Red Sky at night Amazonian delight!

Its been a while since I created a blog and this one won't even count towards my species total as it refers to a foreign expedition but I still managed to promote the Stroke Association and my challenge. A few of my friends know how much I have been wanting to catch an Amazonian Red Tail Catfish, a species on my bucket list that I was beginning to doubt I would ever get an opportunity to fish for. This species of voracious catfish naturally resides deep in the rivers of south America and as the name suggests frequents the mighty Amazon, to explain the fishes credentials it eats Piranha, say no more. I am a huge fan of catfish and to me this is the most beautiful of the many sub species, its banana coloured flanks, speckled head only superseded by the incredible red tail. With the fish making its home deep in the jungle rivers of some of the most dangerous areas of South America I knew I couldn't put the time, money and physical effort to realise my dream. Fortunately there was another option as the species had been introduced into a few still waters in Thailand where it had thrived in the tropical climate. This created another problem, Mrs D wouldn't give me her blessing for this one, I think she feared I might be pounced on by the numerous angling lady boys. So every year I would ask can I go to Thailand? and every time the answer was the same, No, stop asking!, I have fished a lot of the world and been on many fishing holidays with my wife's blessing and this was the only one she has ever put her foot down too. The problem with having a passion to achieve something it never goes away and on the contrary it festers, changing from a dream to an obsession, as was the case with the Red Tail Catfish, and I even started painting them. Then while out boat fishing with Pete Gregory I happened to mention my predicament, I knew Pete fished in Thailand quite a bit and he might have some advice. Sure enough he told me to have a look at Gillhams Fishery in Southern Thailand as he had been going there for several years with his wife, the resort was perfect for partners. I hadn't even considered taking Mrs D, knowing that sitting in a swamp while I spent days looking longingly at my rods would drive her insane, but maybe this resort was the answer. When I checked out the website I knew straight away this was the perfect solution, luxury bungalow's set in landscaped gardens, Spa, pool, a restaurant serving English and Thai cuisine. The fishing was the stuff of dreams with a collection of some of the worlds most wanted monster fish from all corners of the world, Mekong Catfish, Arapaima, Sting ray, Alligator Gar and of course Amazonian Red Tails. Once I showed Mrs D the answer was a resounding yes, not willing to give her time to change her mind I booked up straight away. Due to our circumstance with our son we were only able to spare a week away in total and with the travelling it meant that I would only have a maximum of 4 days fishing, hopefully enough time to get my Red tail. The year flew by mainly due to my challenge taking up so much of my time and before I knew it November had arrived and it was time to pack for the trip. I had managed to get info from Pete and Glen Patterson as they had both caught Red tails before and both concurred that Luncheon meat, or Pepperami fished in the margins was the way to go. I packed 5 tins of meat, 15 packs of Pepperami and my trusty travel rod, complete with tackle. I hoped that if I managed my target I could try for a Snake Head or one of the stunning Julian's Carp. Friday morning dawned cold and as we loaded the car Jack frost had created a little gift in the form of some frozen tropical style leaves across the windscreen.

The journey up to Heathrow should have been 3 hrs but with road works, accidents etc it ended up being closer to five and boy did I enjoy that pint of cider in the airport hotel that evening, holiday started! The next day was the start of the big journey and neither Mrs D or I are good flyers but if you have to fly, then the Airbus 380 is the craft to do it with, its a monster and I wonder just how big commercial airplanes will get.

Once on board I could quickly see why Singapore Airlines are so highly rated, amazing media equipment built in to the seats with top movies, hundreds of albums, games etc. The seats are comfortable but they need to be if your sitting on them for 14hrs, the service is sublime from the start to the finish. I did get a telling off from Mrs D when I tried to take a quick snap of the drinks being served, not sure what was wrong with that.

I've always hated aeroplane food, normally ending up with everyone's plastic cheese and crackers as my fussiness has made me reject everything else, however this flight we had a Prawn Cocktail for starters and Chicken Kiev for main.

Weirdly when the pudding arrived it was nice to get a little taste of home as despite being on a Singapore Airlines flight bound for Thailand our ice cream came from the Salcombe Dairy, and a quality ice cream it was too.

This was fast becoming the best flight I've ever been on, and being handed a cold Tiger beer by a beautiful attendant, while watching Avengers Infinity War and on my way to fish in Thailand was like a dream. The beauty of the blog is I can now skip the 21 hrs of travelling it took to reach the resort and we finally pulled up on the Sunday afternoon having departed home mid day on the Friday. We were met by host Sean at the resort bar where first job was to have a nice cold Tiger Beer, we were given the low down on the lake, fishing and accommodation but by now were literally walking round like zombies. Head guide Chris popped in to have a chat at our lakeside bungalow, asking me the most important question, what are your target species? That was a simple one to answer, Red Tail Catfish please!, Chris explained the lake had been hard fishing the previous week and he would put me in a swim where the margins could produce the catfish I was after. The swim was probably the furthest from the accommodation but I really didn't care if this is where I needed to be, Chris had told me to get to the swim at 7am Monday where a guide would meet me to run through the methods. We were both really tired but as we had just booked a half day Elephant experience for us to go on, reducing the fishing days even more I really wanted to have an hours fishing. The elephant trip was on Mrs Ds bucket list and would give her the chance to meet Elephants up close and personal, it was great for her to do something for herself during this trip. Sean had kindly said I could go on the top lake to wet a line and guide Chris dropped off a light rod setup at the bungalow so I could achieve this. We chucked the clothes quickly in the wardrobe and set off around the main lake, truly stunned by the incredible views of the resort. The calm blue green waters of the lake were constantly rocked by leviathan's erupting on the surface, sending waves in all directions. Huge rock monoliths reared from the earth surface like giant dragons teeth, higher than skyscrapers and partially covered in lush jungle growth. The whole scene resembled the first view of Skull Island in the film King Kong and who knows what creatures resided outside the complex perimeter fence.

We finally found the top lake, and once again despite our heavy eyes, we could not fail to admire the stunning vista, it was more stunning than I could have imagined and even Mrs D was impressed. We found ourselves one of the little fishing huts that contained a couple of chairs, unhooking mat and landing net, time was running out as darkness fell at 6pm and it was already 5pm. I didn't really know what to target and the rod was setup with an inline lead and hair rig trace, I baited with a couple of 14mm meaty wafters I had brought along. I dropped this in the margin and sprinkled a handful of the pellets supplied as part of the trip. The rod tip was soon bouncing, as fish moved into the baited area and soon the baitrunner was whirring violently as some unknown creature tore off. I struck but the fish was gone, the baits were fairly mangled and a quick refresh was in order, this was once again placed in the same spot. As I walked the rod back to our hut the rod was nearly pulled from my hands, a fish had instantly grabbed the bait and was now hooked and running. The fish was incredibly powerful and stripped line in run after run, the best thing was that I had no idea what species it was as the lake contained 30 different types. Eventually the constant pressure won the day and my first ever Julian's Carp rolled ready for netting, this species are simply stunning with their golden flanks, vivid stripes and bright red eye, probably a bit like our eyes at that time.

I was a bit shocked at the capture of such a fish that quickly and decided with only 30 minutes of daylight left to try for a Red Tail or other type of Catfish, by using double Pepperami baits. This was in the water for only 10 minutes when the rod was nearly pulled into the water by a savage take, I struck and the line continued departing the reel as a strong fish made off across the lake. I managed to slow the fish down and pump it back towards the margin at my feet but despite the fish sulking for a few seconds only a rod length out I couldn't get it to the surface. This was clearly a decent fish and the fight was clearly that of a catfish and most likely my target fish, it was then the fish decided it was leaving and tore off on a run I simply could not stop, the fish crossed the whole lake in one powerful run eventually reaching a snag. I tried every angle and applied pressure, slack line but eventually the line parted and the fish escaped, my first encounter with a Red Tail, I was sure. The darkness was nearly upon us and we still needed to have our dinner so I called it a night, satisfied with that wonderful personal best Julian's. We got back to the room, unpacked properly then dressed for dinner, the restaurant was lovely with its lakeside position and we were soon tucking into some wonderfully fresh cooked Thai food and cold beers.

We certainly slept well and the 6am alarm soon came round, I jumped out of bed like a child at Christmas, desperate to get to my chosen swim, my wonderful wife also got up and joined me like she did on every day of this holiday, there were many wives staying but only one out with their husband at 6.30am, what a legend. We walked around the lake exchanging pleasantries with all the other anglers setting up for the day ahead, huge Siamese Carp crashed on the surface spoiling the serenity of the morning. We reached our little hut and Mrs D approved, no mud, no swamp but instead a concrete floor, ceiling fan and charging point, hard to believe the jungle was just a hundred meters away. An English guide appeared at our hut, to explain everything and despite my determination to fish for Red tails set one of my two rods up for carp. This rod was baited with a complex boilie on a hair rig and I cast it 50 yards to an area suggested by the guide, the second rod was set up with half a tin of luncheon meat on a coil rig that was dropped into the margins. The guide explained the fishing had been slow and by fishing one rod for Carp and one for Catfish I had more chance of action, I understood the logic but I really wasn't interested in the Carp. There was around 15 anglers on the lake but the swims are designed to keep everyone separate and with a total of 26 swims on the lake there were options to move. We were then visited by the Iceman and not the pilot from Top Gun but the little Thai man with a barrow full of ice, he fil a cool bucket in your hut for your water bottles and more ice in your bait box. With temperature's reaching 31 degrees this ice was very welcome, I did think that by the time he got all the way round the last anglers may only have cold water for their buckets. Next visitor was the breakfast man on his insulated scooter, he appeared everyday at 8.30 to take your orders then delivered them around 9.00am, everything from a full English to omelettes. We couldn't believe how well thought out the whole thing was and it really was fishing in luxury, the coffees arrived in thermal mugs and even ice-creams were delivered still frozen. The other important thing you are supplied is a whistle, this you must keep around your neck and upon hooking a fish you are required to blow the whistle to alert your guide. Each guide covers three anglers and all fish on this lake must remain in the water, the guides are required to enter the water to land the fish in the specially designed nets. Anglers wanting a photo of their fish must also get into the lake, these are large valuable fish and their care is paramount, they are also medically treated by the guides should they have any wounds or sores. My left hand rod on the boilie indicated a bite as the bite alarm wailed, before I had a chance to blow my whistle Thai guide Dac appeared from nowhere, Mrs D told me he jumped out of a tree.

I was playing my first fish on the main lake and once again I had no idea what it was, short powerful runs didn't give me any clues but guide Dac made biting gestures with his hands and stated Pacu. He then slipped into the water with the net and walked towards the fish nearly up to his neck at one point, these guides are top notch and the fish was straight in the net, sure enough it was indeed a Pacu.

The Pacu is a member of the Piranha family although it is a vegetarian feeder, it does however possess a set of teeth similar to that of a human and an incredible bite force. The species even made it on an episode of River Monsters where they were found to be the culprits of a spate of attacks on people washing in the waters of Papa New Guinea. I didn't realise just how big the Pacu got or how hard they fought assuming they would be like a common bream, a pretty impressive fish and one to keep your fingers clear of.

I decided as the carp rod was now in, I would change it to another catfish rod and baited it up with meat then lowered it into the left hand marginal weeds. The guide Dac asked me why no boilie? I told him I want to catch a Red Tail and that was the most important fish, he laughed and gestured towards the sun, clearly pointing out it was to bright for the predatory catfish. The rods remained silent for hour after hour and I found myself taking selfies with Mrs D and even doing a crossword with her.

Then a whistle sounded from a swim on the far side virtually opposite me, the angler was clearly into a big fish and I watched in awe as his line passed me by heading off down the lake, the word went out Mekong! This is not what you want to hear if your not attached to it, the mighty Mekong Catfish can fight for many hours and travels with impunity from one end of the lake to the other and there's nothing an angler can do about it. The guide came over and told me I needed to reel in, not sure it would have caught my lines as they were only 3 foot from the bank but I still wouldn't want to cost someone their fish of a lifetime. This particular fish was spotted on the surface after the first hour and the guides reported it was foul hooked and swam out and unhooked it, that was a tough one for the angler. With the all clear given the baits could be re-positioned and once again I was fishing just as the lunch man arrived on his scooter, turns out he was the same guy as the breakfast man, Chicken, chips and cold tiger beers were ordered and 40 minutes later that's exactly what arrived, top service. The whole area is rich in wildlife and I love seeing new critters of all genus, the first was a type of lizard, the Many Lined Sun Skink was a stunning bronze coloured reptile that appeared once the sun was up, they were not shy and actually came within a few feet of us, chasing insects.

The other critter that visited us on that first day were the nectar feeding birds, they were extremely fast but not quite Hummingbirds, I was determined to try and capture a picture but as if they knew you were pointing the camera they quickly shot off. I did manage a couple of blurry ones but to do them justice a tripod and fast shutter speed would have been better.

The fishing generally around the lake had been quiet with only a few whistles being heard throughout the day, I must admit to feeling a little nervous, fish are fish and are more than happy to spoil the party and with the lake out of sorts there was more than a chance I wouldn't get that fish I so coveted. The longer I sat watching the motionless rods the more doubt crept in, then one of the guides appeared and excitedly told me to come and see what the angler further up the bank had caught. As soon as I arrived in the swim I could see the bright red tail of a lovely catfish, it was a double edged sword, lovely to see but it was caught out in the middle on a fruit boilie, typical! I returned to my swim even more determined to get one and with the evening approaching I felt that the darkness may offer the best chance, it gets dark at just after 6pm and you can fish until 8pm so those 2hrs could be golden. It was starting to darken when Thai guide Dac arrived, he knew my desire for the Red Tail and set about improving my chances. He made me reel in both lines, he then set about baiting one with some fresh Luncheon meat the second rod was a Dac special, luncheon meat, pepperami and a fish head cocktail. Then he jumped into the water and swam my baits along the margin actually disappearing under the floating water plants to place them in the best spots possible, what a legend. He climbed from the water and gestured to the left hand rod, "Red Tail Catfish for sure" he stated, that's exactly what you want to hear, and now I was super confident.

The witching hour had arrived and now this was the time I had waited all day for, Mrs D had gone to the restaurant and filled our thermal mugs with coffee for the evening, then she sat in the dark alongside me while a multitude of flying bugs fed on our exposed skin. The time hit 7pm and as if the fish was waiting for that exact time the Dac cocktail on the left hand rod was taken and the alarm was squealing. I was on the rod in seconds and hit the fish that was on a mission and kept on running, nothing I could do even with the big Shimano and 6lb Cat Tamer rod, once the initial run stopped I was able to get the line back and although it had gone through the deepest of vegetation the fact it is floating meant I could keep the rod tip down and pump the fish back. The fish made a few more runs and I hadn't even noticed another Thai guide was climbing into the water, young trainee guide Bel, I forgot to blow the flipping whistle in all the excitement. With Bel in the water and the net poised I felt confident the fish was going to be landed, I was internally praying for that Red Tail to appear on the surface and sure enough a rod length out in the darkness the unmistakable form of a Red Tail Catfish appeared, Bel stepped out to meet it and scooped my prize up first go. Yes! Yes! I couldn't contain my joy the fish I had dreamt about, painted and travelled halfway round the world for was sat safely in the net, Mrs D gave me a celebratory hug which was also one of relief. I stripped off and jumped into the warm dark water, I reached into the sunken net and lifted the fish like the trophy it was, it grunted loudly a trait common with the species. The fish was even more stunning in the flesh, the cream of the body adding to the red vibrancy of the tail, its head was like concrete and I wouldn't want to be rammed by one. The guide gave me 35lb for an estimated weight but to be honest it was irrelevant, my trip was made although Mrs Ds comment of can we go home now, was maybe a tad premature.

With the fish safely returned Bel was about to help me get the rods back out but for me I wanted to go and celebrate with my wife, we had a few ciders to sink and I didn't want to be greedy. The rods were wound in and we went back to change for dinner, I couldn't stop beaming, all anglers know the feeling when you have that fish that has haunted you for so long and you can finally move on. The next day was I ready to move on, was I hell I wanted another one and I wanted one in the daylight, what happened to all I need is one more, well I wasn't ready to give up on the Red Tails just yet. So once again I defied the guides advice and fished catfish baits in the margins from 7.00am ignoring the chance to target the Siamese Carp, I planned to fish until lunchtime then go to the top lake for the afternoon to try for a Cat in the daytime, finally returning to the main lake for the evening session. The morning mist rose from the jungle and shrouded the hills giving the perfect atmosphere for something to happen, sure enough a whistle pierced the silence, followed by the words of doom, Mekong on!

Fortunately my margin fished rods were not considered a risk and they were able to remain in the water, the Mekong did venture up our end of the lake at least twice but my lines remained intact. The normal routine ensued with Iceman and Breakfast guy doing their stuff, the skinks visited but were strangely nervous and soon disappeared completely. The reason soon became apparent as a large Cloudy Monitor Lizard appeared in our swim, it climbed the tree overhanging the left margin and eventually he came towards us across the grass, incredible looking beasty.

The monitor lizard was the highlight of the morning, plus the Mekong to the day angler which eventually he landed after 3 hours, not fun in that heat. We were also hit by a huge thunder storm and got a little taste of what a tropical storm can be like, the thunder, lightning and rain were all extreme and fortunately over quickly.

It was time to head off to the top lake for a few hours and see if I couldn't winkle out a Red Tail in the daylight and luckily the rain had stopped and the sun was once again shining. As we approached the top lake I spotted a huge snake that turned and slithered into the thick vegetation around the lake, fortunately Mrs D had not seen it as I wouldn't get her to run another errand if she thought snakes like that were residing here. I later found out that Cobras are quite common and that a huge King Cobra once had to be removed, now that's a snake and a half. I set up the rod with a 14mm meaty boilie and dropped it in the margin, it didn't take long to get some interest and sure enough it tore off as a Julian's Carp once again took a liking to the smaller bait. These fish are awesome fighters but to be honest most of the fish seemed to be like that in Thailand. The carp was soon netted and Mrs D once again done a great job with the picture taking, she was fast becoming a valuable fishing asset.

I had been observing the Arowana hunting insects on the waters surface down on the bottom lake and now they were in front of me on the top lake, they are another of the Amazons oddity's with their upturned jaw and small barbel on their nose.

It was a fish I had decided I wanted to catch although I know they can be quite hard to specifically target, I had been told that they have a soft spot for Pepperami and that was to be the next plan. Hair rigged pepperrami was dropped into the margin and I sat back and waited for a bite, I spotted an approaching Arowana which did appear to sink down over the bait, a finicky bite followed before the rod lurched round. There on the surface was the fish I had been hoping for the Arowana, Mrs D sprung into action and netted the spirited fish before it threw the hook.

With two species landed I set about getting myself a Red Tail, the rig was baited with a large chunk of Luncheon meat and dropped just off the marginal weeds. It was literally 5 minutes before the rod shot round and line poured from the reel, I struck as a powerful fish shot across the lake and after a powerful battle Mrs D managed to slide the net under the daytime Red Tail I really wanted.

I decided for the final 30 minutes to chuck on a resort bait and try for something else and after missing a hat full of bites I finally connected with my first ever Tilapia, a pretty fish but with nasty spines not unlike the Black Bream.

It was time to head back to the main lake for the evening session, especially as the next day was the elephant trip. The rigs were readied and a new guide arrived to help position the baits for the evening, French guide Bud was very keen to make sure everything was correct rig wise, bait wise and location wise, we had half a tin of meat on the left rod and 3 sections of fish on the right hand rod. Like Dac the previous night he swam the baits into position and explained that under the vegetation on the left hand side was a patch of gravel that was the place to put the bait. Once again I felt confident with good baits in perfect positions and like clockwork at 7pm the left hand rod was once again screaming for attention, even better I got to blow the whistle, Bud appeared in seconds as I battled the fish in the darkness. He slipped into the water and done the honours with the netting, another beautiful Red Tail was in the net I was really starting to get the fish out of my system.

This time however I decided to fish on until 8pm and the rod was once again positioned on the gravel patch with another half tin of luncheon meat, 20 minutes later and it was taken again. This fish powered out to the centre of the lake and tried a multitude of dirty tricks before I finally won the battle, Dac went in to land the fish and the fish looked a lot bigger than my previous fish and at 45lb it was to be my best of the trip. I did have a bit of a scare when I thought the whistle round my neck was some form of critter crawling up my chest, screaming like a child, briefly.

That was that night over and tomorrow I would try for a few hours in the morning before heading off for the elephant trip and if we got back in time I would squeeze in a few hours in the evening. The next day was quiet on the lake and only 4 or 5 fish were landed before lunch I did get a few shots of the dragon flies that perched on the rods everyday, amazing insects.

It was time for Mrs Ds adventure and after lunch in the restaurant we were picked up and taken to the elephant reserve, as we pulled into the park we were greeted by a couple of elephants approaching along the road. It was incredible to see these magnificent creatures up so close, they had no leads, ropes or chains but simply carried their driver / rider they also carried up to two people on specially designed saddles. We rode on one of the 40 year old females who had a mind of her own stopping constantly to pull plants from the jungle, she was not encouraged to stop by the handler and it was a case of waiting until she was ready to continue. It was quite humorous when the elephant pulled a branch from the tree to use as a fly swat, this was constantly swatting the wife, something I have only dreamt of doing. With the ride over we were introduced to one of the junior members of the family an 8 year old female who loved bathing in the river. We got to spend some time with this amazing elephant and clearly this was the highlight of Mrs Ds trip, so we both achieved something special.

I was impressed with how the elephants were respected by their handlers and the villagers that owned them, the whole excursion was well run and nothing was pushy or hurried. We returned to the lake to hear it had been a quiet afternoon so I hadn't missed anything and I was still in time for the evening session, however this evening the lake was dead and no bites were forthcoming. The next day was my last day of fishing and I decided to spend the day after the Siamese Carp, I had plenty of bait left so it was to be a big baiting day. The morning arrived and I seemed to have Thai guide in training Bel with me all day, I didn't have a problem with that the young lad works hard. We baited the rigs with wafter baits, PVA bags loaded with crushed boilies and pellets, when I cast Bel would pepper the area with pellets. We kept this system going and Bel had rigs baited and bags prepared for quick changes.

Finally the carp started topping in my swim and I cast to the area and the bait was instantly taken, I was connected to a big Siamese Carp and line streamed away when the hook pulled. Bel indicated to me to re-rig and get another bait out which I did, and once again it was taken instantly, like before the carp tore off right and yet again the hook pulled. We checked the hook for sharpness and it was fine, extremely frustrating, even more so when they turned out to be my only takes of the day. We returned to our bungalow and I must admit to feeling a bit down as it would have been nice to end on a couple of fish, I did find it amusing that our German neighbours had saved their patio chairs with towels as if they would be nicked.

We had our evening meal and chatted with Sean about transfer times the next day, then Mrs D asked if it would be ok for me to have a couple of hours on the top lake before we left, he agreed no problem. She really was a star on this holiday, and her reaction to insect bites had left her with more bumps than a skateboard park, a real labour of love. The last day dawned and I had kept back a single bit of fish to try on the top lake maybe for a Snakehead or different type of catfish. Of course this was in the water for only 5 minutes when it was taken but the fish shook the hook, I put on the remaining half a fish and placed it in the same spot, it went again. This time the fish was well hooked and powered off across the lake to the thick water vegetation, I clamped down on the spool but the line still emptied eventually the fish stopped and everything was solid. Mrs D went off to find a guide as I didn't want to leave a fish snagged up, she soon returned with French Bud who swam out to sort the problem. It turned out the fish had got behind the big pump spewing water into the lake and left the hook snagged while it escaped. It seems that I wasn't destined to land anymore fish and with only 30 minutes left before we had to go and check out I opted for the complex boilie with a few handfuls of bait over the top, fished in the margin. Bites were instant with the first fish being another Tilapia.

The next fish was something new and led me a merry dance with its incredible turns of speed I finally netted it but had no idea what it was, I have since found out it is a Mad Barb or Sultan fish.

I then spotted another fisherman high above the lakes, circling impressively a White bellied Sea Eagle, what a great sight to finish with.

With the last 5 minutes approaching I hooked the final fish of the trip another Julian's carp although this one was a bit of a warrior and looked like its tail had been bitten.

That was an exciting last 30 minutes and a great end to a truly incredible trip, it had always been a tall order to travel all that way for 4 days fishing but the gamble had paid off, we had a great time and it was lovely to share it with my wonderful wife. The staff and owners of Gillham's were all fantastic and instrumental in making our trip so special, it truly is an angling paradise. The Red Tail Catfish I've spent so long hoping to catch, has finally been caught and its time to move on to the next fish on my list. Thanks go to my mother in law Ann and daughter Phoebe as without your help this wouldn't have been possible, and to my wife who managed to remind me everyday why I was so lucky to marry her. Thanks also Pete Gregory and Glen Patterson for the pre-trip Red Tail advice. I've been a zombie since I returned and slept for 12hrs straight its also to darn cold to think about fishing but by the weekend I should be acclimatized.