Call of the Wild

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Graeme Membrey. Call of the Wild

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Author’s Note

I began to form this book some time ago, but only in theory and only through continuous comments from friends, colleagues and acquaintances. Often I would be asked, “What do you actually do in the United Nations?” and if I began to give an explanation, it generally developed into a tale, or three, of adventures, high risks and fun. “You must write a book!” was a common call from a variety of folk, though the effort just seemed too much, and where would I start?

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Once past security, we checked in at the counter and headed to the lounge of Pakistan International Airlines. I later came to know that many expats and a large number of Pakistani joked about the airline’s acronym of PIA. Back in 1991 it was commonly known to stand for Personal Inconvenience Assured, Prepare In Advance, or Parachute Is Advised. Not long after, I was to find out why!

The PIA lounge was disappointing to say the least. It was old and had dirty carpets and its chairs were over-used and deeply worn. The snacks consisted of just a few fried pastries and some weird-looking sweet cakes. All that was available to drink was water, soft drinks or tea. Quite a comedown from our time with Qantas but, unbeknown to us then, the new airport was just being started and would be opened some three years later.

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