What a week - in 10 days I have been to the US, Belize and Honduras; I have travelled on six planes; an airport bus; a very long-distance bus; four underground trains; one double-decker train; two watertaxis; one disconcertingly small international boat; a golf-cart; multiple taxis and cars; and most excitingly, a bicycle.
I have sat on two roof terraces and swung in two hammocks; I have met an entire airport full of missionaries; I have made all sorts of friends along way, many of whom have made it into this blog. I even met an angel with a pull-a-long case - I am going to e-mail her to thank her and will be seeking help from friends who can write in Spanish - whoever knew that an angel could have an e-mail address and a pull-a-long case?
I made some #BagelFriends at Houston - an American couple bound for Australia where he was addressing a conference. We had a good conversation about the breakdown of society and the demise of language due to the advent of technology - nice light subject matter over a yummy cream-cheese bagel. I said farewell to them then sat by the gate and suddenly I wasn't the only one with a 'fabulous' accent any more, I was surrounded by them.
I decided to give Peter Rabbit another chance on the plane, by watching it in French, which I claim to speak and even understand. I think I got about 75% of the story, but I still don't like the epipen bit, or the violence either way, or the explosion, in fact, I still don't like any of it - I won't be recommending it, in any language.
The friendly United staff plied me with food and drink throughout, but I was discombobulated by my neck pillow which has taken on an angry personality since it fell into a puddle on the disconcertingly small international boat and now deflates at will in protest.
Other than an angry deflating neck pillow, the journey was smooth. In no time at all, I had e-gated my way through arrivals, grabbed my faithful orange tortoise and was helping two confused Austrians to top-up their Oyster cards at Heathrow Terminal 2 underground station.
Picking up the threads of normality is always a bit of a challenge - five e-mail inboxes full of requests and demands; a massive pile of post to go through. I was convinced it was Saturday and couldn't understand why I couldn't buy a Saturday Guardian. That would have been useful for sitting on whilst on that choppy sea - although The Guardian hasn't been the same since it went to tabloid format - what was wrong with the quirky Berliner format eh? But there were no Saturday Guardians in any format, due to it being Sunday.
Part of me still feels like I'm on that boat, I can still feel the motion and the crash of uncertainty as those Carribean waves lashed the bow, despite now sitting at my desk in Plumstead watching the neighbour opposite walk her tiny white dog up the road.
So - I took action to have adventures; I was well (apart from on that death-defying boat trip where I was very sick); I expressed myself, both through this blog and to the multitude of interesting people whom I met on the road; I got to know myself more through hours of travel and reflection; I honed skills for my future, like blogging. (Guiding friends will see what I did there).
Here endeth this blog. Thanks for being such faithful followers - I can't see who has been reading it, but the stats are high, so it wasn't just me reading it back to myself. I hope you've enjoyed it, laughed and cried along with me. Thanks for sharing the adventure. Thanks for all the lovely comments on Facebook too - maybe one day I'll collate the various blogs into a book.
Whilst you're there, if you buy things online, have I mentioned that doing so through easyfundraising generates a donation for the Guides? Effortlessly support our fundraising for our next epic international adventure!
Adiós amigos.
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