I saw a really interesting article in The Star today about dry mushing. Can't seem to find it on their site, but basically, mushing is when dogs pull a sled over snow, and dry mushing is when dogs pull tricycles and carts and really anything with wheels over dry land, be it a tarred road or grass.

Apparently a mutt or mongrel is the ideal dry mushing dog, but somehow I can't see Kinte pulling me along on anything. Sure, he would pull, but I would also probably end up in a drain somewhere. Also, dogs overheat very easily, so the article cautions that people should only do this when it's under 20C. Wonder why The Star decided to feature this sport then, given that the mercury has been soaring this past week. 

The principle of the sport sounds great - your dog gets some exercise, you get to see some nice scenery and spend quality time with your dog - but I think if I could get Kinte to pull anything, it would be one of those manual lawn mowers. Why not get more benefit out of it if you're going to harness your dog to some wheeled contraption anyway? :P

Travel bug

1. Sydney, Australia

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I'm torn between travelling the world and going back to the safe, the familiar, the warm waiting arms. 

It's a dog's life

First there were doggie day care centers. Then, there were doggie hotels. Now, and I can't believe I'm saying this, now there are doggie flights. In the midst of all this economic uncertainty, when millions are losing their jobs around the world and there are stories of families of five cramming into one bedroom motels because they have been kicked out of their homes, now, of all times, Dan Wiesel and Alysa Binder are planning to launch "Pet Airways", flying cats and dogs from five US cities.

Don't get me wrong - I love my dog - but honestly, isn't this the absolute height of decadence at the worst time possible?

My last week in Bangkok didn't start off so well. When booking my flight, I wasn't very happy to find that my usual 8a.m. MAS flight to Bangkok was cancelled and that the next flight out was an Air Asia one at 8.30a.m. Nevertheless, I crossed my fingers and bought the Air Asia ticket anyway.

I knew my reservations weren't misguided when at 2a.m., 6 hours before my flight was due to leave, I received a text saying that the flight had been delayed to 10.30a.m. But of course, I only saw that message when I woke up at 6a.m. to go to the airport. A 10.30 flight simply would not do as that would mean I'd get to the office just in time for lunch. But of course, being such an ungodly hour, no service counters were open. In fact, the Air Asia counter would only be open at 8a.m. 

There was nothing left to do but go to KLIA and get a seat on the 9a.m. MAS flight, something I probably should have done in the first place. I just managed to buy my ticket and check in on time, after which I went through immigrations (love those autogates!) and headed to Harrods for breakfast. A few minutes later, I'm sharing a table with a perfect stranger and disturbing the poor girl's breakfast by arguing with the unhelpful guy at the Air Asia service counter who insisted that I was a no show, even though I had no way to cancel my flight between receiving the SMS and the close of the Air Asia check in counter. Twenty minutes later, all I could get out of him was a flight credit, only for the KL-Bangkok leg, to be used within a week. Useless. 

At this point, my flight is called for boarding, so I get up to pay, only to see a happy family of ants and cockroaches having a party on the Harrod's food preparation counter. Joy. Is it just me or is it impossible to find a good breakfast at KLIA? Luckily, my hardy Malaysian stomach and I suffered no ill effects from that insect-infested meal, but rest assured that I will never be eating there again. Be warned!

As for Air Asia, I've learned my lesson - never travel via budget airlines if your trip is remotely time-sensitive!