Sun 30.09.12:

“Raggedy Man: Goodbye.” So there’s me, on the beach in Unawatuna, watching Doctor Who on my laptop and sobbing LIKE A LITTLE GIRL. It’s over. She’s gone, the Doctor’s assistant, Amy Pond, the girl of my dreams.

When this expedition is over, I’m going to have a Pond of my own. We will raise a ginger army, travel through time and space AND TAKE OVER THE WORLD.

You’ve been warned.

So then, a relaxing weekend in Unawatuna, THE beach destination of Sri Lanka. Sat in the shade of the trees outside Happy Banana, yammering away to all and sundry on the internets and trying not to worry too much about the impending DOOM that awaits my attempts to get to India on a ship. But then on Saturday night I get a call from my man Dino in the UK.

You want a ship to India?

Dino, being the wily fox that he is, had written to Dioryx, the Greek shipping company that helped me get on board the CMA-CGM Turquoise all them many moons ago. So while my numerous emails to Sri Lankan shipping companies hadn’t even got me a one-way ticket to Palookaville, Dino’s email to these guys had scored a direct hit. There was a ship leaving next Tuesday with my name on it, Bound for Cochin: the very port I need to be to catch the next ship *finally* to The Maldives and The Seychelles.

DINO YOU LEGEND!!

Hallelujah. Just one sight hitch: I’d need to have my new Indian visa in hand before I got on board. I’m supposed to get it on Tuesday, so if the visa isn’t ready until the afternoon and the ship leaves in the morning, I’m screwed. But let’s worry about that tomorrow. Tonight I’m living it up and drinking to the memory of the late, great Amelia Pond. She rocked my goddamn universe.