Around the World in 80 Days

Day 68: 1 December

'Er . . . Jake . . . Do . . . er . . . do . . . airport control . . . er . . . know. About us?'

'Oh I guess so.'

So on a swell of currents and hope we drift slowly towards the mountains. And quite suddenly I've lost that fear of the unlikely and I'm leaning over the side with the rest of them. We can watch silently from up here without disturbing the wildlife, and I catch sight of a pair of elk in amongst the trees. The view is wide and majestic, from Aspen round to Snowmass as well as the snowcapped Mount Daly, a peak of classic Paramount Films proportions. I may be cheating, but by the time we drift down, making an endearingly clumsy descent into some prickly scrub, I calculate I've moved a mile nearer the Reform Club.

Back into Aspen for a late and hearty breakfast, such as the condemned man might enjoy after his reprieve. My Rocky Mountain News tells me that it's Woody Allen's fifty-third birthday and that Michael Dukakis' waxwork has been removed from Madame Tussaud's after the shortest display on record.

Walk a last time around Aspen. Gaze enviously at the skiers, who, at this early stage of the season, have wide slopes to themselves. Feel glad that I kitted myself out with some new clothes in Tokyo. Everyone here looks as if they're straight out of the windows of the local boutiques, which proliferate under names like The Freudian Slip, The Hedgehog and Shirtique.

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PALIN'S GUIDES

Series: Around the World in 80 Days
Day: 68
Date: 1 December
Country/sea: USA
Place: Aspen - Colorado
Book page no: 228

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Around the World in 80 Days

Day 68: 1 December

PALIN'S GUIDES

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