Peckham to Abu Dhabi

Dear readers,

I'm currently experiencing good old-fashioned Arab hospitality by way of free WiFi at Abu Dhabi Intl Airport - waiting for the second part of my outbound journey. So far it's been uneventful - the minor upsets were entirely my own fault (ie. getting on a bus at 5am in Peckham with no money on my Oyster card and no cash on me, thankfully the bus driver didn't deposit me in the middle of drizzly Peckham at night-time and I made it to Heathrow in good time), and thus far, I'm impressed with Etihad. On the flight I was sat next to a woman with a library book checked out of Redbridge Libraries - upon further investigation she lives in Gants Hill. Smaaaaaaaall world. Watched Edward Scissorhands and cried, which was almost as embarrassing as the laughing out loud I did while watching The Thick of It, the IT Crowd and Fawlty Towers.

Upon leaving the plane we were informed that, as it's the Holy Month of Ramadan, it's forbidden to eat or drink in public during daylight hours. Luckily this doesn't matter, as I would basically have to pawn this netbook (but won't, don't worry, Ben) in order to buy anything anyway.

I feel a bit tired and spaced-out -- it's 4.15pm there I believe, but I've been up for 12 hours and it feels a lot more like the new time my watch is displaying, which is 8.15pm. This morning I had a huge bout of "why am I doing this?", but I gave myself a stern talking-to and devised a list of Things That Are Out of My Control, along with things that are within it, to make myself feel better. An excerpt:

NOT IN MY CONTROL:
* the fact that it's drizzling and cold and windy
* the fact that it's pitch-black and I'm a bit scared
* the fact that I have booked plane tickets to Bangkok and have bought anti-malarials and made all necessary preparations for going to Bangkok, so I am /definitely/ going to Bangkok.

WITHIN MY CONTROL:
* how much I enjoy my trip.

So I did it, and then suddenly I was at Heathrow, and then on the plane, and then flying over the Balkans, and then Iraq, and now I'm here. And in a bit I'll be in Bangkok. All of that is pretty cool.

Will try and send some of the 40degree heat from Abu Dhabi back to England for you (please take it).

xxx Lou