Are you ready for this? I suggest you have a cup of coffee and be in a comfy chair while you read this - if you don't think you can wade through a lot of drivel - then you are excused!!!!!

Where was I? - Oh yes - I'd had an ice-cream then we went back to Mandi's house to finalise the packing and to go to the airport.

As I walked up the driveway, I was welcomed by the garden cats - I miss them very much - they were so sweet and loving. Well after a quick change of clothes and finishing packing the suitcases, I'd made sure that I put my medication, some food and a drink and a book in my hand luggage.

Off we went to the airport. We left her home at 6.30pm and it was an hour's journey. The electric windows in the car decided to play silly games but at least they opened - they just didn't close!!!! Poor Mandi had to cope with that when she went home. The traffic was really heavy - it was the rush hour, but I did manage to capture a few pictures of the journey...


This is a lovely picture of Bodrum castle (just under the bough of the tree) and the marina with all the yachts etc.


There are so many new houses being built, they all seem to be facing the sea though I don't think all of them can actually see the sea!!!



Well we arrived at the airport at 6.45pm only to realise that the plane wasn't due to leave until 11.50pm!!!! I was way too early!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She'd already rung through for special assistance (as I'm disabled - I have special assistance which takes me through the customs and passport control right through to the airplane in a wheelchair). Within a few minutes a young man arrived outside with a wheelchair with a lovely smile, which waned somewhat when he saw that I had a rollator (walker), two suitcases and me!!! In Bodrum airport, Mandi couldn't come through the doors, so it was all up to him!!! He kept looking at the rollator, then the luggage and then finally me and you could almost hear him asking "What the hell do I do now?" We realised he didn't speak English when he didn't immediately phone for assistance, so Mandi started waving her arms around trying to say "Call in and ask for another person" - but that wasn't Turkish enough for the poor lad. Eventually he did call in but still tried to get me through the doors into the airport, firstly pushing me through, but keeping me inbetween the doors so they wouldn't shut!!!! then tried to push the rollator through, we tried to suggest he put the suitcases on the rollator so they were all together - but to no avail. This young lad was so sweet - but thick!!!!!

At long last someone else came along and did exactly what we'd suggested and while he pushed the rollator and the suitcases, my little lad had the unenviable task of pushing me in the wheelchair. When asked what airline I was going on - I said, "EasyJet" - they took me to the information board and looked up the next EasyJet departure - that's when they realised we were 5 hours early!!! They then pushed me up to the check-in desk which wasn't opened and saying to me "Sonra" which means "later" in Turkish, they went!!!!

So there I was sitting in a wheelchair - abandoned in the middle of the concourse!!! Someone must have said something to the lad, because he was soon back and with me holding onto the rollator with the suitcases on, he pushed me to a waiting area! At least I was able to people watch!!

Almost two hours later, the young lad came back and took me to the now opened check-in desk! There were a few other people in wheelchairs waiting too, so I was put with them. There were only two desks open and an ever growing line of passengers waiting to check-in. There was no-one at the special assistance desk - so one of the girls had to come from one of the other desks and help. Of course the first passenger to be assisted hadn't done a printout of her boarding pass!!! It's very plainly stated that you must print out your boarding pass before you check-in!!!! She didn't know what to do, so she asked the other lady at the other desk, who stopped seeing to the other passengers to join in the debate of what to do next - the waiting line was increasing!!!!! Why they didn't immediately telephone for help, I don't know. Fifteen minutes passed before one of them came up with the bright idea of doing just that!! You can imagine the irritation that was coming off in waves from that waiting line of passengers!!

Thankfully it wasn't me who was the source of the delay - I'd printed off two copies of my boarding pass, just in case!!! Well eventually it was sorted out, by someone taking the passenger's phone and going to print out the pass!!! Thank heavens for that - soon it was my turn and my young lad took both my large suitcase and my hand luggage onto the conveyor belt to go into the hold. I tried to say "No" to the hand luggage, but by the time they knew what I was shouting "No" to, the luggage had winged its way down into the depths of the airport to be placed in the hold!!!!! Not wanting to be the cause of any more delay, I accepted the fact that it was gone! So I thought I'd get something to eat and drink in the Duty Free and/or cafe!! I think my young Turk had other ideas and tried to take me a short cut away from the Duty Free!!!!

My "No - No - Duty Free" managed to penetrate the young lad's brain, because he stopped and turned round. Oh good, I thought, but he pushed me past the Duty Free, despite me saying "No please" - so I was taken the full length of the concourse to the last Gate to wait for the plane!!

So there I was, no drink, no food, not even a walking stick as that was all in my hand luggage. So I was stuck!!!! Thank heavens I hadn't taken a water tablet, because the WC was at the other end of the concourse, near the cafe's!!! I rummaged around in my handbag and ..... I found some mints!!! All was not lost!.

Boy does that waiting time drag!!! To cut a very long story, short - someone did eventually come back for me and took me to the plane - now the ramp down to the plane was very steep and the man who took me decided to run down there!!! Have you ever been at the mercy of someone pushing you in a wheelchair downhill???? It's scary but fun at the same time - I just prayed that he'd stop at the bottom.

He did and I got off and was first in the plane!! So having no hand luggage to store in the overhead lockers, I was able to sit down in my seat straight away. I swear they make the distance between the seats smaller and smaller!!! I was jammed into my seat, which was by the window for over 5 hours folks!!!! I couldn't move to go to the loo, because the two passengers next to me went to sleep almost immediately we took off - I'm so pleased that I hadn't had a drink too!!!

We eventually landed at Bristol airport, only to be told that we had "surprised" the airport by arriving!!!! How the hell can you surprise an airport with a damn big plane that was expected??? Hence the delay in bringing the steps up to the plane and sending buses to collect the passengers to take them to the Arrivals lounge!!! I later found out that it was almost 02.45am by this time, when I'd told Emily that my plane was arriving at 01.55am which was written on my ticket!! I was feeling a tad anxious by this late arrival, but I needn't have worried, Emily was there by the time I was pushed round to meet her and she'd enjoyed people watching too!!!

We eventually reached my home at 05.20am!!! (English time - 07.20am Turkish time!!) which means I'd been travelling since 18.30pm Turkish time which was a journey of 13 hours !!! No wonder I was exhausted - which is what you probably are having read this far!!!! I'm off now - I'll write again later!!!