The first time I saw Pernille was in the back of a ute outside Chiang Mai in the early 90s. She was travelling with her mother, I was backpacking with my brother and we were all heading off to spend a week deep in the Thai jungle.
Of course her looks caught my eye – she was a beautiful, blond, Danish 18-year-old. But she and her mother were refreshing and intriguing people, and I hadn’t really met any Danes before. During that trip I didn’t waste much time thinking about romantic pursuit. I just quietly admired her from a distance, thinking there was no way I’d get anywhere with her mum around.
