Breakfast was a long + leisurely affair. As usual in HK we indulged in the luxury of preparing it ourselves . That done, however, there was urgent business to be done, particularly if we didn’t want to spend the next week or more in the place. To our delight, we were able to book seats on the very next flight to Bangkok, on Thursday, + I dashed off to the bank to change the necessary money to pay for them. There were also our films to be put in for developing – we couldn’t afford to wait for them. And then to town – Indian embassy to apply for our visas. Our first cock-up came here – visas could only be applied for during the morning, + no it wasn’t possible to fill out the application forms now + just leave them with the passports. In the morning, tomorrow morning. Our first (but undoubtedly not our last) taste of Indian bureaucracy.
At the American Express office, however, all was made worth while, when we discovered waiting for us a pile of 19 letters. And one of those had 2 more inside – 21 in total. We’d never had such a bumper crop – quite, quite wonderful. So we headed straight on to McDonald’s to read them all. They were from: my mum (5), Val’s mum, Dave (2), Bruce, Andy, Angela, Rob, Steve + Chickie, Bill + Meher, Stephen Barnes, Dennis (henceforth Prem – he’s changed his name), John + Jean, Nigel, Dave Trickett (a classic), + presumably 2 others, tho’ I can’t remember them for now – a wonderful collection. Nothing of note had happened, of course, the most distressing item being that Mum had sent me some mail which had gone astray. But one doesn’t long for letters for news – it’s just a re-affirmation of a link with people one cares for.
Val not feeling all that well right now, so I took first crack at cooking dinner, an entirely respectable liver + bacon casserole, tho’ I say it myself. I then spent the evening chatting with an unusual traveller, a retired American, just back from China with his wife. I quite enjoyed his company, even allowing for the fact he reminded me of Jack Hughes.
A magnificent haul of mail. I know that one can stay in contact so much more securely now, but that does take away from the utter joy of receiving mail. Otherwise, we are doing our very best to get out of the place; I think we are well and truly sick of HK by now. Very nearly sick of the whole business of travel, if the truth be told, so maybe we should just quit and fly home. But that is not what we have in mind, not what we have thought of ever since we left. Besides, there is most of a continent to see just yet.
I know how you feel about mail, either from Poste Restante or American Express. I couldn’t wait to find a better place to read, and would sit right down in the Post Office or AMEX and read away. And you’re right–it wasn’t about the news, but the link. I used to think of myself on a very long umbilicus, never knowing if it would break off in some distant land, but the mail always told me it was still intact.