I woke up at 7.30am and finished packing. Its so difficult to know what to pack when I'm going to a completely different climate, but started by packing all the essential items, and then did my best with the rest, and hoped I hadn't forgotten anything.
After a quick cup of coffee I said my final goodbye to Hannah, and then Mum and Dad arrived to pick me up, and after a thorough check that I had everything, we hopped in a cab and headed for the airport.
Having not traveled overseas many tines in my life, I had completely forgotten what a process it all is, and it was confusing to find where to line up for the various checks and official things that have to be done. It was then that I first realised how much more difficult it would have been if I had done this holiday with a non family member, as I was originally planning and so much wanting to do. But that wasn't the end of the dramas. When it came time to board the plane was when the next lot of fun began. I got transferred into an aisle chair as usual, and we headed onto the plane. The aisle chair barely made it down the aisle, and when we got to the front of the plane where our seats were and the aisle narrowed even more, the chair decided it would fit no more. But there was no giving up by the staff. I was wheeled all the way back to the front of the plane, where they turned the seat around and decided to see if reversing down the aisle would work. It didn't. So back to the front of the plane we went, and Mum and Dad picked me up out of the seat and carried me to my seat. What an elegant way to start! But at least I was finally on board. Note to self and all my other friends with disabilities: Do NOT fly with Scoot!
After all the other passengers were on board and seated, the cabin crew went through the essential safety instructions (who doesn't know how to do up a seatbelt?! Duh!), and after taxing for what felt like forever, we were finally off.
Soon after take off we were brought our lunch. I had braised chicken with rice. The chicken was tender and very aromatic and full of flavour, and the rice was soft and had been cooked with stock to give it extra deliciousness.
My seat was pretty uncomfortable and I spent the whole 8 hour flight with sore shoulders. I had planned to sleep for some of the time, but that didn't happen, as when I tilted my seat back my shoulders just got more sore, so I was relieved when we finally landed.
At Changi airport we were greeted by our taxi driver, who was holding a board with my name on it. The wheelchair accessible taxi was an old London cab that had been converted to take wheelchairs, but the travelling style came as quite a shock to me, as their were no belts to tie the wheelchair down, and nor were their seatbelts for the passengers, including me. So I clung onto the seat in front of me, with Mum and Dad both holding my wheelchair, and I hoped that he was a good, smooth driver and wouldn't brake suddenly.
Eventually we got to our hotel and I could unclench my fists and breathe a sigh of relief.
Too exhausted to do anything else, we checked into our rooms - one for my parents and one for my sister and I and unpacked our stuff. We had take away from a local restaurant for dinner before falling into bed, exhausted and emotionally drained from a huge day. The beds were huge and comfortable, and as I fell asleep I thought about how excited I was that we were finally here, and I was looking forward to exploring in the morning.
Glad you made it safely even with a few hiccups. Your writing style is so emotive and descriptive. Looks like I didn't have to hide in you suitcase after all. Wonderful hearing about the start to your adventure.
ReplyDeleteThe steamed chicken and tasty rice might be their version of Hainan Chicken rice ... minus the dipping sauces. Note to self ... don't fly Scoot ... unless you want a sore back. I hope they do something about their aisle chairs. Perhaps write to CS at Scoot and let them know there was a problem. They might even reward you for your feedback ... with a free flight :(
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