. We had no other choice, it was the only place open at this hour. We managed to convince the manager to get some cake for us from the closed cafe patisserie. That’s about as good as it got. The cake was nice, the coffee was crap, the free snacks were crap, even the water was crap. But we had a laugh till your stomach hurts and your eyes tear up evening, was fantastic. My wife (who hates cigars and hates that I smoke) was the one who suggest I ask our friend if she’s like to try a cigar. She doesn’t smoke or anything, but she likes random things and likes to try things out so she said sure let’s smoke!Unfortunately Chennai sucks for smoking options. This hotel has what I can only describe as a cubicle. That’s their “smoking room”. I wouldn’t smoke a cigar in there. Especially not with friends.

 

Oh yeah... this is a cigar review ... ??‍♀️ The cigar lights up fine. Sweet cedar is my taste to start with. It’s actually coming out the gates quite strong! Maybe it’s just the fact I haven’t smoked for a few months.

 

It’s a beautiful still night in Chennai. No god damn bloody dengue infested mosquitoes for a change! It’s like all the stars have aligned. Perfect weather for a cigar outside. We’re a group of 5 people just standing on the roof of a building smoking a cigar. Nothing suss. Getting into the cigar now and it’s actually mellowed out some what. Burning nice and slow, relatively even. The sweetness has disappeared and I’m finding a stronger wood note as well as another savoury note I can’t quite pick. Maybe nuts.

 

Half way into the cigar and im sure that savoury flavour is nuts. I’m reasonably impressed with these, I’m no cohiba fan at all really other than the secretos. A shame about the price point. Do I love these as much as I love HUHc? No. In order of love it to hate it in this format for me is : HUHC, Monte 5, Reyes, BPC, Secretos, PSD#6, partagas shorts, RASCC. Where would I put this cigar in that ranking? Between the PSD#6 and the Partagas Short.

 

Coming into the end of the cigar and it’s getting sweeter again somehow. More an Anzac biscuit flavour. A good ending to the cigar. I like the cigar. I think it will improve in a year. But it’s well out of my price range for what you get I’m afraid. We’re up here discussing lots of philosophical questions as you do at 02:30. I feel it appropriate to remind my friends that we’re fine, my wife and I will wake up comfortably at 11 and start our day, we don’t have work or anything. I’m waiting for the bruising to show on my black eye The cigar went out as my lights went out I think.

 

I woke up fine and refreshed. My friends work days weren’t as good I don’t think

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[luv2fly]

Thanks for the review and the trip info.  Great pictures!  Enjoy the rest of your trip!

[ayepatz]

Nice one mate. Looking forward to catching up on the 27th.

[99call]

Great pics, those house boats look amazing, 

[oliverdst]

Unemployment, sure 

Good to know everything is ok, brother.

[lafabrica]

great adventures for the unemployed!

were you getting a full draw/smoke from that shallow a cut?  or was that a punch??

[JohnS]

Great to hear from you Mus! I wonder if you'll look back on this period in the future and say to yourself, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times"!

[Sean3]

Unemployment sure seems to be different in Oz, I remember Ramen noodles and Swisher Sweets...not safaris and Cohibas.  Hope things work out for your father-in-law btw, a cancer diagnosis is never easy.  Cheers.

[LordAnubis]

It’s the traditional “I’m a travel bum and don’t carry a cutter” finger nail job. Essentially a punch done with my nails.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[OZCUBAN]

Good on ya mate

glad you’ve had an extended honeymoon albeit not as long as you would of liked.and yes us Perth boys are ready willing and able and the weathers real good at the moment ?been a long time between drinks (figuratively speaking  of course )?