Well if yesterday's train journey-Hull to Sheffield to Manchester Airport- and subsequent experience at Manchester Airport- checking in amid a billion RyanAir hen parties heading East to decorate ancient European Cities with good old British collective binge drinking - is taken as evidence, Blighty's trains, planes and airport hotels are not likely locations for the kind of evolution that leads to 'fitter' species. I'm not criticising my fellow travelers - heaven knows, Blighty is a place which has, and does, drive one to alcohol. But what is noticeable is how rigidly embedded our modes and manners of transport (at least) have made us and how even small variations in a formalised, written, scheduled and stamped plan appears to be destabilising. The default coping mechansim for some people appears to be violence and shouting, then more booze, then a bit more shouting.
All that of course assumes that the Uk has'nt opted out of evolution in a similar fashion to its opt out of the very Europe that many of my fellow travellers are departing to revel in. This is of course a possibility and has historical precedent - after all a group of mammoths on Wrangel Island , just off Siberia, appear to have taken the this option a couple of thousand years ago. it didn't turn out well.
I'm not on my way to Siberia, but I am off to somewhere equally 'exotic' (in the sense of being new to me) . AN opportunity has arisen , through work, to visit China, specifically Shanghai, Jinyan and Beijing. GIven the current situation in work (and if I return to regular blogging I may talk about this) I jumped at the opportunity to go on a trip that I'm not at all sure I want to go on. But having started my journey with a single step, I'm now committed.. travelling solo as I am, it seemed the perfect opportunity to revive this blog.....if Blogger isn't firewalled I'll be posting from China.....
All that of course assumes that the Uk has'nt opted out of evolution in a similar fashion to its opt out of the very Europe that many of my fellow travellers are departing to revel in. This is of course a possibility and has historical precedent - after all a group of mammoths on Wrangel Island , just off Siberia, appear to have taken the this option a couple of thousand years ago. it didn't turn out well.
I'm not on my way to Siberia, but I am off to somewhere equally 'exotic' (in the sense of being new to me) . AN opportunity has arisen , through work, to visit China, specifically Shanghai, Jinyan and Beijing. GIven the current situation in work (and if I return to regular blogging I may talk about this) I jumped at the opportunity to go on a trip that I'm not at all sure I want to go on. But having started my journey with a single step, I'm now committed.. travelling solo as I am, it seemed the perfect opportunity to revive this blog.....if Blogger isn't firewalled I'll be posting from China.....
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