But, on the way I was reminded of some of the cultural differences that exist betwen me and my hosts. Like, proxemics; personal space - the expectation of it is non-existent here. For some one who likes his space, I had to remind myself to breathe and adapt! The absence of women; on a plane of 300 people there would maybe have been 20 women and girls and there was little sign of women on the streets on the drive into town. And don't expect orderly embarkation or seat assignment; but that's the fun part of the process - after the strict order of Dubai it took a few minutes to adjust - but adjust you do, or get swept along.
So, arrived an hour late, found my luggage on the overloaded 1 tonne truck that drove the baggage out into the carpark where a swarm of young boys with wheelbarrows fought the owners of the bags to "assist you sir, for 1 dollar, sir", and drove through a number of police and military checkpoints, to find our way to a very large, secure compound where I will be based for the next few weeks.
My travelling companion, Bandit, (you might just see him in the picture) and I have travelled all over the world together, but not to a place as cold as this; we usually do the hot places of the globe - so our winter adventure begins.
