It is Christmas Day 1999 and having just enjoyed a shower I find myself in a bathrobe on my hotel balcony in India sipping a large gin & tonic.
Why India? Well I’m still unsure as to why I have just quit my job and landed here but what the fuck!.
The western world is in the grip of Y2K paranoia and here I am in this idyllic paradise far away from the fear and stress secure in the knowledge that if it does all go wrong I will enjoy much less of an impact here than at home. From my balcony all I can see is palm trees and the Arabian Sea. It is around 6pm and as I watch the beautiful sunset I think of home.
Around this time I figure it may be an opportune moment to call home and wish those I left behind a Merry Christmas. I retrieve my cell phone from the dressing table and call my sister’s number. Three rings and I’m connected. I duly chat with my sister and her husband before asking if I can speak to my dad. Whilst my sister is handing over the phone the weirdest thing happens…
A real live elephant wanders up the road outside the hotel without a care in the world. For a city boy like me this was something of a shock...
Why India? Well I’m still unsure as to why I have just quit my job and landed here but what the fuck!.
The western world is in the grip of Y2K paranoia and here I am in this idyllic paradise far away from the fear and stress secure in the knowledge that if it does all go wrong I will enjoy much less of an impact here than at home. From my balcony all I can see is palm trees and the Arabian Sea. It is around 6pm and as I watch the beautiful sunset I think of home.
Around this time I figure it may be an opportune moment to call home and wish those I left behind a Merry Christmas. I retrieve my cell phone from the dressing table and call my sister’s number. Three rings and I’m connected. I duly chat with my sister and her husband before asking if I can speak to my dad. Whilst my sister is handing over the phone the weirdest thing happens…
A real live elephant wanders up the road outside the hotel without a care in the world. For a city boy like me this was something of a shock...
Well bugger me with a fish fork I think…this might well be the best Gin I’ve ever tasted. Just then I snap back to reality when I hear the familiar tones of my father.
3 comments:
Merry Xmas Dave to you and yours.
I was coming home - slightly squiffy - from a pre xmas cocktail thingy the other night and walked past a truck load of camels parked on the residential side street that my friends live on.
Four adult dromedaries sitting calmly in the flat bed and a baby out on the side walk having a leak.
Why they had camels on a truck, and why they felt the need to have the afore mentioned beasts in the middle of downtown Cairo on a Friday night I do not know.
It did, however leave me pondering the possibility of the hallucinogenic properties of the local hooch over here!
PS - We've got no chimney's in Egypt but Santa still managed to get in. How cool is that?
Merry Christmas Dave. Christmas is an excellent time to travel and see how the other half lives. Maybe I'll consider something a little more exotic next time. I love the idea of elephants or camels on Christmas.
All I had for Christmas that was in anyway exotic was the kangaroo that my dog chased at 6am on Boxing Day. Somewhat surreal!. The Kangaroo won by a long hop.
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