I didn’t think that I was going to sleep the night before I left, but in the end I was just too tired not to, even if it was only for a couple of hours. I did however sleep with the light on and also set 7 or 8 alarms across several different devices to try and avoid missing the coach that was due to depart Bristol at 5:50 am, in order to make the flight out of Heathrow at just after mid-day. Sometimes I can, and have, slept through pretty much anything, probably due in some part to having a bedroom located above a busy pub during my preteen years in (with early 80s jukebox hits booming through the boards at night alongside the sounds of drunken crowds). In the over-tired state that I was in, my being unresponsive to any sound when under is always going to be a bit of a risk.
I had booked the flights just a few weeks earlier and had undoubtedly underestimated the amount of effort and stress that this latest trip was going to cause. Perhaps it was a delayed knee-jerk reaction to the various trials I have gone through over the last few years, stumbling through one final hurdle at the eye hospital as they (eventually) concluded that the condition of my right eye was no immediate risk. “We shall see you again in 3 months” the consultant remarked at the end of my latest appointment there. “Can we make it 6” I asked politely, I’ve been trying to get off of this damned rock since 2019 now without much success (or words to that effect at least).
The price of the flights themselves were much costlier than those on the last pre-covid jaunt of (2019), however it was the quotes for insurance that I was getting that I found to be pretty mind-blowing and totally unjustified, with initial prices hitting about the £4500 mark, These figures really did start me further questioning the feasibility of what I was doing, weighing up whether it was an idea that, with all the delays incurred and subsequent personal developments, was now just something that had gone past its sell-by date. Would I be better served cutting my losses before I got too deep into the travel abyss? My frustration is that the massively increased cost is mostly a result of the heart operation that was deemed necessary in 2022, but this is flawed logic if you kind of think about it. Of course, it isn’t flawed if you are sn insurance company that wants an excuse to squeeze more money out of people. Shortly after my heart operation (I need to clarify now don’t I!?!), the consultant at the hospital excitedly declared “But we have fixed you!” and ”we will next see you in about 25 years” when I said about feeling a little down and frustrated with everything, especially as I had put so much effort in previously in trying to stay fit and healthy against the diabetic backdrop. The hard truth is that I know the condition of my heart (I have the scar to prove it) and I know that it is in good condition and I will take the meds to prevent and potential further complications down the line, How many people out there don’t have the benefit of having that level of understanding? yet still I’m the one that insurance companies deem as as a higher risk? Should it not be the other way around, maybe?
Anyway, I booked the flight on October 5th, for departure on the 24th. This was almost immediately after I had received the all-clear to do so from the eye hospital. 19 Days might seem like a long time to prepare, but truly it didn’t feel that way. The last time I travelled away was back in 2019. Now it seemed that everything had become harder and more complex. I found an old list of things I had packed previously, but this time the list seemed to be twice as long, and with it my bag (when finally packed) felt twice as heavy. The departure date came around quickly and the night before left I was still trying to cull the contents to balance the weight and bulk between the luggage to be checked in at the airport and the smaller amount that would be taken into the cabin with me for the flight. My medication took up a sizeable amount (I couldn’t risk losing that in a lost luggage situation), and then there was the laptop, tablet, camera, spare batteries et-al that left little room or weight to spare. I woke up at 3:30 to get ready for an early off, but even then I still tried to rearrange everything again before I left, pushing my timings dangerously close to the limit. As I rushed to leave the house and close the door of the place where I had been living for the past 2.5 years for the final time, a most welcomed phone call came out of the blue. My uncle, an early riser by nature I think, was calling to see if I was away or if I needed a lift. I don’t think that I would have made that coach without him. It’s almost as though I have had previous!
With his help I arrived at the coach station with time to spare and boarded the coach to Heathrow. 2 hours later I arrived at the airport and entered the terminal, ditching the hoodie I was wearing alongside my waterproof jacket. I still felt like I was carrying too much baggage for where I was going, but I would have time enough to sort more things when I settled on the other side. But before that I had to get through check-in, get a coffee and a bite to eat and then endure one hell of a trip to Shanghai then back down to Bangkok.
The long way around to try and claw back just some of the losses I had incurred, mostly due to being knowingly fit and healthy.
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