Day 217 3/2/12 The longest day

The bus to Leeds was boring. Leeds bus station was very cold and we got there just in time to miss any hot food. The National Express to Heathrow was long and boring. We got to Heathrow well in time for our flight in fact there wasn’t anything open in the airport and we sat around feeling sorry for ourselves until Dad came to say goodbye. It was really good to see him although for myself I can say I was nearly too tired to do proper sentences. We checked in and started following the signs to get to our departure gate and by the time we got there, including the train journey between pasts of the terminal, we were some of the last ones to board. I’m so glad we didn’t stop for a coffee as I was dying to do.
To be honest I don’t remember much about the plane to Spain. I think I slept with my head on the folding tray in front most of the way. Michael made friends with everyone around him and for the first time we were surrounded mostly by Spanish speakers.
Madrid airport was big and shiny and had moving walkways to play on and looking back on it I think we were all a bit crazy by that point and we had quite a lot of fun just walking about and looking at things.



At one point we saw there was a big queue at our departure gate and so we joined it not wanting to be last on the plane. It looked like maybe 15 mins of queuing for final passport checks. It was only after we had been in the queue a few minutes that I read the departure gate info carefully which said Guayaquil, Ecuador! We were queuing for the wrong country. Ooops. After we got this sorted out and found our real gate we had our first piece of real Peruvian culture the “Preferencial” This is Peruvian custom and I think law that in any queue for anything people with a disability go straight to the front. A really fine custom I think. So we were almost first on the plane and got settled in for the long haul. And oh my god it was a long haul.



The Iberia plane seemed much more uncomfortable and boring than the KLM I have been on before and the staff were bloody rude.


It was one long, painful, boring time only made bearable by Michael’s ability to make friends instantly with strangers. I took to walking the aisles of the plane with Michael in his tiger suit and stopping whenever he got someone’s admiring attentions, which was very often. Then we could have a chat and play with Michael a bit and pass the time that way.



Eventually we landed in Lima and had some confusion about immigration forms and then found our bags and got out finally into Peru for real. It was wonderful to be met by Rocio’s mum and dad and nephew Jean. We were taken across the city to an uncle’s house and given food and drink and beer. Really a great welcoming. Michael loved all of this bit. He’s tired of boring times and very ready for some good socialising and that’s just what he got. He was passed around all he extended family and loved every minute. Suddenly, now we are in Peru, my little boy looks Peruvian again. To me he was born looking Peruvian but gradually turned very Jenkins over the 7 months in England but now surrounded by the other side of his family I see that side of him again