Go-around

Cockpit communication
First Officer: Problem in the cabin. Flight attendant just collapsed. Tom is doing initial assessment: checking airway, respiration, and circulation.
Captain: Understood. Ask him how long until the cabin is secured for landing.
First Officer: Twenty minutes to address medical emergency and secure the cabin. Meal trays are still out but not yet collected.
Captain: Twenty minutes? We're only fifteen from touchdown. 
First Officer: Maybe declare a medical emergency with ATC. We won't have time to land safely with the cabin unsecured.
Captain: We'll initiate a go-around. This should give the crew the extra time needed to stabilize the situation and secure the cabin properly. Wheels up.
_______________
Voice-over
So we did go round again. The passengers had to wolf down their curries before trays were hastily collected. And on landing the flight attendant was taken off first.

Hairdrying Socks

After breakfast at the inn…
Louise: Ugh, my socks are still wet! I washed them last night, but they just won’t dry.
Sandra: Use the hairdryer. That should speed things up.
Louise: Good idea! Hmm, it’s not really working. They’re still damp.
Sandra: Oh, look, try this. It works much faster if you poke the nozzle of the hairdryer into the top of the sock so it balloons up. Like this.
Louise: But won’t the socks get too hot?
Sandra: Set it to low heat and keep checking the temperature. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a hole at the top and the bottom of the sock. Hah!
Louise: Got it. Ah! This is quick!
_________
Voice-over
Useful hack if the hotel doesn’t have a laundry. Take care not to blow up the hairdryer.

Busselton Jetty

Shouting over the wind…
Rachel: A bit wild today, isn’t it?
Mai: But the view is amazing. This jetty is so long! Can we see fish?
Rachel: On calmer days, you can spot dolphins and even the odd seal.
Mai: What’s that at the end of the jetty?
Rachel: It’s an underwater observatory. You go down 8 meters and see the marine life up close. Like being in a giant aquarium.
Mai: Can we go? Is it open today?
Rachel: Not in this weather. But on a calmer day, it’s a must-see.
__________
Voice-over
At 1.8 kilometers, it’s the longest wooden-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. Originally built in 1865. Park and walk it, you’ll clock up 4 kilometers. Oh, and there are over 300 different marine species if you have time.

English bicycle tyre valves and hot weather

Pick up at the airport…

Émile: How was the trip?

Filippo: The usual. Crises unfolding just as the hour of departure enters the 24 hour to go window. Happen to you?

Émile: Always. Some things never change. What went wrong this time?

Filippo: Wasn’t a full-blown melt-down. Pressure during the final week. Finish classes. Packing the boxes…

Émile: Ah. The fifty boxes of your life. Jacques emailed me.

Filippo: Ran out of boxes, found several more but then the rear tyre valve rubber perished and leaked so I had to push the bike home.

Émile: In the summer heat, yes. The “eishiki barubus” do that.

Filippo: Finished packing the last box and rushed to the airport, no time for a shower.

_______

Voice-over

英式バルブ. Aka known as English valves, Dunlop or Woods valves. Change every year to prevent them perishing in the heat. Used in Japan but not in England despite the name.

Destination Divulging Disorder (DDD)

Wondering where a secretive colleague is…

Where in the world...

Antonio: Have you heard from the English lately?

Fred: Nope, not a peep. He goes off the radar for weeks at a time. It's like trying to catch smoke; you never know where he's gone.

Antonio: Like the Cheshire Cat. One moment he's here, the next he's vanished.

Fred: Or the Scarlet Pimpernell.

Antonio: They seek him here, they seek him there.

Fred: He has a meeting March 20th. He could work remotely until then.

Antonio: My guess is he’s doing spell research at Hogwarts.

Fred: He never lets on where he’s been when he gets back.

____________

Voice-over

Reasons for an individual’s DDD may be connected with a wish for privacy, to keep a boundary between their life and others, a fear of judgement by others, security concerns, among others.

The Jaguar and the Gypsy Caravan

The travelling days…

Neville: Ah, Nancy, remember those days when we lived from place to place in the gypsy caravan of ours? Those were the times.

Nancy: And stopping at our friends' places for bathroom facilities – that's something I'll never forget.

Neville: Quite the visits, weren't they? Remember how our friends reacted when we pulled up in our caravan?

Nancy: Oh, how could I forget! It varied from house to house, didn't it?

Neville: There was old Bill and Sarah. They always grinned when they saw us pull up outside. Bill would say, "Here comes trouble! Towing a poor gypsy caravan behind a luxury car," and Sarah would shake her head, but she'd invite us in for tea anyway.

Nancy: Real troopers, those two, always so welcoming. Then there was Sally and Michael. I remember how Sally would tease us, "Back again, you wanderers?" But they'd set up the spare bedroom for us with fresh towels.

Neville: Ah, and the Woodwards, they were a hoot. George would come out with a beer for me and say, "Neville, you're still towing that thing around, eh? You could have bought a mansion with what you spent maintaining that Jaguar!" But he'd spend hours chatting about cars and life.

Nancy: Not everyone was thrilled to see us, though. Remember Roger and Emily?

Neville: Oh, yes, I do. Emily was a bit less than welcoming, and I think it had to do with Roger not having a job at the time. They were struggling with house payments and had a new baby to take care of.

Nancy: Emily had that tired look in her eyes, and I could sense their financial strain. Roger seemed embarrassed about their situation.

Neville: It was a tough time for them, and I understand why they weren't as hospitable. We tried to be considerate, playing the guitar at nights, but we could see they had enough on their plate.

_________

Voice-over

Guests can outlive their welcome but as hosts, an effort has to be made for the treasured guests. 

Long Way Up

Harley and Rivian prototypes

Bingewatching a road trip

Aaron: The middle episodes were the most memorable for me. Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru.

Isaac: The scenery?

Aaron: Huge vistas, yes. South American towns. Local people. All that. Two best friends on a bike trip. Hints of family back stories.

Isaac: But also the technical problems with electric bikes; the backup crew, the photography with helmet cams capturing the riders’ view, Rivian truck shots, drone footage, diary cams at night before sleeping.

Aaron: Not a trip that could have been done or documented without serious sponsorship and vehicle backup. Makes you rethink solo documenting a road trip.

________

Voice-over

An 11-episode Apple TV+ television series. Thirteen countries in a hundred days. Environmental and charity themes. Travellers encountered many challenges, the story had many unexpected twists and turns, the telling of it had many voices and viewpoints. Complexities of a modern picaresque narrative. Worth a watch.

Planning a curative journey

Motorcycling around Japan...

Mamoru: At your age?
Yuki: It’s something I’d always intended to do. Better late than never.

Mamoru: Try that and you might become late earlier.

Yuki: Some truth in that. But some say motorcycling provides exercise in stretching and coordination and the level of alertness required is higher than driving a car.

Mamoru: Isn’t your bike a bit heavy for you now?

Yuki: It is, so I may graduate to or at least trade it for something lighter part way.

____________

Voice-over

Yuki also explained that he won’t tour Japan in one long circuit. Using Tokyo as a hub, he’ll make a series of journeys (like spokes in a wheel) to visit all 47 prefectures. Mamoru says it could take some time. But it’s about the journey, not the outcome.

Japan on $10 a day

A dog-eared book lies on the table…

Dennis: Bit of an antique, this book.
Glen: Yes, brought it to Japan when I first came. Never had the heart to throw it out. Staying within $10 a day in Japan was possible in the early 70s. And the places to visit, well, the historical edifices may still be there but many of the ephemeral attractions have long gone.
Dennis: So it's an artifact. And the author?
Glen: John Wilcock. He died 2018. In Ojai.
Dennis: You knew him?
Glen: Met him in New York once. A Brit, transplanted. Inveterate traveler, he wrote guidebooks for Frommer. But he also cofounded Village Voice among others.

_________
Voice-over
Once travellers, mainly Europeans, visited Japan for the history and culture. And maybe cheap goods. They still do. Or will again when the world shakes off this Covid thing. But nowadays travellers also come seeking goods, upmarket, from Asia and the contemporary media-driven culture. Akihabara has adapted to the times.

Gone up a mountain

An absent friend, Peregrine…

William: He’d been talking about buying a bag for his bicycle for a few days. Seems he was off on a train and cycle journey.

Wayne: Where did he go?

From a T-shirt

William: He just vanished. A text from him on Friday: “I tried to buy a ticket online to Suwa. I thought ordering it online a QR code would be sent to my phone. Nope, had to pick up the ticket from the station. So much for the speed of booking travel by train online.”

Wayne: And nothing since?

William: I sent a bunch of cartoons like “Never underestimate an old man with a mountain bike.” He hasn’t even checked his messages.

Wayne: Must be enjoying being out of Tokyo.

William: Or fallen off.

___________

Voice-over

Being an inveterate traveller and stranded for 16 months must be hard. Where Peregrine pre-pandemic would be on a flight every two weeks his recent wanderings have been no more than 30 kilometers by bicycle. But even Tokyo’s bike trails have palled evidently, the mountains call. Bit like the grand old duke of York, marching up and then marching down, with a train speeding the intrepid to the site, bike bagged.

Travel in a time of virus

 Airport at 7:15 am...

Check in: Where are you flying?

Passenger: Narita.

Check in: OK. Passport, booking reference, covid test result, health test QR code, and pledge. Got those?

Passenger (hands over a file of documents): Here. Any chance of a seat with the next one unoccupied?

Check in: We’re only 10 percent full. Almost have the plane to yourself.

________

Voice-over

It was a pleasant flight. Mask changes were brought every three hours. Nice food. An atmosphere of calm, unhurried efficiency. Were that travel always like this, at the airport, or on the flight. Just that it took a week to get the paperwork together.

Did Marco Polo go to Cathay?

How far did he go?

.

Bianca: Of course he went.

.

Zanni: What makes you so sure?

Bianca and Zanni debate Marco

.

Bianca: His account of Chinese places, inventions, culture. Plants and animals along the way.

.

Zanni: Books have been written to question whether he actually went.

.

Bianca: And refuted. Easy way to make a name for yourself is to attack historical figures. They can’t answer back. You start by attacking the urban myths.

__________

Voice-over

Like the urban myth that Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy? Since noodles had arrived in Italy before Marco Polo was born, he obviously didn’t bring these from Asia. And there is the lack of mention of chopsticks or tea. And although original copies of the popular work have been lost, 150 copies of his manuscript exist today. Many scholars like Mark Elvin suggest that he had an authentic story to tell even though it was embellished by coauthor Rustichello da Pisa. One faulty brick doesn’t bring down the structure.

...

Armchair Travel

A trip might be nice...

Travel in a time of virus…

.

Perry: It palls after a while.

.

Grendel: What?

.

Perry: Being at home. Looking at the view. Watching migratory birds starting to depart on journeys. Leaving behind us flightless humans. Feet start itching so I read a travel book. Took trips to Ethiopia, Nepal, Tibet and India last week.

.

Grendel: Armchair travel?

.

Perry: The chair arms hold your book up, and as you read you vicariously experience the pleasure and the pain of travel.

.

Grendel: Ah. Schadenfreude. Pleasure in reading about the pain of others.

__________

Voice-over

Evidence of accompanying Pico Iyer through his Tropical Classical. Not just about travel but meeting exceptional people like the Dalai Lama, hearing Iyer's views on what books by Indian, British, Japanese, and American writers really meant, and smiling at his deconstructions of languages, dramas, genres and punctuation.

...

The Waikaremoana Road

Highway 38...

.

Navrilov: It takes 4 hours to go 160 kilometers.

.

Neo: Twisty?

Watch for wandering
cows and horses

.

Navrilov: Very. And gravelly. Slips, Rocks. And wandering animals.

.

Neo: Desolate and dangerous compared to the main road. So why did you?

.

Navrilov: Spectacular. I’d never done it.

.

Neo: You prepared?

.

Navrilov: Sleep. Food. Tools. Insurance.

___________

Voice-over

Not for the nervous.

Not if you’re pressed for time.

Not if you’re worried about dings on your car.

But to see New Zealand vegetation before farming landscape wiped it out.

And to have done another thing on the bucket list.

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss, but that it is too low and we reach it. Michelangelo

...