The green, green grass of home

Saturday 6/3/21

Today is the day we will be leaving Darwin and going home.

I really want to go home at this stage as I need to wallow a little and does not seem right to do that on holiday.

We use our rented wheelchair for the last time to do the trek from the room to the front of the hotel where our (blue) taxi awaits. Due to COVID (global pandemic), they are happy for our custom and arrive 10 minutes earlier than expected. Would you believe we are already there and waiting??

The plan is to return the chair on our way to the airport as it is on the way. One of us says he is certain of being able to find the shop in the middle of an industrial estate with lots of roads/entrances which the first taxi driver found very confusing.

Anyway it was not that easy but ‘we’ eventually find the shop and return the wheelchair. The driver and I share a quiet giggle.

Onward to the airport. I am able to walk in and stand around while Paul successfully operates the kiosk to obtain our boarding passes and luggage tags.  While we wait for check-in to begin, an older lady offers me her seat as she could see I was struggling on my feet. Embarrassing but she was very sympathetic as was everyone near us.

Me with the other luggage. the luggage is camouflaging my booted right leg.

Once at the check-in counter, we ask if they have the wheelchair we had requested. No record of any request, surprise, surprise but the lovely lady goes off to find one. We are able to check in our large luggage and then only had our carry on luggage. How to do that. Easy. I have my wheely bag on my lap and Paul has his back pack on his back whilst pushing, I mean wheeling (better word)  me to the departure lounge.

We got through security and my ear thing has still not gone off yet. Shame as that would have been interesting. Even so, I got the special test for explosives. (What one can hide in a boot, other than a leg?)

 

We had a nice coffee in this beautiful lounge,(not business class, just the one for the average traveler) and then waited and waited…

 

Selfie:Paul wheeling me with our masks on, required in the airports and on the plane.

When we were called to board, an airport employee arrived to wheel me to the plane which was very nice and gave Paul a break who then only had the carry on luggage to carry on.

Business class was nice. Thanks to COVID (global pandemic) we were able to use points to upgrade to Business for a very small cost. However, the business lounge was not available and there were a few other issues. All up however, it was a very good experience on board with wider seats as well as lots of leg room for my booted leg.

And the nearish amenities. We were the last of 3 rows of Business so had access to one at the front. There was an announcement that if you were in rows 4 to whatever, you should use the amenities at the rear of the plane. A couple of those people tried to make a dash for the closer one at the front but most were caught by the hostess who told them “no, yours is the one at the back, this one is for business only. (der).”  A couple got through when she was not looking, damn them.

We had a beautiful hot lunch with wine, dessert and coffee while those in rows 4 onwards got no service, just a box of food or something.  Sad for them but nice for us.

On arrival, the lovely hostess told me that Paul and I would disembark first if the wheelchair was available, otherwise we would go last. The door opened and there was a chair as well as a self-described  ‘commissaire’ who was to do the wheeling.

He was lovely and knew exactly where to go: baggage claim, disabled amenities and then to the car rental place. We were out of there unbelievably quickly, in our rental car and on our way home within minutes of landing.

Qantas and Sydney and Darwin airports were great in providing us with wheelchair and wheelers. I am impressed by the great service.

 

 

A quick trip back to Newcastle and finally home.

And Orphy was there desperate for food and to be let out. Back to normal.

 

Thank goodness. As another lover of red shoes/boot once said, there is no place like home.