I’ve been asked for a picture. I’ve got one of me looking domly, dressed in black and scowling by an industrial wall. I’ll post the Dom of Darkness photo some time. But here I am in color instead, ready for the jungle.

The jacket’s made from a map of the world, useful when travelling.There’s a compass in a hidden pocket at the back. Also a whistle if I get lost. A magnifying glass. And a lighter. 

I’ve had the typhoid and yellow fever shots. I’ve got a stack of malaria pills so I can rattle if I get the shakes. I’m going to buy a mosquito net when I get there, but that’ll be more for sexual purposes. I’m packing a copy of Dawns and Departures of a Soldier’s Life by Sir Harold Paget Flashman, which, I’m told, is an invaluable guide to the jungle terrain and local manners.