I have not one, not two, but three geckos in my room on Koh Samui. They are my version of a black cat, whenever a gecko crosses my path, I know I shall be safe, from mosquito bites at least. They are awfully shy, and don’t really want to be included in my journal, and point blank refused to pose for a photo - they don’t want anything that could be used to discredit them should they ever run for parliament. I shall try and get a candid shot of them when they are unawares though, I owe them my pockmark-free [View Full Entry]

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Again, upon arrival in Bangkok, my bags were the first off the plane. And the wait at immigration was, though busy as usual, not a horrific three hour wait that I have had to endure before now. The more things go my way, the more I know it is building up for such an enormous fall. Perhaps none of my luggage will arrive in Xi’an with me, and all the shops will be on a special three-month holiday and so will have to live in the same clothes until May. Or I may not pay too close attention one afternoon, and [View Full Entry]

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Had the surreal experience of being taken to Changi Airport in a London black cab. Most taxis here are blue Toyota Crowns, but the concierge had a huge grin on his face as I hobbled out the lift, dragging my cases behind me. He had spotted this cab earlier, knew I was checking out today, and had asked him to come back about the time he thought I’d be leaving. Just in case I was homesick! Looking at the city on the way out. It’s so clean, such diverse but stereotypical buildings - high-rise flats painted lime and orange; vast colonial [View Full Entry]

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Not completely sure what time it is, I think I may be running an hour behind. I set my watch when I got off the plane, but other clocks are telling me different. I shall find out for sure before my next flight on Tuesday. I managed to get up at 8am, after watching a few hours of ‘Doily Idol’, on CCTV, the Chinese channels. This Chinese version of the X Factor meets the Krypton Factor involves 12 people standing behind a long table, in a shabby hotel room cunningly decorated with acres of wispy curtain and 2 pot plants. No [View Full Entry]

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Pretty uneventful flights. Just sat in the corner of the lounge and looked up more essential Mandarin vocabulary I’ll probably need the first few days in Xi’an. I’m sure that the steward asking “Est-ce que c’est un e-ticket?” is not the way to maintain cultural distinctions. Contemplated buying Harry Potter in French (I stopped over in Paris, by the way), but then realized it was a thinly veiled attempt to just read it again. And I have just enough to carry comfortably, HP would put me out of my comfort zone, and would therefore make me unhappy. And we co [View Full Entry]

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Have spent the past three weeks wandering around my house, thinking about packing, wondering exactly how many pairs of 4 inch heels would be considered too many, regretting my insistence to spend some time in Singapore and Thailand before going to China. It's 27 degrees and thundery in Singapore. 30 and brilliant sunshine in Bangkok. And it's -4 and snowing in Xi'An. That's nice and easy to pack for. I think I'll opt for the layering option. The most challenging question I'm facing is: Will I have room for a hotwater bottle? I'm also struggling with which books and notes to [View Full Entry]

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Click click. Tap tap. Sitting here, in front of my computer, scrolling through the hundreds of volunteer opportunities there are all over the world. Feeling at peace with the world today, lounging in my fortunate circumstances. So many people could potentially benefit from my desire to help, who will be the unfortunates who get caught up in this period of benevolancy? Hmm. China. Never been there before. Xi'an, walled city, Terracotta warriors. Not completely remote, though awfully far from other countries should war be declared. I have big boots, the soles should last until Mongolia should [View Full Entry]

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