Before I decided to write a blog again many of you will have heard my over indulgent wails , questioning whether writing about my holidays is a bit self absorbed. They bring me joy when I reflect on what we have done. I guess as well there is the element of Bea reading it when she’s older. We shall for ever more be ‘old’ to her but she will know that at some point we had the spirit of adventure.
So our much waited for trip to Costa Rica has arrived. Unfortunately I will be travelling with more than just my rucksack but also a pair of ‘seen better days’ lungs and lingering pleurisy. Hopefully I won’t return with them!
Energy levels are low but a!so due to constant coughing sleep has evaded me. So following advice from ‘she who shall not be named’, Rachel Jackson. I decided to try out some herbal sleeping tablets. Took two to be on the safe side basing it on the fact that I’ equate to about three of her. At one point in the night found myself on the toilet, perplexed as to how I had got there and how long I had slept there. We were in a Travelodge, so that added to the confusion.
Stumbled back to bed, zonked out….only to be woken up at some ungodly hour by Pete repeating, ‘Theee mooseum is closed’ and sounding like a Spanish version of Allo Allo. This was interspersed with deafening church bells from nearby. Pete in typical ‘can do’ spirit had decided it was a good time to learn Spanish, after all he did have 24 hours.
I couldn’t be too grumpy as I woke up to find out I had won £65.00 on the Lottery. Plans were quickly made as to what to spend it on at Heathrow. Mostly a slap up meal.
We travelled to Heathrow from Worcester, as we had been to Chris’ party. I made it to 8.45. Bea was definitely more of a party animal than me!
What started off as a good idea soon unravelled as I had been blissfully unaware of how many changes we had to do. Many other layers of torture were added to this one after the other. A Sunday service, a lack of train drivers – so cancellations, as well as trains having to go slow, so as not to warp the tracks. So it was actually very serendipitous that we set off 12 hours early.
The queues were exhaustingly long, good spirits were definitely frayed and hassled airport staff were handing out cans of water. By the time we got through everything, we only had time for a meal and not the usual circuit of wandering round the duty free shops.
We managed to get into Wagamamas. Both ordered two bowls of what we thought was vegan deliciousness. Pete was very, very happy with his. Time ticked by and mine arrived about 15 minutes later. Very, very rarely have I ever uttered the words ‘its too spicy’ . My addiction to chilli sauce is well documented. I couldn’t eat it. The manager came over and said she could tell just by looking at it. It was over spiced. So meal didn’t cost anything and winnings are still intact.
It was all very chaotic. The person next to us had been given the wrong dish but still blithely began to eat it. A waitress whisked it off her and proceeded to give it to the real recipient who was in a far flung corner of the restaurant, so was unaware the best bits had already been eaten.
Random Acts of Travelling 