The final chapter

Well this is it, the final entry. It's taken me a little while to get around to writing it, mainly because I've been racing from airport to airport, from plane to plane. As you've probably guessed or know, I'm at home now. I really wanted to write the final entry and finish up this blog while I was still away, but everything was such a rush at the end that I've only just had a chance to do it now.

The other reason its taken me so long is procrastination. I really didn't want to have to wrap this blog up. I've really enjoyed writing it. I hope I have given you some insight into what it is like to travel when you have a physical disability, and encourage you to realise that it can be done!

I started the day with a cup of tea. Then my sister and I went for a walk to the shops to get some gifts to take back to my friends in Australia. After that we came home and I started packing for the journey home.

The trip to the airport was interesting. We got a wheelchair accessible taxi, but one that probably never been used before, because the driver appeared not to know how to open the door. Not only that, but once the door was open, there wasn't lift a that I could wheel onto, but a very steep ramp  that the driver pulled down and leant against the massive vehicle.

They say that bad luck comes in threes, right? Well, you guessed it, there was a third problem. Although the taxi had the appropriate straps and clamps to tie my wheelchair down (thank goodness!), there was no seat belt for me! So I clung on to the seat in front of me for the whole trip. Fortunately the driver had tied my wheelchair down extremely well (which is something that drivers in Australia could learn to do better) and I hoped like crazy that those straps wouldn't come undone.

The first flight, Vienna to Zurich, was pretty smooth. It was only an hour. First we ate, and then we slept and then it was time to get off the plane. As the plane slowed down and got ready to land, a funny thing happened. Several of the tray tables fell down, one by one. I watched mine closely, and saw the switch that kept it secure slowly rotating, until eventually the table fell down with a thud. It provided a bit of humour to start the flight!

We had two hours at Zurich airport before the next flight, the grueling 13 hour flight from Zurich to Singapore, and I wanted to use that time to do things like write my blog and check my email - but the computer desks weren't low enough for me to use, which was really frustrating.

As soon as I had finished dinner and dessert on the next flight, I put my seat back and tried to sleep. Wearing my noise cancelling headphones helped a little bit, and eventually I fell asleep, but only for a couple of hours. I listened to music for the rest of the flight.

The final flight was the worst - 8 hours from Singapore to Sydney, and I  didn't sleep for 1 minute of that time. By this stage I was so completely over it, and just wanted to get off and not have to get back on to any plane. I called this plane the party plane. The lights inside changed from pink to purple to yellow to white, which made the flight a bit more interesting, especially for the flight attendant who was trying to pour coffee as the lights went purple, making it difficult to see.

Eventually we landed. We were back. The holiday was over. It had been the most brilliant holiday of my life. The new experiences, the fun times, eating, drinking sightseeing and just spending time with my family, all together. Yes there were challenges, yes there the occasional hiccups along the way, that's a guarantee when you have a disability. I probably won't travel overseas for a few years, because of how big the a challenge it is, but would I do it again? DEFINITELY!!!