Round The World and other travels

A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries

This is: Round The World 2004

The home straight

(Link to flight log in side panel)

On arrival at Gatwick, I very easily cleared immigration and customs after a dog gave my backpack a cursory sniff. I decided to go to the Arrivals Lounge and have a shower. I hadn't realised that there was an Arrivals Lounge at LGW until the CSD handed out information about it. It turned out to be on the 7th floor of the Le Meridien hotel. I was glad I had walked briskly to get there - a sizeable queue built up behind me and the agent mentioned that there were in fact only three showers available. What amused me slightly - it must just be the comparison with Heathrow - was that my shower room turned out to be the bathroom of a standard hotel bedroom, which presumably BA had rented. Once I had completed my shower and partial change of clothes, I decided to relocate to the main Terraces Lounge in the terminal itself. I spent most of my time there on the computers, catching up on a lot of news about my employer that had broken while I was away. On this Bank Holiday Good Friday, the business section was mostly deserted and I felt able to take a couple of pictures without invading people's privacy.

I left for the gate approximately 40 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time.

(Link to flight log in side panel)

I had a real stroke of luck at Edinburgh, where my suitcase was the first one off, at least on the non-EU country-of-origin belt   I took the Airlink 100 bus to Maybury, a five minute ride which cost a shocking GBP2.50   We all know that the HEX is probably the world's most expensive train; had I just discovered the world's most expensive bus ride? I made an easy connection onto the Citylink 909 coach, which delivered me to within 3 blocks of my house. I was home safe and well by 1250.

So that's it : we really have reached the end of the line here. I could hardly believe that it was all over. Would I do it again? Try stopping me!

All good things must come to an end, so they say, but I had a couple of consolations :-

  • I would be in BA First again in six weeks time, when I would do my 'completion run' to Cairo
  • I'd already had some thoughts about my next, and even next-again , One World Explorer

Whoever is reading this and wherever you are, I hope it's been fun!