I might be able to travel for two months with a 35 litre rucksack, but to get from Stourbridge to London I needed a suitcase and the rucksack. I took the wrong exit at Charing Cross and ended up taking a short walk through the rain to get into the mainline station. This annoyed me, so I went to buy a drink.

The man in the coffee booth was slightly confusing. Last time I was at Charing Cross most of the staff came from Ghana; however he was not speaking Twi, which is what most of them seem to speak, and he was a little too light-skinned. His name badge said Muhammed.

Once he had taken my order he asked if I had been travelling.

I couldn't be bothered to explain, so I said yes, I had been to see my parents for Christmas.

He fixed me with a rather pitying stare and said "No, you've been travelling. You like travelling. You've come a long way."

I glared back.

"You like cinnamon, too," he said, and put some on top of my chai without me even asking. I do always have cinnamon, but even so.

"Happy New Year!" he said brightly.

"Eid Mubarak," I retorted, and stomped off muttering uncomplimentary stuff about bloody Sufis who can't mind their own business.

Ian arrived about half past midnight (remarking that there seemed to be a lot more books around the place) and has been attempting to not let me out of arm's reach ever since, in case I attempt to go away again. I have just shown him my photos of Japan and he fell asleep in the middle of them. He might not get any dinner.

I have caught a cold just in time for New Year.

On the whole, though, 2006 has been good.

* posted by nat 5:43 PM

Friday, December 29, 2006

Yesterday I left the house for the first time; I have spent today recovering. I still have nails, however, which makes it difficult to play the piano or type without jarring them. I am rapidly becoming convinced it is not worth the effort. Also, they don't look like my hands any more - they are neat and tidy and if it weren't for me picking off the nail polish, they would look frighteningly grown-up.

Tomorrow I am taking the tissues and the Karvol and heading for London. Ian arrives back late in the evening, so I shall have to attempt to stay awake!

* posted by nat 9:15 PM

Thursday, December 28, 2006

I arrived - cramped, jetlagged, and bunged-up - in Heathrow early on the morning of Christmas Eve, and have mostly avoided being quite awake ever since. This is partly the jetlag, partly a reliance on Karvol to keep me breathing, and partly because there is not really much point. Today, however, might be a little different: there is some blue in the sky; I managed to sleep through a night in the right timezone; we are going to Stratford this evening (in other words, outdoors - so potentially fatal).

Christmas presents involved the usual: warm clothes, books, a frog. Yay! Christmas food was liberally swimming in alcohol and we all fell asleep over the King William, and we still haven't quite done half of it - but almost. Getting about half the answers is usually about the time to give up.

I pressganged Jo and Jan into retrieving my photos from the corrupted SD card, which they duly did, so I now have photos of Japan and Australia again which is super.

People keep asking me what I am going to next. First, I am attempting to remain alive and functional in the UK in winter. That is probably a full time occupation. The rest I shall worry about later.

* posted by nat 10:47 AM

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Also, my aristocratic title is better than your aristocratic title...

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Empress Nat the Intractable of Much Moulding upon Carpet Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

* posted by nat 2:03 PM

Two days ago I was sunbathing on top of a boat in Ha Long bay; yesterday I was exploring stilt houses of ethnic minorities who live in the highlands; today I wnet shopping in Singapore - along with the rest of Singapore. Slightly draining.

Flew from Hanoi to Saigon sat next to a gorgeous seven month old girl who gurgled at me all the way up, determined to read my english-language newspaper no matter how much her parents tried to interest her in their Vietnamese newspaper, and then halfway through the flight fell fast asleep and did not even wake up when the pilot bounced us down the runway. If only all babies on planes were the same!

The flight to Singapore took less time than the Hanoi leg had, and I checked in at the transit desk and they have promised to find my luggage and send it to London. We shall see! Caught a free bus into town and worked my way down several juice stalls - coconut, water-melon, longan - before meandering into Raffles Hotel and then into the enormous Suntec city mall, which has helpful signs in it such as "More shops ->". Attempted to leave again but got lost in there for about half an hour. Eventually made it to the safety of Orchard Road, Ayesha's aunt's restaurant followed by bookshop followed by wandering down the street, stopping off for drinks along the way, watching the Christmas lights come on. Very pretty.

I am now back at Changi Airport aka Mecca-for-frequent-flyers. It is calm and chilled and has free internet and the coffee shops have comfy sofas which I do not dare sit down in, given I got up at 4am Vietnam time and have not been to sleep since (It's now getting on for 10pm Singapore time) and if I sit down I am bound to miss my flight.

Off to find what else there is to do here instead!

* posted by nat 1:41 PM

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

I regret to inform applicants that the "What can you get on the back of your motorbike" competition has already been won by the man spotted transporting a very large pig (a live one) that was much larger than he was.

After the rainy season of the central provinces, I was left alone for one fateful day in Hoi An where I went shopping. W(h)oo(ps)! I am now back in sunnier climes - this time in Hanoi, and installed in the middle of the Old Quarter. I am now off to get lost.

* posted by nat 4:18 AM

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Singapore was hot and sticky and slightly stormy; Ho Chi Minh City is just hot and sticky. So I had my hair chopped off at an excessively expensive salon, where the way they shampoo your hair has to be experienced - it is a full on head massage and by the time they ask you how you want your hair cut you are a small pile of goo that just goes "Mmmm whatever". Halfway through I woke up and had to reinstruct.

Life is fun here: eat mango drink coconut ride scooter kill mosquitoes. I was chewed up on the first night but apparently I didn't taste too good, as I've been fine ever since. I ride round town perched on the back of Thuong's moped spotting what other people are carrying on their motorbikes: two-metre tall Christmas trees are the current fashion, although I have seen one guy with several hundred pairs of jeans tied on everywhere, large panels of glass sandwiched between two people, and the favourite five-and-more metres long of steel rods balanced precariously over the shoulder. Alternatively, fit your whole family on a scooter - small children can ride in the front basket. Nominally traffic goes on the right but in a city of eight million where most of them are out and about on a motorbike, you drive wherever there is a space you can fit.

Off to Hué tomorrow. I will miss the motorbike madness!

* posted by nat 2:07 PM

Sunday, December 03, 2006

I have just had an e-mail from SOAS.
With my MA results.
Apparently I have a distinction.
I don't trust e-mails.
But EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Off to be in shock in a chocolaterie.

* posted by nat 5:14 AM

Friday, December 01, 2006

I am having cute overload in Tasmania. Cute baby tasmanian devils! Cute baby fairy penguins! Cute adult fairy penguins! Eeeeee echidna! Have cuddled a wombat. Those things are heavy.

Today stalked pelicans and surfers and pancakes. Good day. Beaches delicious. White white nothing but white sand. And the odd surfer. And plover. And baby plover.

Cute overload!

* posted by nat 5:34 AM