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July 2001 |
My Singapore-bound flight in the afternoon was delayed while we are still on the tarmac due to first a seating arrangement and next some unexpected chemical spillage. I can see the mopping up activities outside. Beside me sat a young mother from Taranaki. She was on her way to atte
nd her son's graduation in Copenhagen and I was surprised she
had never climbed Mt Egmount. Finally after the unknown wait the plane taxied out to the runway and soon
we were airborne. In-flight movie was Mars Exploration - reminding me once again
the our Mir deOrbit expedition in Fiji. Most portions of the flight was
day-time and from where I sit it was warm ( the only reprieve
was the claustrophobic toilet with better ventilation).I looked out the window. Separated from me and the chilling outside cold (-50c) was just the thin double layer perplex window. Some ten hours later the SQ mega big-top 747 touched down in Changi International Air port amidst late evening heavy downpour. After an impatient wait for one of my 'missing' luggage to turn up I headed home. This was indeed a special journey - survi
ving an incredible Mir miss in the air, and
the lost of my favorite digital camera where most of the shots resided.
Anyway I had a chance for a reminiscing trip
back to a place where I often dreamt of the the familiar people and places. It was as
if the place had been calling - all these 19 years. I felt I was like walking into
Daphne's
Mauve's REBECCA famous beginning scene - "... Last night I dreamt I went back to
Manderley...." for me
97 Brougham street was and still is my Manderly..
Presented below were account of
my South Seas Adventure - first to Fiji and later onto New Zealand -
another of my solo travel account presented in chronological order. These
were pieced together from film stills ,video tapes, 'bursts' of
recollections scribbled hastily on bit of pieces of papers and backs of
envelopes. I need to hurry while the events were still fresh in my mind. I
relied heavily of the diary I kept during the trip of the people I met,
places, etc almost every
night before I retired to bed - a 'ritual' I had so far observed unfailingly on every single
end-of-the-world trip I
embarked...