Day 30 - Home. Amazing! Reflections...

00:30
My first flight, into Dubai, is a cakewalk. I’m in the Premium Economy cabin, still relatively new to Emirates, and it’s plush. There’s a minor snafu when I’m offered a pre takeoff drink, and there are only soft drinks available. The cabin is maybe 40% full. I’m in a bulkhead seat, but will move to an empty window row once we’ve taken off. The crew ask if I want to be fed after takeoff, and I say yes - but only if the food service will be quick. Happily, it is. I ditch my seat after eating, and grab a vacant window seat, recline, and try to get some sleep.

I’m successful in this endeavour. I sleep for around 4 hours, waking a couple of times, but drifting back off easily enough. I wake up for the last time with maybe 45 minutes to go to Dubai. The England vs Netherlands semi-final has started back home, and i’m getting intermittent updates. My plan is to screech off the plane, and find a bar in which to watch the second half.

The landing’s a bit bumpy. I’m not really used to those on an A380, but apparently there are sandstorms around Dubai tonight. The distance from plane to bar can vary wildly at DXB, so huge is the airport. I’m in luck this time though, as we pull up at gate C20, right next door to an Irish bar. I’ve got loads of time, assuming the game is done at 90 minutes. Extra time should be ok. Pens might be a bit squeaky…

02:30
Well, England are through to the final. Done in normal time, as it transpires. I suspect Spain will win the final, but finals can be funny things.

DXB is comfortably the busiest I’ve ever seen it. I *think* this is the first time I’ve transited via Dubai in July, during Summer holiday season. Idiots, everywhere. Much like the supermarket, airports deprive human beings of common sense, and a their spatial awareness.

09:00
I manage another 4 hours or thereabouts on the second flight. I’m very pleasantly surprised. I can’t remember the the last time I slept so well across two different flights. Landing into Gatwick is easy, and I’m very quickly at border control. In and out in under a minute. Seriously, this tech shit is pretty cool. Bag reclaim is a bit of a clusterfuck - I don’t know if the crew are on strike, but it feels like they’re close to it. After a good half hour, my bag emerges, and I stride on into customs. Immediately, I’m pulled over. This is literally a first ever for me. My bag is taken to pieces - every single crevice unlocked. The lady searching by bags is very sweet, but ultimately, I’m conscious that I’ve been pulled aside for some reason - whether the reason I look, the way I smell, I’m unsure.

Happily, there’s nothing to find, and I find Andy shortly afterwards.

The drive home is painless, and seeing my beloved Vicki is AMAZING. We’ve never been apart for this long, and the way she smells is a happy dose of brilliant.

Some reflections:

1) I wasn’t sure how I’d feel travelling with a brand new partner, but Felix has been a great companion. I’m not sure it’s a massive surprise to me, but it turns out we have hugely similar beliefs, approaches to life.
2) Go to Cambodia. I didn’t have any pre-conceived ideas about it, but I was still stunned by this amazing country. Go - I can’t recommend it enough, GO. You’ll spend almost nothing, and discover a people, a country, a cuisine that is unlike anything else you’ll have ever seen.
3) North Thailand is one of my favourite places. The pace of life is addictive. I would take the North of Thailand over the islands of the South any day.
4) Singapore is worth a visit, if only to let me know what you really think. I didn’t love it, but I definitely didn’t hate it.

It’s amazing to be home. I knew I’d missed Vicki, but it wasn’t until I smelled her that I really knew how much.

Join me again, in - oooh, 10 days, for Slovenia. Thanks for reading x x x Czytaj więcej