Time Travelling from the Mid-west to the Far-east..
Mexico City is in Mexico. Panama City is in Panama. Kansas City is in.. Missouri. And also in Kansas. A divided city. And I’m gonna get to see both halves..
Winter seems to have hit overnight here. I came to South East Asia with visions of sandy beaches and raspberry daiquiris. And 1 pair of trousers. So naturally I needed to buy more – which is where I was when my phone started ringing..
Buzzing, and cogs turning. No speech. No deals. I checked the number that had called. It began “098”. That’s one of the local prefixes for mobile phones. I figured whoever it was would ring again. They did. Same problems. Crap connection. On the 4th attempt the caller finally got through.
“WHO IS IT?”
“It’s Jane”
“WHO?”
“Jane. J-A-N-E.”
The penny dropped. By strange coincidence “098” is also the country code for India, where my friend Jane is currently staying. A short conversation takes place. And I forget about my new trousers, hop on my bike and head to Hanoi Towers..
The travel agents is a friendly place. The glass of water they give me is clean & fresh. Romantic impetuosity garners worthwhile rewards. They find me an excellent deal on a westward voyage. Hanoi – Hong Kong – L.A – Chicago -Kansas City. Then back via Kansas City -Dallas – L.A – Hong Kong and Hanoi. Only about 30 hours in planes and airports each way. No worries. The adrenalin is flowing. Its all bisto.
I’m delighted to discover that on my return trip to Hanoi I’ll be transcending Thursday. I leave on a Wednesday night from L.A, travel across the International Date line in the Pacific Ocean before arriving in Hong Kong on a Friday morning. I’ve been trying to work out what happens to Thursday. Does it exist for everybody else? Will my watch start turning anti-clockwise? I’ve decided to write down my observations of time travelling through a non-existent Thursday, for the sake of science & humanity. Watch this space..
Tags: Kansas, Vietnam
The Dude
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