Day 1 - Solo Sojourn

09:30
I know, I know - it’s only been a couple of weeks. A very different form of travel this time. A distinctly lower budget, planning closer to free form jazz than the tightly wound trips I’m more used to organising, but most notably - because this journey I’ll undertake alone. It’s not for everyone, but it’s a method of travel I adore. Some folks will tell you that solo sojourns allow you to be more selfish, to do what you want, when you want and without compromise. I suppose that’s true, but I would never describe Vicki and my travels together as compromise laden burdens. Perhaps we’re fortunate that we largely want to see the same things, experience the same experiences. There are exceptions - later this year for instance, I’ll head into the Amazon for a couple of days, whilst Vicks and Tam (my cousin) stay in the relative luxury of a Manaus hotel…

No - what excites me most about travelling on my own is that I know it changes my mentality, my social and emotional openness. Without my wonderful wife by my side, I seek social interaction in a wholly different way. On the train up to Gatwick, I find myself recalling with great fondness the 52 hour train I took from Ernakulam in Kerala all the way up to Agra, some 3,000 kms to the North. I'd worried I’d be bored, but found instead that the journey flew by. Whether it was hanging out the side of the train watching the world go by, playing cribbage against a wily old Indian chap called Baljit, setting up the one and only running of the ‘Where the fuck are we? Sweepstake’ - I spent a delightful couple of days meeting new people, and learning about their lives, and their country. Sri Lanka is not remotely on the scale of India. Despite this, I’ve a couple of 6-7 hour train rides to look forward to.

I’ve wanted to Visit Sri Lanka for many years. Vicki and I have just never quite got around to it. All my friends who have visited have adored it. I mean - what’s not to like? Beautiful scenery, tropical weather, stunning beaches, incredible sea-life including (hopefully) the mesmerisingly huge blue whale, food that wows with each mouthful, an intriguing and at times indescribably sad history. I CAN. NOT. WAIT.

Small matter of an 18 hour journey first though…

11:15
Another artefact of travelling solo is that, fairly unsurprisingly, I have more time to write. Some of that will be dedicated to a slightly different style of travel journal - more observation than factually driven, and featuring more opinion, more reaction. Much will also be given over to working on a couple of books, but that’s for a different day. As a result of this writing time windfall, you can expect more frequent but shorter updates, capturing 'a la minute' what I’m seeing, hearing, experiencing. I love keeping a daily retrospective travel journal when I’m on the road with others, but there’s something special (for me as a writer, at any rate….) about documenting in the here and now.

Gatwick North terminal is just about the quietest I’ve ever seen it. Turns out Monday morning in the last throes of the UK winter is a great time to travel. North terminal is where easyJet’s 100+ flights per day depart from, and during the Summer, the terminal is buzzing with folks headed off on their Summer holidays. This time of year, less so - weekends can still be pretty hectic, but this morning there’s barely a trickle of passengers. My bag is dropped within seconds of entering the terminal, and the security check is even quicker. A first for me - a new security queue is opened for me as I walk up - no queue, no fuss. Less than 30 minutes after my train arrived into Gatwick, I’m ordering some breakfast, and an obligatory airport pint. I start chatting to a Northern Irish lady sat next to me, who seems a little confused by the whole experience. She’s headed home to Belfast after a weekend visiting her daughter in London. We discuss for perhaps several too minutes too many whether she can still order from the breakfast menu at 10:45. She seems a little put out when I suggest she speaks with one of the people who, you know - work there. Wandering up to the other end of the terminal, I find that there have been quite a few updates since I last travelled through here - most notably the addition of a Brewdog bar. These are dangerous times. Still, my flight’s not for another couple of hours…

12:36
Here’s what they (I) don’t tell you about travelling solo. When you’re 3 pints in, and your bladder waves hello, you’re stuck with a stark choice. Do you

a) pack all your stuff up, head to the bathroom, and hope your table (or another one) is still available when you get back, or
b) leg it to the bathroom, leaving all your stuff on the table, hurriedly finishing your pee before rushing back to make sure some light-fingered little scrote hasn’t walked off with your gear.

At an airport, it’s always the former - unattended bags and all that. When you’re in country, and at a quietish bar? A more difficult choice. Many people are of the “could you keep an eye on my bag/stuff please?” brigade, relying on the good will and trustworthiness of their fellow patrons. Resist this urge. If someone asks me to keep an eye on their stuff, I like to hide it from them, so that when they get back, they have a momentary panic, before I hand back their belongings. Of course, not everyone is a mischievous prick like me, but you can’t really tell by eye-balling someone, can you?

23:40 - somewhere over the Arabian peninsula…
Flight’s been fine. I ADORE the A380. Just the best plane I’ve ever flown on. I’m in Economy, but there’s so much space. I have an extra legroom seat, so can stretch out to to my heart’s content. It helps that the flight is barely half full. Apparently this is a rarity for the A380 flights leaving Gatwick. The cabin crew are overjoyed at their workload being halved.

I meet my row colleagues as we board. Very weird coincidence - we were on a flight to New York with them about 4 months ago. Not 'with them' but sat a couple of seats nearby. We briefly had a chat with them while we were in the bar area of the Upper Class section of our flight. They are better than me at asking for things, and coerce one of the cabin crew to fetch us a G+T very shortly after take-off. I’m far more parsimonious with plane-based drinking than I used to be, but will happily admit to being very content to throw a couple of gins, and a few glasses of vin rouge. I try and sleep for a while, but it’s not happening. I just don’t think I’m tired enough. I suspect the relatively short (4 hour) hop to Colombo from Dubai will be a sleep free zone, so I’ll likely arrive at my hotel in several states of disrepair.

We’re just a few hundred clicks North of Dubai when the Captain informs us that there is congestion at DXB Airport, and we are likely to be around 1 hour late landing. I have a 2 hour transfer window for my next flight, and I know from experience that even 90 minutes can be cutting it fine if DXB is busy. The airport’s huge, and takes time to get around it. There’s also a security check to complete. Still - it could be worse. I could be the lady sat behind me who’s basically just been told that her connecting flight to Sydney is going to take off approximately 2 minutes before we land. These kind of delays are always frustrating, but also inevitable. I’ve spent countless hours in the hold pattern over Heathrow over the years. I think it feels worse because you’re so close to your destination. I call for more gin, and keep my fingers crossed we won’t be delayed any further.Read more