Eulogy: Going, Going, Gone…

It’s a sad day in Pai! It’s gone – my loyal partner in travels, my camera, my calendar – my phone. It’s been with me for almost 3 years – an advanced age at this time of constant updates and upgrades.

It’s been boomeranging back to me before: I’ve attempted to lose it on numerous occasions. During my mother’s congress in Istanbul, in the beginning of this trip, I’ve left it on a sofa in a hotel lobby and realised that it’s missing only hours later. Hysterical, I’ve organised a search party – some of Europe’s most respected psychotherapists have been crawling the perimeter of the conference room on all fours. Without much hope I’ve inquired reception, if anybody found a misplaced phone – and miraculously somebody did. It came back to me. I was so relieved!

Until, that is, I’ve woken up two days later – severely hungover, after a Turkish professor had “taught” me to drink rakki neat the night before: no water, no rocks, pure undiluted stuff – to find it gone again. This time I kept my cool and announced that it was, after all, just a phone. It turned up the same night – in the state of drunken delirium I hid it (from myself?) under my pillow.

There were couple other – relatively minor – episodes, when shop assistants and waitresses have been chasing me down the streets, my die-hard Nokia in hand. And there’s absolutely no way to count how many times it fell, got splashed on, was dropped in sand, mud and on one occasion – spicy red curry. Yet it continued to take great pictures and generally didn’t complain.

But everything has an end. My brave, indestructible, ever reliable phone ceased to exist – or at least, to operate – on the banks of the river Pai, after two hours of tubing. Apparently not all rental dry sacks are all that dry… The gadget gods have claimed it – and I’m mourning, brokenhearted, its premature departure.

In tribute to its dedicated service, I’m posting here some pictures I’ve taken with it during my trip – the images are unresized, uncolorrected and unretouched in any way.

RIP, my little cellular friend!

P.S. I have to urgently buy a point-and-shoot. Reasonable price would be lovely, but good color perception is MUCH more important. Will be endlessly grateful for advice!