Is the camera ok?

There are three main types of boring stories: those about drug taking experiences; those about dreams; and those about travel trouble. With this in mind, I'm going to tell you about some recent travel trouble.

The four hour flight from Bangkok to Delhi was quite seriously bumpy, especially over the Bay of Bengal. Strong winds we were told. So when the plane was on its approach I was relieved; we'll be home soon, I said. But the pilot didn't land. Instead I could feel the plane tipping constantly, its wing dipped in a tight arc. This could only mean one thing. We were circling.

After about 40 minutes, the captain told us that the fog was so dense at Delhi that we couldn't land - and we'll have to return to Bangkok instead. Calamity! All that turbulence, all over again. It duly flew back, where we landed at around 5am, tired and confused and in need of a flight home. (Which is what we got five hours later.)

But in the meantime, exhausted, I did what I've seen so many times and always felt lucky to avoid: sleep on airport seats. Using my jacket as a blanket and my rucksack as a pillow I laid me down to rest..

Is the camera ok? was my first thought upon waking. What if I've broken it? It's brand new! I had been resting my head on the camera when sleeping. A camera, I thought, with its lens at right angles to its body, seemed the ideal shape to break under the merest duress.

In panic, I took out the camera and took a shot. It seems I didn't have the energy, or the gumption, or the inclination to do anything other than make sure it still took passable photos.

And work it did, as you can see above. Welcome to the floor at Gate 1F, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok.

See, I told you it was a boring story, didn't I?