Airport Pinot Noir

Dear Mum and Dad,

To begin this, I'd like to point out that the only thing that has made me decide to write a travel blog is the fact that I know you will read it. Sam. Might read it too, but doesn't have to. Maybe my sister, maybe one or two patient friends. I don't have many ambitions as a blogger. I also know that, however dire it ends up being, you will probably enjoy it and tell me in your fond way that it is fascinating, insightful and entertaining.

I'm old enough now to know that it probably won't be any of those things, but I will probably rather like putting my time in India on paper. No, it's not paper, is it? On screen, iwords, whatever.

I'm sitting in the departure lounge of Auckland Airport now. I have an earthy, port-like pinot noir in front of me, Rohinton Mistry's A FINE BALANCE to the left on the table, and I'm looking out the window at the pink flower on the China Airlines Plane I'm about to hop on. I think this means I'm ready to go.

I've wanted to go to India since you talked about your Kontki trip there, Dad, in the 1970s. There has been evidence of that trip all around the house as I've grown up, especially the wonderful inlaid ches table you bought in Agra. I wanted to tell you that I'm taking in my luggage a long men's shirt with a cross-stitched collar that you bought in Kashmir on your 70s trip. I thought a bit of family continuity was in order.

I'm stopping in Brisbane and Taipei and then on to Delhi. I'll blog again from 'New Delhi', which I'm told is built on top of many ancient cities.

Love Katie