Holiday List

My new assignment in Africa comes with a little perk. It comes in the form of 70/20 arrangement, whereby I would stay and work in Khartoum for 70 days-the on rotation, then go away for holiday for 20 days-the off rotation. So roughly I get 80 days off a year.

Yay! That's a lot of days off.

But hold on a second.

Life in Khartoum is quite dry, just like the weather here. There's not much to do here, for entertainment and leisure, no where to go for a pint after work. (Or I haven't find them as yet.) Working and living in Khartoum for 70 consecutive days can drive one pretty close to the edge, if not off it.

This is my first on rotation. It is coming up to my 60th day here soon. These days all I can think about is my off days. I'm actually making a list of where I'm heading off and what I'm going to do.

I want to go some where beachy. So I'm really looking forward for some island hopping and diving in the picturesque islands along the east coast. The last time I wet diving, it was almost 6 years ago!

Then I think it'd be fun getting back to Phnom Penh, going to the Little Hearts, the orphanage I volunteered last year, hanging out with the kids. And of course, drinking myself silly with the 50 cents a pint beer.

I have a friend in Bangkok that I can bunk in for a week or so. Maybe I'll fly up to Bangkok, not for the shopping, but for a week long of massages: traditional Thai massage, aroma oil massage, foot reflexology massage and yes the naughty ones too.

What about driving up the east coast? Long open road along the beach and through the quaint fishing villages. Driving with windows down, feeling the refreshing sea breeze, smelling the salty air, stopping along the beach, taking pictures.

Reading about street food in Penang island has me toying with the idea of steering up north for a foodie trip, stuffing myself silly and getting fat. Penang is renowned for the street food delights in the region. Yummy! Char kuey tiao, asam laksa, rojak here I come!

I'm back to somewhere beachy. A week up in an island in southern Thailand, reading a book, getting some sun, drinking beer, swimming in the ocean and lounging on the beach, generally doing nothing. Maybe just look up a nudist resort and spend a week there.

Now now hold right there. Nudist resort?!

See what Khartoum has done to me!