The Cactus Trip Diaries

Yesterday I warned you that I am a completist. And this story would not be complete until I tell you about the journey home.

Fortunately it is a brief story and it has a happy ending. There are no images.

I redid my packing for the last time, mainly to redistribute the weight of the books so that I was making best use of the wheels on my large bag that would go into the hold and (hopefully) emerge undamaged in London.

Everything still fitted in the car. We arrived safely at the Budget Car drop off point and said goodbye to our home for so many weeks, since we received it in Windhoek in exchange for the car that we took from here at the start of the trip.

Airport formalities were among the smoothest I have experienced. Each of us did their own thing – we had spent enough time together. I spent the last Rands on some small mementoes and found a newspaper to become familiar with the current affairs and happenings in the world of which we had been oblivious for most of the time.

Flights left and arrived on time, including the stop over in Dubai.

By now it was Wednesday 21 November.

Angie was waiting for me as I walked out of the Arrivals corridor at Terminal 3 – Heathrow, laughing at my extra facial hair. Apparently I looked 20 years younger that night after I had met up with my raiser again.

We had just one more mission to complete – re-unite Eunice, who was a ‘in-transit passenger’ on her way home to Los Angeles, with some items of luggage that  she had left with us in Amesbury. I had grave doubts about her ability to enter the UK and get back through security again on her way out. Angie and I had to get from T3 to the car park at T1, from where Eunice’s flight home would leave. We waited for the phone call to tell us where she was so that we could meet up. Time passed and we were about to give up, fishing for UK money for the car park, when Angie’s mobile rang. Eunice was back in the UK! The hand over of items was quickly completed and goodbyes were said one more time – ET was finally going home!

75 minutes later, Angie and I arrived home. Holly the cat looked at me as if to say: ‘Oh, you’re back’ before ignoring me as usual.

I started writing day 1 of the Diaries, that are now up to date for another trip – phew!

To start reading this trip’s Diaries from the Introduction