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Oct 7

Fear of flying

If you’re reading this I’ve landed safely; honestly I don’t know why I worry. I watched the 20 minute BA film on overcoming fear of flying. Very reassuring as we ‘winged’ our way over the North Sea, The Hague and into Eastern Europe. Very little cloud meant
fantastic views over the Ukraine, the Black Sea, the Caspian and the ‘Stans.
Looking down I remembered driving through all of that in 2010. Thankfully it was as smooth and flat in the air as it looked on the ground. Once over the Caspian and Bukhara, Ashgabat and Almaty hived into view this marked the point where we started to climb from 11227m to 11887m presumably to get us over the tail end of the Himalayas. Darkness began to fall with the sun dipping away behind us. I also watched another BA documentary about the overhaul of a 747. How do they get off the ground …?
The Trans Himalayan turbulence wasn’t so bad after all and the long slow glide down into Delhi got me quite quite excited. Lots of twinkling lights down below.

Oct 7

A foggy ride to Heathrow.

5.50am the taxi arrived. Just as I’d started to haul 58kg of spinning bike from the garage to the kitchen. Helen likes to spin when I’m away, it gives her something to do.
The driver is Iranian, he came here for treatment following the Iran / Iraq war when he was caught in a land mine blast. He married an Iranian doctor from Oxford.
I spent a fitful night. Wanting to sleep because I was tired but not wanting to sleep to savour every conscious moment with the family. As a result now I’m checked in and waiting at Heathrow I’m shattered. Flying is my least favourite form of transport and 8.25 hours at 39000 feet (or whatever it is) fills me with dread.
However, on the plus side – there’s always a plus side – I am going to what looks to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Oct 6

Cotton picking the Uzbeck way

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