Drama Queen - On a set fit for Aida

Don't panic, don't panic, but maybe Lola has broken her arm. Is a short summary of a call from Flo less than 2 hours before we have to leave Samarkand. I had decided to sit outside Registan Square, whilst Flo, Lola, Oscar, and Nora Skye went inside.

Then, there's a bit of the usual confusion when there's an accident. "We are coming out of a special exit on the right...you can see me on Google Maps. So I tried to join them, they are 600m away , but of course they were moving.

Luckily for all of us, they were guided and helped by the tourist police, who took Lola and her entourage to a clinic, then to a hospital, and then somewhat unbelievably to the train station. All in about 75 minutes, i.e. in time to catch the last train with enough seats for all of us.

Meanwhile, I had set a plan B in motion . I walked back to the hotel, where Lennox was, and together we crammed ourselves and 8 bags piled high into a small taxi and went to the station. I booked 2 of the last 4 tickets for Flo and Lola on the slow late train , which I then cancelled when I saw on Maps that to my surprise, they had made it on time.

And what about the central character? Well, the initial opinion was that the arm was broken based on how much pain she was in, but thankfully the X-ray didn't show any break, hairline fracture, or chipping. Exactly why it was so painful is unclear. If needs be, we shall have it examined the day after tomorrow in Singapore.

I shouldn't forget the last part of the dash to the train station. I got a call that I should come to the entrance to meet the police. So I dutifully went, thinking I would have to sign something. But no, nothing to sign. Instead, the policeman hands me the X-ray and the prescription for pain relief because " you are the head of the family". He explains the details to me, whilst a baffled Flo looks on. She describes this as a "significant cultural difference." 😂

It was worth noting that despite the cultural difference, the police were a fantastic help, doing lots of driving, skipping queues at the hospital and all the while being calm and reassuring.

I should also mention that today was haircut day for all of us with short hair, Flo included. You don't need smalltalk, or even to speak, just a photo of a recent haircut. In each country the result is similar, but the means is different. In this case the haircut is washed after, facing into the sink. All this fun for a total of $15.60, for all of us.

Finally I did not forget about Aida. I saw it once at the open air Arena in Verona. Drama in a beautiful place, just like us today, but unlike Aida it looks like a good ending for Lola.Read more