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I have that smiley, 'butterflies in stomach', 'internal cant contain the excitement' feeling - I must be at the airport going on holiday - love love love the feeling.
So, back at Kingston Smith airport and this time going home - for the first time in nearly two years I will step on Blighty soil and because of the most amazing event, non other than the worms wedding! Yes Ms Gillam is getting married and I'm honoured to have been chosen as part of the bridal party and on Sunday will perform the part of bridesmaid!
I forget how much crying goes on at airports. As I walk through to departures there is a hive of activity - groups of people clearly saying their farewells. Large groups of Italians saying goodbye to what only one can imagine are the first few children to fly the nest; lovers taking that last deep kiss; what you assume to be brothers, sisters and long lost friends. Most of them shedding a tear, some of them hysterical and all of them looking back, which of course a best friend who travelled a lot once said to me . . . . . Never ever, ever look back! As the hard b**** in me thinks 'for gods sake pull yourself together' the softer voice in my head questions 'what are their circumstances? Could the mid 30 year old saying good bye to I assume his girlfriend /wife and toddler be a soldier off into the unknown? Could the old dude hugging and sobbing into what looks to be his brother live on the other side of the world, be ill and know this is the last farewell? And as for the family of Italians waving off their daughter, well if living on the other side of the world has taught me something it's that you actually have no control over emotions when saying those parental goodbyes at the airport ......so pipe down hard b****!
What is it with airports? They make you walk so goddamn far just to get two feet away - round and round roped isles with no one queuing - seriously, just undo a rope and let us through a short cut!! There are also always the blaggers, having a pop at the cabin crew that 'check in' told them business class was full and wouldn't give them an upgrade, yet there seems plenty of room - seriously have you never heard of dressing for the occasion!! And then the k*** that seem to think they are in first class but simply have not paid! They get themselves into their pjs, put their eye masks on and ear plugs in, shake out their blankets and insist on 6 bottles of water immediately to see them through the flight, tutting and sighing at all other cattle putting up as you do with Economy - get a life and pay up dudes, pay to turn left rather than right next time - for your sakes!!
As I have said before, I love airports - so many people to watch and situations to take in! Within 10 minutes at the bar I have met 3 random heavily accented guys 2 x Northern Irish and 1 x Scouser!! Generous bless them, downed their beers within two minutes and then offered a drink to include me in a round - always beware of a generous scouser I say! I find out they are flying to London, thought I'd tell you their stories later - 3 hours drinking time in UAE to get to know them! However, they have just rocked up in the seats in front of me - the check in girl must have been having a joke - this may c*** up my 'no jet lag' strategy (sleep first five hours and then stay awake until UAE, sleep next 7 hours and ready for 6am in London!). Hmmmmmmm, three hysterical guys in front of me .... Am I going to get 5 hours sleep immediately?!! Not sure, but I can at least tell their story now - they have spent a month in Australia to race in a motor bike competition on magnetic Island all the way from Ireland itself! Boys and their toys huh!!
When I think about it, it really is the people that you meet along the way that make travelling the best experience. When I think back to my many adventures there are individuals that stick out whom the journey would never have been the same without or who purely just enhanced the experience. There were the northern boys who we travelled up the East Coast with back in 2003, John and Ruth Mayrick who put us up in New Zealand and were the most hospitable couple to pretty much randoms that I have ever met! Claire who we met in Oz and instantly bonded with, haven't spoken to her since but because of the wonderful world of Facebook we keep in contact and know where each other are in the world, and someone who I feel I could call up and stay with tomorrow. The guy with the wooden leg who we met in Fiji and I travelled back with - cant for the life of me remember his name but proof that a small disability like only having one leg doesn't mean you can't drink 'cava' and jump in the pool at 3am in Fiji! The staff at Tanda Tula in South Africa who had a massive impact on my heart -Smiling, Happy and Pretty, all so much more underprivileged than us but still with the ability to dream.
More recently one that springs to mind, Richard, my taxi driver in Kenya - so intent on bettering himself and building networks outside of his beautiful country for the day when he has enough money saved to get out. Having never left his country, his fascination for anywhere other than Kenya (well strictly actually only Nairobi) was infectious! He wanted to know about the weather, what jobs we do, where and how we party, how much it cost to get to his country and of course how much a packet of fags was - this he nearly died at; $21 AUS compared to 40 cents!!!
I wake up and turn on the inflight entertainment - 06.45 hrs travelling (nice sleep!), 49 minutes to London and Paul Simon belting out 'Mother and Child Reunion' - spooky!!!
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