Alas the sister act has come to an end and we are going our separate ways – Tash home via Rome and me to Corsica by (very early) morning ferry. It’s quite a different experience travelling on your own. All the bad choices come down to you and you alone – When you’re together you can share the blame 🙂

Still, I was really looking forward to Corsica although dreading having to catch a ferry. It actually wasn’t all that difficult – I didn’t end up driving the car into the sea and went straight to sleep in my cabin. What luxury!

First thing I found straight off the boat was that my phone stopped working. So much for my reliance on Google Maps Siri.  Good thing there was a GPS in the car – not that it actually recognised where I was going, so I pointed it to the nearest town and three hours of winding roads later I arrived at the approximate location (really need to work on my spatial awareness when booking accommodation – this driving is killing me). I then found a wifi hotspot and purchased an hour’s worth of internet access for 3 Euro just so I could find my way there.

It’s funny how what you’re imagining bears little resemblance to reality. I’d booked this little hut in Afa (think middle of nowhere and you’d be about right). I’d imagined a cute little cottage high up on a hill somewhere where all I could see was the rolling hills. I arrived and in my broken French asked the kid out front of the house to speak to the host. He responded in broken English and led me out the back of the house, past the horse and goat to a veggie patch and pointed to the outdoor toilet and then the hut where I’d be staying (the full horror of the toilet had not dawned on me yet). I managed to keep my jaw from dropping open. It was… not what I expected, but I was determined to make the best of it. I grabbed my bags and settled in to this rustic cottage in ruralania. So if I ignore the garden shed type feel it’s not too bad – and even has wifi. Then I went to the toilet. OMG. It is a dry toilet. If you don’t know what that is – let me enlighten you: You are sitting on a wooden plank, basically doing your business in a plastic lined bucket. You “flush” by dropping sawdust over your err leavings. The horror! You should know by now this Claremont princess’s minimum standard is a flushing toilet. But maybe this will be a character building experience? I mean the horse is friendly and tortoises wander through the garden. Deliverance country has a certain degree of charm. I can stick it.

Ok, I lasted one night then bolted. My new accommodation has a flushing toilet in the Forest in the heart of Corsica. Rudimentary accommodation, but this view…. I’ve also had the most delicious meal since I’ve been here. I’m paying through the nose but totally worth it. The irony is that I randomly chose the accommodation so I’d be closer to the location for my canyoning adventure the next day, but I’m roughly the same distance away!

Street Art in Corsica

Canyoning was magnificent, as usual. Nothing like sliding down rock faces and hurling yourself off stoney outcrops into ice cold water to make you feel alive. The other canyoners did not speak English which is quite an isolating experience when they’re all jabbering away. It turns out you don’t need to talk to people to have a good time. Actually, as an introvert I already knew that 😉

So now, after two nights in Ajaccio where I Did Not Drive, it’s a Farewell to Corsica and back to the mainland for the final push. Only one week to go!

Eat: La Villa Michel
See: A Cupulatta (turtles & tortises galore)
Do:  Canyoning