The Ambassador’s Camel
Undiplomatic Tales of Embassy Life
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Just as Godfrey had predicted, the following weeks were a blur of activity. Yet Percy could not adjust easily to the emptiness of his new existence. His prior life still made him want to believe fate had put in him in Bharalya to do more than fill a chair at the dinner tables of his fellow ambassadors. The problem was, what?
The answer came one morning in the form of a telephone call from the palace.
‘It’s the chief of protocol for you,’ announced the Dragon. ‘He says it’s important enough to disturb you from your onerous ambassadorial duties.’
Percy soon found out what his ‘higher purpose’ was. The king wanted him and Madam to do him the honour of judging this year’s Chrysanthemum Show. His Majesty was a lover of chrysanthemums, the chief of protocol indicated, and said that the blooms in the palace gardens this year were especially fine.
How can I refuse, thought Percy? Floral diplomacy—that’s all there is to do.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
When politics and policy clash, politics always win. And in this case, senior diplomat Percy Williamson loses. At odds with Canada’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Crowley, Percy draws an overseas assignment as ambassador to Bharalya, a small country in Asia that recently discovered a big cache of oil.
When Percy and his wife Marilyn arrive in Bharalya they are quite unprepared for the bizarre experiences they will share and the eccentric people they will meet. There’s the king who’s addicted to collecting medals from foreign governments, a junior diplomat who impersonates his own foreign minister, a visiting minister caught by the press in a brothel, and a travel-averse diplomat reduced to jelly by his one and only trip outside the capital.
Diplomatic conflicts almost turn into wars over golf tournaments, and Percy’s and Marilyn’s duties include attending flower competitions, Christmas parties, national day celebrations, and events with rented camels. And regularly erupting at the most awkward moments is the dreaded Bharali amoeba, scourge of the diplomatic intestinal tract. But all frivolity is set aside when the government threatens to close down the embassy; the Foreign Service springs into action, with surprising results.
About the Author
DAVID HOLDSWORTH experienced firsthand the humorous side of embassy life during a thirty-year international career in the Canadian public service. He now combines management consulting and writing. He lives in Ottawa.