Days 313 – 320. Royal Oak Country Park. West Sussex. UK.

Friday 12th June.

It’s lovely to be home again. That is, in our “other” home, in the UK. While it’s clouding over now it’s been a glorious day, since we arose at midday…:)

The journey to get here from Veracruz in Mexico, was almost flawless in execution. Though much more expensive than it would have been several months ago!

Back to the departure from Mexico. Wednesday 10th June.

We had paid to stay in the apartment in Veracruz for another 4 days but were quite happy to be leaving early, as the heat and humidity were exhausting.

Miraculously we managed to cram everything we could take out of Poki into a Kathmandu soft travel bag, two, wheeled Chinese soft suitcases, who’s handles had been resown and two other bags.

Quite a bit of food had to be left behind. 

A taxi was hailed within minutes outside the apartment and our journey had commenced. Waiting for our flight, the only one on the Departures board, two others were displaying, ‘Cancelled’. We speculated as to whether our flight status would change too?

AeoroMar Flight VW654, an ATR72 arrived on time and us 13 passengers were on our way as scheduled at 20:50. Arriving at Mexico City at 22:00 having lost an hour en-route. We took a taxi straight to the Airport hotel 10min away. 

At 11am the next day, after a patchy sleep, a taxi took us back to the airport. American Airlines flight AA1031 a 737-800 to Miami, left on time at 13.50. About 80% full. The onward flight to Heathrow, Iberian flight AA38 a 777-300ER left 1 hour 40min later, about 70% full.  This was a code share with American Airlines who provided the aircraft. All fascinating stuff but not as comfortable or as exciting as driving a Land Rover Defender…:).

Friday 12th June. Arriving back home in the UK.

The arrival at Heathrow was surreal. It often takes 30 min or more for a landing slot. This time we were the only aircraft moving, in the air or on the ground.

A new law has been passed in the UK requiring all new arrivals to provide detailed accommodation information and to self isolate for 14 days. Better late than never and we are very happy to oblige to ensure anything we may have picked up on the way is not transmitted.

Having Steve, our taxi driver waiting on our arrival was great. Steve had driven up from West Sussex to pick us up. While we wore our masks, Steve didn’t seem to be worried about any virus spread and didn’t even have a mask. Lets hope we are uninfected Steve, as we would hate to be responsible for infecting you. 

Lockdown entertainment.

What can we do for two weeks? I know, read…:) 

‘The Myth of the Good War’ by Jacques R. Pauwels is proving fascinating. How a large part of the American commercial elite including Ford, General Motors, Standard Oil & Texaco also IBM traded with the reich right through WW2 keeping the Nazi war machine going and profits booming. How the Japanese were almost invited to invade the US and Joseph Stalin was not the ogre he was made out to be, with the Allies at least.

All this ties in with Phillip Knightly’s book, ‘The First Casualty’ (truth). I’m also reading ‘America’s Deadliest Export’ by William Blum. Recently read ‘Power Worshipers’ by Katherine Stewart. About the influence of radical religion behind the current Republican party and Donald Trump. I didn’t consider it well written and got bored with it after a couple of chapters.  A picture of my reading interests is emerging here?..:) 

England and the West Sussex countryside is beautiful in the summer with the sun shining. 

Blog activity will be suspended until Poki arrives at Southampton on or about the 22nd July. This event will be eagerly awaited. Not only to find out what is in her, but to have her sitting outside the door to keep alive the desire to travel and continue our journey.

A late update, Jen found her camera. Did you put it in her bag Kelvin?..:)

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