The Tiger Poet vs. Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Although the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow may have somewhat stolen the limelight from Edinburgh this year, the city is currently right in the middle of its annual Festival Fringe. Thousands of shows are being performed across the whole of the city, ranging from dramatic theatre to student comedy. I myself am going up to Edinburgh this week to partake in some of the madness, and possibly to see a show or two. At the moment though I'm wondering what else Scotland's capital city has to offer the unsuspecting Welshman who doesn't travel much these days.

Certainly it has no shortage of places to stay, if you're planning to stay in the city like me. Unfortunately August is one of the most expensive times of the year when looking to rent a flat or an apartment in Edinburgh. I found this out after scouring the web for places to stay. Anything that costs a thousand pounds was out of my price range, and so I've settled for an apartment in the centre that was going relatively cheep. I haven't yet seen the apartment, but I'm fairly confident that it'll be good enough to last the week.

This will not only be the first time I've been to the Edinburgh Fringe, but also the first time I've been to Edinburgh. I was in Scotland two years ago when I visited Lochgoilhead and passed through Glasgow, but didn't get a chance to stop in the city. I didn't get much of an impression of Glasgow from what little I saw of it, but by spending a week in Edinburgh I will get a full and informed experience of the city this time. It will no doubt be very busy, with most of the tourists there to see the acts performing as part of the Fringe or for the Edinburgh International Festival and Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Either way, it's sure to be hectic.

The Fringe itself is the largest arts festival anywhere in the world. Over three thousand shows are being performed in nearly three hundred venues across the city, making this the prime location for aspiring performers to get noticed and to find success. Many of the shows at the Fringe are brand new productions in search of a review, but a lot of already established acts have performed in Edinburgh including the likes of John Bishop and Alan Davies. I suspect that I'll get to see a lot of the new shows while I'm there, and it'll be nice to see what the new generation of creative people bring to the stage.

As I understand it, Edinburgh is quite a bit bigger than my village, and so I'm not sure I'm going to navigate the city without getting lost at some point. There must be maps on the high street to help me with this, but if all else fails I'll just walk into the nearest bookstore and buy an atlas. Hopefully I'll get to see some of the other sights, such as the castle and those famous pandas everyone keeps mentioning.

All in all I'm still not sure what to expect of the Fringe. It certainly is a big step up from going to the town centre, but I've got a fair idea of where to go once I get there. With all these shows to choose from, a laugh or two is guaranteed at least. Come the weekend, I'll see for myself.

If I survive I'll see you in Edinburgh.

Guardian of the Sacred Forest

I am master of this realm,
the grass is my royal guard,
the sal trees are my sentinels,
my stripes are my regalia,
with tooth and claw.
Langurs and peacocks I loathe,
but chital are always my servants
from dawn to dusk.
They serve all the great hunters.
So do the sambar, the boar
and the Barasingha.
This is my domain,
my forest,
my kingdom.
So long as I remain
its guardian ghost
all creatures large and small
shall heed my morning call.

The Tiger Poet

(This poem was written at Siginawa Jungle Lodge at Kanha National Park in India. The name Singinawa means "Protector of the Sacred Forest".)