The weight of travel
Packing your bags is
not an easy task, especially if you have three pieces of luggage to evenly
distribute the weight, a rucksack with kit and medication, and suit bag.
The suit bag contained
a set of pyjamas that for my recent modes of travel have not felt that
convenient to wear, a jacket and scarf for the abrupt change in the weather I
will encounter, and a spare set of incontinence underwear. If I may reiterate an
established notion, I am a traveller, not a backpacker.
Intercontinental
incontinence
When you are on a
plane and there is a queue for the unisex toilets, besides rocking from foot to
foot, you just want to be careful no spillage occurs before you gain access to
the facilities.
On both my outbound
and return journeys, it has not been that bad, and I have not had to wave my
"Just Can't Wait" card. The moment I feel an urge, I do not second
guess it, I make my way to the toilets.
I had scheduled my
Uber pick up the night before, my assigned driver cancelled, the alternative
was stationary just over a mile away for 20 minutes, and not responding to my
communications, that by the time Uber suggested he was late, I was assigned a
third driver who then arrived within 5 minutes of the scheduled time.
The ride to the
airport was easy and fast, early morning bookings before the break of dawn can
be a bargain too. He helped load and unload my luggage and I took tentative
steps to the check-in counter close to the entrance.
Half a day air bound
Though I have lost my
Platinum and Gold loyalty status, you still get some priority service on Silver
Flying
Blue status. My luggage was checked through to Manchester, and I was conveyed
from the customer assistance lounge, taken through security checks and passport
control to the boarding gate, then wheeled to the door of the flight where I
was the second passenger to board.
Seating was
comfortable enough, a slight seat recline, a lounge support for my legs, and a
footrest, along with a blanket and a pillow. That was the beginning of the
first leg of my journey of just 11h13, I guess I have done that a few times
already.
A 3-hour stopover in
Amsterdam before I board another flight to Manchester had me ensconced in the
customer assistance lounge on comfortable seats. They should consider serving
beverages rather than have people lumber off to the shops. A nearby toilet
would be helpful too.
A chat with my
support person
Then I was brought to
boarding desk as one of the first to board. Arriving in Manchester, I stayed on
the flight until everyone was almost off, my customer support wheelchair was up
a flight of stairs and then I was conveyed to passport control and then to
baggage reclaim.
The support assistant
was from Somalia and after informing him of why I had travelled to South Africa,
I explained why as a Black man he had to be conversant with his prostate
health. His uncle recently had radiotherapy for throat cancer at the Christie
Hospital and he had chaperoned his uncle a few times.
Between snatches of
reality and humour, he got the message and point-blank refused a tip, he felt
he had gained so much from our conversation and that was enough. I called an
Uber for home and ended up in a luxury car, the driver from Africa had lived in
Italy for two decades before coming to the UK.
You will always be
understood
He was concerned about his lack of fluency in English that he felt was a handicap. My view was as long as he could put words together, he would be understood. He should always speak his mind and besides, many of those who would typically abuse him are not as successful as him driving an E-class Mercedes Benz, he should in fact celebrate his achievements.
Obviously, on some occasions, he simply got
his son into the conversation with establishments or the authorities. Every
likelihood was he would get whatever he intended done.
As I arrived at home,
he helped unload my luggage and brought them into the foyer, all the help I
received from door-to-door of about 18 hours was the preparation for rest after
such a lengthy journey. I unlocked my door, my house sitter had outdone himself
this time, somewhere between it having been hit by a super hurricane and a full
ransack of the house, I was soon pushing a vacuum cleaner and brushing the
floors. I found the energy; it was the very last straw.
