My Travelling Life
LOL! Celebrity puppet Chester Missing on his travel adventures
With a little help from his human sidekick, Conrad Koch, Missing tells us why free wifi is crucial and why it’s always best to travel as hand luggage
How often do you travel?
Conrad: I travel weekly, often daily, to shows.
Chester: I’m a puppet. I travel in a suitcase, so even when I just go to the shops its technically travelling. If you think it’s creepy a puppet would go shopping, you are not alone.
Your earliest memory of travelling abroad?
Conrad: My dad took me to Europe when I was a teenager.
Chester: I was lost by Air France coming back from Montreal. People laughed because my surname is Missing. The French Embassy had to explain to them that they had lost a famous puppet person. It’s not my earliest memory, but it’s a silly question anyway.Conrad: Apologies for Chester’s rudeness.What do you need for a perfect holiday?
Conrad: My wife, Ghia, and preferably a beach.
Chester: Wifi. Yes, that’s all. I’m a puppet. We don’t do beaches.Favourite city? Why?
Conrad: New York. It’s a cultural explosion.
Chester: New York. Awesome free wifi.Favourite holiday destination? Why?
Conrad: Seychelles. Warm water, beautiful scenery.
Chester: Mugg & Bean. Free wifi.Best holiday ever? Why?
Conrad: The first time I went to the Seychelles with my wife. Perfect everything.
Chester: When Conrad left the 3G dongle in my suitcase. That data was gone like a Gupta.
Most relaxing destination?
Conrad: At home. We have our dogs. Or around Cape Town, because we can take our dogs.
Chester: Still Mugg & Bean for the wifi. Why am I still answering these questions?
Most adventurous travel experience?
Conrad: When I kayaked through the Andes.
Chester: He’s lying.Favourite hotel?Conrad: The Maslow. It’s the right mix of awesome and affordable.
Chester: Does Mugg & Bean qualify?
Best piece of travel advice?
Conrad: Book a seat at the back of the plane. Almost always more space.
Chester: Never shout: “Terrorist!”What’s your favourite restaurant?Conrad: El Burro in Cape Town. It has awesome Mexican food with a great atmosphere.
Chester: Mugg & Bean. Really man. We’ve covered this.
What’s your one travel essential?
Conrad: Bose noise-cancelling earphones.
Chester: When you are a puppet, the one essential is the bag in which you can travel as hand luggage. Because Air France will lose you if you don’t.
Where next?
Conrad: Canada for a seven-week tour.
Chester: Mugg & Bean.
• See Missing and Koch in 'Conrad Koch’s Puppet Guy' at the Pieter Toerien Studio Theatre at Joburg's Montecasino until May 27...
There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.
From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.
For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.
Already subscribed? Sign in below.
Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.