After Deano and I had bought our very first home it was a dream to travel and so we decided to sell the family car to help fund the trip and hit the road before having two little ankle biters to care for. With much anticipation and not travelling overseas as a couple before it was a highly nerve wracking experience...I never anticipated it being so stressful. At this stage Deano had not begun using the cane so there was no indication to other travellers that he had a vision impairment. On top of trying to guide him in the right direction without him tripping over people, carrying our suit cases and chasing a toddler it was all quite a juggling act. Oh and don't forget I had a belly like a whale so bending over to pick up any dropped toys, hand luggage or baby items was not exactly a breeze.
After being trapped like sardines in a flight that was delayed on the Tarmac for an extra 3 hours our journey to LAX took close to 17 hours. No leg room...or belly room for that matter, we he let the airline know we had a toddler, they only catered for a baby giving her baby food instead...don't they know that feeding a fussy toddler is like s fate worst than death if the food is custard carrots and mushy peas out of a jar, and not cheese sticks and familiar real food...ahhhh..and not getting more than 2 hours sleep you can guess what state of mind this pregnant whale was in when she arrived with her Blindman and by this time a terror of a toddler at the gates of the LAX international airport. I was beside myself. I was an over tired, over emotional, and over hormonal bag of baby carrying, Blindman guiding, toddler chasing waste matter. Actually to say I was wasted was a huge understatement! What happened this was meant to be a trip of a lifetime? I was literally shattered.
Standing in the airport waiting at baggage claim we watched the luggage go around and around...with LAX being one of the largest and busiest airports in the world there was so much luggage...I am kinda wishing I could recognise out bags! A kindly friend had loaned us some luggage to use, never travelling before I made a massive rookie error when packing...I didn't add any identifying markings on the bags to make it easier for me to recognise them as they travelled around the conveyer belt with what seemed like 6000 other pieces of luggage...yes a pink hair ribbon would have saved my life right now. With Deano's eyes making him redundant to the bag search I watched the luggage rotate for around for 2 hours (may be not that long but it certainly felt like it) not identifying one single piece of our belongings. Panic being my next hormonal reaction to my situation. Foreign country, no clothing, limited funds to replace lost goods and extremely tired I turned to my husband with tears in my eyes and put my head on his shoulder a cried a little from pure exhaustion and a little for the unknown.
Have you ever had a feeling or some might call it a prompting, like a thought out of nowhere just when you think all is lost...when you are all out of answers...well this was such a time. I got this thought telling me to walk about ten metres around to the back of the carousel. At this point there were three bags no longer on the conveyer belt just left right there like they had been abandoned by their owners...these days people would have the bomb squad out inspecting them but this was 19 years ago when abandons bags and terrorism wasn't an airport related fear!
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| The moment we reached Hollywood |
Now just nineteen hours into our journey we were ready to take on our USA adventure...yep no longer caring about Disney Land all I longed for was a place to rest my spinning head, have warm shower and collapse for the night...or the day...or whatever time it was for how ever long it took for us to feel normal again...
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| Up on the deck breeze blowing in my hair, much happier way to holiday |
Can I say I no longer get the exited to say we are flying overseas...in fact the only overseas holiday we have taken since then have been literally overseas...cruising has been the choice of this Blindmans family ever since. Where the luggage is delivered to your door, the Blindmans wife doesn't have to drive on the wrong side of the road...or in fact drive at all for 10 days..or make meals...or do the washing...or the cleaning...or entertain the children...STUFF DISNEY LAND!!! This is the way to holiday where the rollercoaster is built into the fair when the seas are high and when I know I don't have to search too far to find a place to rest my weary head, with a choice of 1000 deck chairs and my own bed a stroll down the corridor I would have it any other way.
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| Ready to Party with my Blindman sailing the high seas |
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| Cruise night fun with two of our girls |
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