Qatar Airport 0520 BST. I have definitely headed East but have not yet reached my destination. Ah nothing like a bit of philosoph(ie) at stupid o'clock half way around the globe. "They" - the ones who spread myths about a range of topics but always remain anonymous - say it's all about enjoying the journey right? Well the journey to get to the point of actually getting on a plane bound for Nepal has been extraordinary to say the least. What started out as a plan conceived in the Canadian Rockies to climb Ama Dablam has now materialised into a trek into the Langtang Valley to distribute medical aid into the mountain villages and then an attempt on the 5,500m Yala Peak. Originally I was going to be joining an organised expedition with a bunch of other Western high altitude seekers but how things have actually worked out is that I'm going to be hanging out in the Himalayas with Shervin, the Iranian pharmacist, Shervin's random friend Mohammed from Dubai, a Sherpa called Chumbi, Sherap the Nepalese student, and 3 porters. And of course this all materialised as a result of an ankle ligament injury which inadvertantly led to a meeting with a Nepalese Sherpa on a beach in the north east of Scotland. The rest as they say, is the present.
So yes, it's going to be special, it already is. As a result it was befitting that the journey kicked off with something a little bit different in the form of sharing the Inverness - London Gatwick flight with a Hollywood A-Lister. Of course Penguins respect the privacy of all human beings and stay away from the tendency to name drop ("Amanda.......Hamilton".......you know who you are!!) and as such said celebrity shall remain nameless in this instance. However should anyone wish to contribute financially to my ridiculous globe trotting and attempt to set the largest carbon footprint for a penguin in 2010, then I would be more than happy to reveal anything about Tilda Swinton's personal flying habits. Oh bugger. Back to the credit card then.....
Speaking of the credit card, it had better prepare itself for some Guantanamo Bay proportioned abuse. Having already had to spend £175 on excess baggage (don't ask, well do, but I'll hit you) in Heathrow and facing the prospect of having to pay out twice that amount for the return journey via Dubai, I decided to celebrate with a wanky soya latte in Doha. £7 later. If I knew the Nepali for arseholewankershitbumpoo, I would evidently write it here.
On that note, I'm off to consult my language book to learn a few useful and possibly even practical words and phrases. Currently my vocab extends as far as the Nepali for 'sexy' and a fantastic word for lady's bits. Am thinking that 'hello' may just be more appropriate but you never know......
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