The Crafty Gurkha

I must admit, I like seeing Gurkha security staff onboard a ship. They all seem decent guys who sometimes get a rough deal from this country.
One stands out in particular. I was coming back onboard from a day out in Amsterdam and was confronted at the end of the gangway by an unsmiling Gurkha who stretched his hand out and demanded to see my passport.
I nervously fumbled for it and handed it to him.
He peered closely at my picture then looked me up and down.
Then he looked back at the passport again and directly in my face. Then he frowned and shook his head.

After he had done it several times, my mind was whizzing. I wondered if I'd got someone else's passport or if I'd changed so much as to be unrecognisable.
Suddenly, a big beaming smile filled his face and as he handed back the passport, he pointed at my passport pic and quipped: "Very nice!" then bent double laughing.


The little so and so had been having me on.

As someone who appreciates a good wind-up, it endeared me to the Gurkhas even more.