Long live Travel!

Leaving, as always, was weird. As you all know I am a giant softy and I'll miss you all more than you know but I do so love it. I love walking through those gates. I love the knowledge that from here on in it isn't going to be breezy, I have to pay attention. Its like waking up on the first day you after you get sick. The first day you feel better. Suddenly you remember what your body is capable of, what your mind is capable of and you feel so alive. It usually lasts only a day or so before you remember all teh creaks and groans your body has all the time but that first day is always awesome. Walking through those doors, hearing languages, not being able to be sure that it will all work out, not having it all laid in front of you....it feels similar. It makes me feel alive, despite the pain, exhaustion, weariness and any other synonym of completely knackered you can think of. It's great and I may be addicted to that feeling, regardless of how much I'll miss you all.

So the first flight was to Shanghai. We didn't get to see too much out of the windows I'm afraid. We were flying through clouds pretty much the whole way which was a shame. Air China, as an airline isn't too bad. There is some leg room, the seats were comfy and there were lots of movies (I didn't watch any though, or read much). The food wasn't too bad either. Nothing to write home about but either was it unbearable. Despite that the first trip was the worst. Neither of us could sleep which was pretty frustrating and by the time we arrived in Shanghai we were both pretty stiff sore and irritable. and just for fun we had to collect our luggage, go through passport control (without a visa) and then check back in in Shanghai. Yay. as it turned out there were a few of us that had to so it wasn't too bad but by the time we got onto the second flight we were pretty exhausted and another 10 odd hour flight was not high on our priority list. as it turned out the leg from Shanghai to Paris was on an older plane with less leg room, no movies and much worse food. Getting to Paris we managed to kick it up a notch and became level 7 exhausted zombies. Not much good to say about that trip but we got there. Though we had to once again check our baggage out and in again it was all good, the French were absolutely lovely and it was a pleasure to be there. It is always a massive plus going through a border control check point and having people smile and be nice, a rare thing.

The food at the airport was very tasty, if drastically insufficient. No wonder the french are all georgeous slim super models. They count coffee and a croissant as breakfast. Oh wait, there was a juice too. Nevertheless the people were again delightful and though we had to have two breakfasts to get through to the next flight, despite a delay cos of the baggage conveyer playing up, in reasonably good humour. Content zombies. The airplane though surpassed every expectation I have ever had of economy class. I had more leg room than you could poke a stick at. Me, Pepix was practically swimming. She could have curled up on the floor at her own feet if she had wanted to. We were on the second floor of the plane (boeing 747-400) which was a first and the air hosts and hostesses were such reasonable lovely people I found it hard to believe they spent all their time in airplanes. On top of that the food was shockingly good, they brought us champagne and snacks in between and it was just generally awesome beyond compare. I thought we had died and gone to backpackers heaven (that is to say business class). Though Pepix still didn't sleep much I slept for pretty much 8 hours!! Incredible. from there it was all smooth sailing. The family met us at the arrivals terminal. There was hugging and laughter and general joy (we didn't hug too much because we smelt like the zombies we still were. Seriously, two days, forty eight hours, in air conditioned 'comfort' in the same clothes, no showers....well you can imagine). A recovery shower, some tacos from Sumesa (the local of my in laws) where the owner not only remembered me but remembered what I ordered last and it was like we had never left. Just transformed into zombies.

Today our welcome party starts! We have the house open from nine in the morning, so in three hours. We have slept only four since arriving but what the hell, we'll make it. It just wouldn't be as much fun if it wasn't hard.

I may feel like a zombie but damn its good to feel alive again!