We wanted to maintain a fair bit of flexibility in our travels so we had booked our little Sarajevo apartment for 3 x 10 day blocks (27-7 March, 7-17 March, 17-27 March) and by 11 March or so we were starting to get mildly concerned about our travels after Bosnia - supposed to go via car to Tivat, Montenegro on 27 March then onwards to Dubrovnik on 13 April and then fly to Ireland on 7 May for a housesit... for a couple visiting their daughters in the USA... that...

We left Auckland after a pleasant stay in the salubrius surrounds of the Auckland Qantas lounge (quiet corner... tick, shower... tick, champers... tick, tick, tick... a few select nibbles... tick - as we wanted to have an appetite for eating and for flying during the 18+ hour flight up to Qatar). And we did. Rather in the manner of the little ducks who swam and swam all over the dam, we flew and flew, all over the world. 18+ hours is a very long time as it turns...