Down the Tsangpo

The Tibetan Express

After a period of several years relaxation, a new expedition is finally being planned. To eastern Tibet’s Tsangpo Gorge. We think we have the permits, so thoughts are now turning to dress code.

Black Trouser Day

Charlie Wilson in his office with an Enfield rifle (photo reproduced in The Times, Marcy Nighswander/AP)

All Flashmen are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Charlie Wilson. Immortalised in print by George Crile, and in a subsequent moving picture, Mr Wilson played a crucial role in ramping up American funding to the Afghan resistance to the Soviet invasion during the ’80s.

Mr Wilson’s association with the CIA, US Navy, recreational binge drinking and generally cavalier attitude to conforming to the moralistic norms of an American political career, seem to have jaundiced some commentators against him. Others see his funding for the mujahadeen as the catalyst for today’s more acutely global threats.

For Flashmen though, anyone who gets their shirts tailored with epaulettes, enjoys champagne and travels regularly to the aid of those in Central and Southern Asia’s more idiosyncratically dangerous regions, deserves a salute.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Mr Wilson will be buried with full military honours at Arlington on 23 February.

Flashmen Return

Alistair and Silver Flashy post introduction to Kyrgyz lorry

It has been sometime since Flashmen updated their online presence.

The last their legions of supporters & sympathisers may remember is news of a crash in mid-August 2006 when Flashmen Boyd careened Silver Flashy into the back of a monstrous, weaving, junk lorry in the thin strip of land between the Ala-Too mountain range (Kyrgyzstan’s sliver of the Mountains of Heaven) and Bishkek.

Constabulary arrived and some day-tripping Russian diplomats dropped in to help but the upshot was we were to drive the vehicle away and to return the following day with a translator.

Our response to this request coalesced around a number of other facts:

1)      Kyrgyzstan is the only capital in Central Asia without a British Embassy (instead there is one across the boarder in Kazakhstan’s Almaty)

2)      The policemen had arrived in a plain clothes vehicle and then donned caps, their only apparent item of uniform

3)      Flashmen Boyd had a frankly impressive head injury

4)      Silver Flashy had lost about 6 inches of length through the impact and was patently not going anywhere; and crucially,

5)      A taxi we’d ordered arrived

…at which point we bid a swift, but fond farewell to the Krygyz Highway Patrol, informing them that I was Sir Joshua Wylie and contactable on my Chinese mobile number.

On reaching Bishkek we managed via satellite phone back to a Russian speaking friend in China to secure a brain-scan for Alastair. The cost for this was initially estimated by the surgeon at US$50, which dropped immediately to US$25 upon Craig splashing out with the 50% of his Russian vocabulary which means ‘too expensive’.  In no way should this be taken as a commentary on the size or quality of Boyd’s brain.

The result of all of this was that we lost one vehicle and some literary momentum. I was also due back at work so had to wing it for Beijing the following day, leaving Craig and a concussed Alastair to drive the mere 5,000 final kilometres to Ulaan Baatar alone. They arrived just as the free drinks ran out at the finsh party a week later.

Since then Flashmen have reunited from time to time to keep the spirit alive and, when not reliving past glories, are to be found ergasiophobically planning new excursions.