Michael Sears

Michael Sears
My kind of holiday	Published:Jul 06, 2008
Neil Pendock speaks to whodunnit author Michael Sears about holiday spots. Where did you spend your last holiday? Last September my friend Stanley Trollip and I spent several weeks in Botswana. It was partly to do research for our new novel — we write as Michael Stanley — and partly for pure enjoyment. What was the best thing you did while there? We camped at a vlei on the verge of the Chobe River. We were the only people there and pelicans, ibises, egrets and herons crowded the shallow water, which turned rose as the sun set. Once it was dark, the fireflies entertained us while we ate dinner. Your favourite city abroad and why? I don’t have a favourite city, but my favourite place is Alsace in France. It has so much charm. Do foreigners understand better when you shout at them? Absolutely! They understand that you have bad manners! What was your best holiday ever? Visiting the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Tours or do-it-yourself holidays? Do-it-yourself. I want to set the pace and the schedule. But it’s wonderful if someone else handles the hassles and has local knowledge. We were recently in Cambodia, where our guide was amazingly knowledgeable about the Angkor Wat ruins, but also could tell us of the horrific recent history. After a week we had learned much more than we could have hoped to on our own. Travel agents or the Internet when booking, and why? Travel agent for Cambodia because they have ideas and experience of the country. Internet to fly to Cape Town. It’s cheaper and the travel agent adds nothing. Which nation’s people are the worst to encounter on a holiday? Your own. They want to talk about home! Your most and least favourite airlines? Qantas is decent. You have to go with the Australian laconic approach. American Airlines don’t treat you like dirt: they treat dirt better. Who is the worst person you have ever sat next to on a plane? There was a lady, large and imposing, who insisted on asking me questions about SA. She listened carefully so that she could contradict me. She had never been here. One destination you would call “never again”? I can live without Ilha da Sol at 2am while the rain comes down and the stray dogs snap at you. And that’s just from the runway to the airport terminal.