It’s 0230 and I’m halfway through the first long airport stop of the journey. I arrived at the airport half an hour earlier than needed to find a very long hydra headed queue consisting of Pathans pushing trolleys heaped with shrink wrapped blankets. Pakistani men’s vaunted respect and deference to women can rarely be depended […]
Off
My flight to Lahore is tonight, or, correctly, my flight to Karachi is early tomorrow morning. I have a rather ugly journey ahead, and am feeling foolish for not booking a direct flight to Lahore despite the cost. There used to be a direct PIA flight between KL and Lahore; then it changed to KL […]
Last days
On Saturday, after breakfast the GF and I took out the kayak and paddled to the two islands in the bay where, we were told, there was snorkeling. I went in front and took the role of steering, while the GF provided the power, the speed and, if one must be honest, most of the […]
A lesser adjutant
This morning I woke before dawn. Again the moon was so bright on the water it felt like day. I got dressed and sat in the terrace watching the sea change from silver and grey to white and blue as dawn brightened behind me. The moon sank towards the water but the sun outstripped it, […]
Not Wharton
The full moon lit the sea up all night so I woke, mistaking it for dawn. The sound of the sea was lovely, and whilst I wouldn’t say I slept very well, I did wake feeling quite relaxed. In the mid-morning we took kayaks out to the mangrove lined creek. I enjoyed it and wondered […]
A sense of guilt
The Golden Buddha Beach Resort is a slick operation indeed. We were collected from our Phang Nga hotel at the stroke of 1030, as requested, and driven north along the west coast to a small pier where a long-tail boat took us on a one hour journey through mangrove lined waterways to the hotel on […]
Arrived
Arrived in Phuket after a delayed, but not dramatically so, flight. The delay appeared to be due to the late arrival of the crew (not, as the announcement stated, unavoidable technical difficulties), which I don’t really understand but there it is. At immigration we were in a queue with a truly unpleasant immigration official whose […]
Hard going
After yesterday’s thoughts about Rufa Rujab I did a good lot of outlining. I’m not sure I actually work well with outlining, but this is a plot driven story unlike those posted on the website, so I should know where it’s going and what needs to be done to make it more compelling than it […]
Back to the jungle
It’s the GF’s mother’s final weekend in KL and we took her on a long-delayed stroll through Bukit Nanas. This is a small forest reserve on a hill (with, reputedly, some secret tunnels) in the middle of KL and a five minute walk from our flat. It’s amazing how quickly the sounds and feel of […]
Madras Lane
The GF’s mother was giving a talk on mental health (she is a psychotherapist) at the GF’s organisation so I walked her there and then went to Chinatown to buy soup spoons with roosters on them (requested by my good friend who is trapped in Multan), and continue my somewhat desultory quest to try lots […]