And finally.
We prowled around our room on Sunday morning, having hardly anything to pack up. We were ready to go long before our scheduled pick up time of 11.30am and as a change of scenery, we went down to sit in the lobby a while and do a bit of people watching.
Our taxi arrived in good time too, which set my Hero’s mind at rest. I knew he was anxious about the flight, about me and about things we couldn’t control. We hadn’t booked the flight ourselves and simply needed to go with the flow. That doesn’t come easily to either of us.
Montevideo is quite a green city and on this Sunday morning, it was quiet. I was surprised to see very few people out in the fresh air. Perhaps they were all in church?
Though we didn’t drive along the actual waterfront, it was clearly not so far away. That’s the estuary of the Rio de la Plata rather than the seaside, of course.
Every so often someone had been busy with their paintbrush, brightening up a wall by a traffic junction.
It took about 40 minutes to get to the modern airport which also seemed surprisingly quiet.
Unlike LHR where the cars line up for a space to drop off (and pay handsomely for the privilege), here there was only one or two cars in front of the terminal and our driver could drop us off right in front of the doors.
As he unloaded our suitcases, I took the opportunity to get a Uruguayan flag shot!
Our driver shook my Hero’s hand and wished us a good flight then off he went. Of course, we were very early indeed and knew that check in wouldn’t open for almost another hour. Never mind, we found a couple of seats and settled in, trying not to get irritated by the gang of children let off the leash by their parents. They were running around in circles, climbing on whatever they could find to climb on and using up all their energy before they had to sit still on a plane for however long.
When check in opened, we were pleased to have our luggage checked right through to London and on mentioning assistance, were advised to return to the desk around 3pm, when someone would take us directly to the gate. At five to 3 😉 we went over and were wheeled to departures, where our flight had just begun boarding.
Excellent service and being among the first to board, we wondered how full the flight would be. There didn’t seem to be many people waiting at the gate.
Well, more than once, one of us suggested that so many people were getting on this plane, some must be getting off at the back and going around again! It was an A321, which I suppose has quite a large capacity and with seats in row 9, we didn’t really get an accurate impression of the number of seats. I think I’d say that every one of them was filled.
Refreshments were served mid flight and in just over two hours we were flying over the suburbs of Sao Paolo.
I was surprised by the density of the building here
and as we neared the city centre, it became still more apparent. Those houses and apartments have virtually no outdoor space at all.
Having landed comfortably in Sao Paolo to a round of applause (a long time since we’ve heard that!) we did as instructed and remained in our seats whilst everyone got off the plane. Though they did so far more quickly than they boarded, it seemed to take forever. Once the plane was empty, the cabin crew suggested we sit at the front of the plane, for someone would be along for us in a minute.
Hmm. It was our first taste of what it’s like to be dependent on others. We waited a while, chatting to the cabin crew and watched as the cleaning crew came on board and blankets and pillows were brought on board for the next flight, to Santiago. The Captain and the First Officer came out for a chat and before long, the Captain was off in search of whoever it was that was going to assist us further. Eventually, the cabin crew needed to disembark and said their goodbyes to us as the new crew came on board. Meanwhile, the Captain was still trying to find out what was going on.
Suddenly, the door opposite the airbridge opened and a lift was brought alongside. Hmmm…maybe? But no, they were merely taking off the catering trolleys and reloading them with fresh ones for the next flight. They finished their task, closed the door and were off.
The Captain returned and explained that, because we were not actually at a gate, but parked on the airfield, things were taking a little longer. He reassured us that someone was on their way, but he needed to get going. He shook my Hero’s hand and then gave me a Uruguayan goodbye - a kiss on the cheek - and wished me well.
Shortly after he left, the new flight crew were boarding and we were wondering if we might be carted off to Santiago…
But then, an hour after landing, the catering door opened again and there was a truck with an elevator outside. Step this way, they said! I sat myself in one of the tethered wheelchairs and my Hero settled into a fixed seat behind me.
A short time later we arrived at the terminal and were taken off the truck and left just inside the door. “Someone will be along in a few minutes”
This area had a table for flight connections and as each plane landed, a swarm of people would come through and bustle around a table to collect their boarding passes for the next leg of their journey. There was no organisation, no queueing and it was every man and woman for themselves. Meanwhile we sat in the midst of it all, wondering when something was going to happen.
Another hour passed. We knew we were in the correct terminal - 3 - and were sorely tempted to simply get up and make our own way to the lounge, where we could wait in comfort for our flight to London. But the lifts were taped off and the escalator wasn’t working either. How would we make our way upstairs? No idea.
Eventually, my Hero went over to a LATAM staff member and asked for help/advice. Reluctantly - this clearly wasn’t her job - she and a colleague took us around the corner and along a walkway to another waiting area. She took our boarding passes and disappeared behind a desk where she chatted to the staff there before disappearing altogether. It appeared we were sitting in an area reserved for people requiring assistance, but whilst we were there, no-one moved. Eventually, a woman in a wheelchair sitting next to me got up and walked to the lifts behind us and off she went. I wanted to do the same, but though my Hero had been given his boarding pass back, I didn’t have mine
After another hour (!) my patience ran out and I typed into Google Translate “It’s been three hours since our plane landed. We are tired and have a long flight ahead of us. We want to go to the LATAM Lounge, so please, may I have my boarding pass, tell us where it is and we will make our own way there”, remembering to switch to Portuguese and to say “Obrigado” when my boarding pass was handed over. I was grateful that I could walk and was not really dependent on assistance at all, merely trying to avoid stressful route marches through airport corridors, mindful of the fact that 48 hours ago they were still insisting I needed a doctor to fly with me. Another German chap who had been sitting with us earlier and who had a visual impairment remained there - how fortunate we were to have an alternative to sitting there for however long it took.
When we reached the lounge, having walked through the inevitable shopping centre and a short distance along a walkway, we registered at the desk and showed our “assistance” letter. No problem…we were given a sign to place on our table so that when someone came for us, they’d recognise the correct couple. My Hero raised an eyebrow. “We’ll see”, he said. There had been a five hour layover here but we’d already spent three of those hours in limbo. Still, at least we had a couple of hours to get something to eat and drink so we could settle down as soon as the plane took off at midnight. Not only that, but whilst we sat there, several people approached us with a wheelchair, asking our name before discovering that they were looking for someone else. We’d been told to expect someone around ten minutes before boarding at 2240 and sure enough, a young woman arrived on time. Hallelujah!!
It was actually a considerable distance to the gate and I was glad I’d not had to walk so far under pressure. We arrived just as boarding was beginning and with seats 1 E and 1 F in business it took no time at all to find our way.
We were boarding a 777 Dreamliner through two doors, so had no sense of the number of people behind us. Once again, it was a full flight and we have no idea how our insurers secured seats for us. We were simply grateful they did!
The LATAM configuration was four across and my Hero and I had the two central seats. They were comfortably wide, had plenty of leg room and were easily adjusted into lie flat beds. We each had a pillow and a soft, fleecy blanket to snuggle beneath plus a pair of slippers to wear on board.
In addition, there was oodles of storage space and, having connected my phone to the power source, I got out my snoozeband and settled in to listen to the remaining half of the John and Paul biography I’d begun to listen to in the hospital.
During the next ten hours or so, we made our way to London, very nearly in a straight line. There were a few areas of turbulence along the way and I guess the “kink” in our route was to avoid one of those. Having had plenty of practice sleeping in uncomfortable conditions recently, I slept like a baby and will probably need to listen to the second half of that book again, I missed so much!
With a couple of hours to go, breakfast was served - banana pancakes, yoghurt and granola, fruit and a croissant. That hit the spot, as did the best cup of coffee I’ve had in quite some time.
At LHR, we’d no sooner landed than a member of the cabin crew called to say our assistance was waiting. They wheeled me in a wheelchair down the airbridge and once in the main terminal, switched to a motorised vehicle.
It seemed an awfully long way and once again, I was relieved to not have to walk that far. Though I feel well, my energy levels are still pretty low - I really do need to get some exercise, but perhaps not here!
Once in the baggage hall, we said we’d manage from here. Our suitcases are sturdy with spinning wheels, so it’s easy to use them as a kind of support. It didn’t take long before they appeared on the carousel and we were away. My Hero had one wise thought, however. It might be a good idea to use the bathroom facilities here, because we could then go straight home without the need to stop at the motorway services.
So, here we were, at Terminal 3 just about an hour after our flight had landed. Oh, how good it felt to be home and to have made that journey without mishap or emergency. We took the lift to the car park and went to the Meet and Greet office to pick up the car keys. We’d soon be on our way.
Except…they couldn’t find our car.
Our original flights had been due to land at T5 and this one had landed at T3. But as soon as we knew our flight schedule, my Hero had sent notice of that change and, most importantly, had had an email confirmation. Might our car be at T5?
Well yes. It was. No worries, we were told, we’ll send someone to bring it over. It won’t take long…
At this point I was glad of the cashmere cardigan I’d stashed in my carry on, for exactly this situation. It was cold here in the draughty car park and I pulled out my large woollen Liberty shawl as well and wrapped it around myself. The other thought was, is there somewhere to sit? We might be here a while.
Whoever designed the signage at LHR deserves praise, for there by the lifts was a notice “nearest seating on Level 4 in the lift lobby”. We lost no time in going up to level 4 then and settling into them.
About half an hour later my Hero had a call with a change of plan. Our car had a flat battery and wouldn’t start. We returned to the Meet and Greet office to collect our suitcases which we’d left there and jumped into the waiting minibus, driven by John. Our suitcases loaded up behind us, off we went on a tour around the airport perimeter and to the T5 Meet and Greet area of the car park.
As we went, I smiled at the sight of Doris and Edward, the Heathrow Bears and the subjects of a charming series of advertisements for the airport.
We recognised our car as the one with the bonnet up and the mechanic trying to get it started using jump leads. All the doors were locked too, because there was no power at all, but as soon as he worked his magic, I jumped in, hoping for a little respite from the cold.
Having landed around 12.45, we set off for home about 4.30, along a busy M4 motorway. We didn’t much care about that - at last, we were on the last lap!!
We arrived home to find a stocked fridge and flowers from our friends and decided that emptying suitcases would wait.
Having had a blissful night’s sleep in my own bed, I gathered up all my medication, the notes given to us by Doctor Dinah on Splendor and the letter we were given by the doctor in the Evangelico Hospital, in Spanish of course. I decided my priority was to visit my GP and to camp out there if necessary until there was a slot available. I gave the receptionist the briefest of outlines of my situation.
“Is it an emergency?” she asked. sigh
Well, no, but I had promised to see my GP as soon as possible, so here I am. I was advised that it could be an hour, maybe two and nodded, saying I’d come prepared with my book and was happy to wait.
After just fifteen minutes, one of the practice team called my name and for the next half hour or more, Google Translate was put to further use as she made sense of what had happened and where I am now. She was happy with my recovery, made a couple of appointments for later this week to do blood tests etc and reassess which of that pile of medication I need to continue and which ones have run their course.
Phew.
She also said I can resume my early morning swimming, which will, I know, make me feel good!
So here we are. Gloucestershire in winter. It’s rather different from the Summer we’ve just left behind but oh my word, I wouldn’t swap it for all the tea in China! How glad I am to be home and hopefully, we’ll be able to draw a line under this saga.
Be warned, however, that if you find yourself having dinner with us in the not so distant future, you’re likely to get the full story, because this will surely be one to dine out on for a few months yet!!
Thank you to everyone who has sent good wishes and kind thoughts. How I have appreciated them, for it’s times like these when friendships are priceless. 🥰
