Stuck in Transit (or how to avoid DVT)

It is 1am on Tuesday and I´m in Madrid still. I was meant to be winging my way over the Atlantic now but alas, it twas not to be.

I could bore you with details of bungled check-ins at Heathrow and late arrivals in Madrid, but it didn´t really matter as the flight to Santiago appears to have been cancelled. We´re not really sure, but then neither are the staff.

So I find myself in the posh Auditorio hotel in Madrid (biggest in Europe!), bloated after a three course meal, wondering when the flight will depart. And writing this because I´m not really tired.

I´ll look on the episode as providence because it makes me much less likely to get DVT, and I´ve met a nice astronomer called Jonathon who has offered to put me up if the hostel won´t take me when I arrive.

Unfortunately I don´t have my bag (locked up Madrid Barajas aeropuerto somewhere) but after driving to Heathrow, sitting around there then flying here I´m glad of the break.

I´ll let you know when I get there.

All the gear ...

…and no idea.

I think it was the philosopher H.D. Thoreau who said “Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes”. I’m worried.

I leave tomorrow morning for London Heathrow, courtesy of the Mum and Dad taxi service. I’m flying British Airways to Madrid at 18.50 then Madrid to Santiago, Chile, at 23.45 with Lan Chile. I’ve got my first 3 nights booked in a popular (I hope) hostel in Santiago, so I can get over the 15 hour flight.

Hannah (my girlfriend) headed back home to Weymouth this afternoon, the last time I’ll see her until she joins me in Peru in July. That’s 6 months away and we’ve only been going out for 5 but we seem to make a good team and hopefully it will stay that way.

Below is a photo of all the gear that I’m taking – it weighs 18.6kg I think – and that I have to cram into my rucksack. A lot of items have fallen by the wayside (my down sleeping bag, tent, multifuel stove, lots of clothes) to try and make it lighter. I’ll probably ditch the sleep mat and gas stove at some point too. You can’t escape technology though, as the USB cable and camera battery charger have made it in!



At the moment I’m feeling a lot of trepidation and excitement, and looking forward to settling into life as a gringo. My biggest fear is that I won’t meet other travellers when I’m out there, which I think is just a bit of paranoia on my part. I’ll let you know.

Trial Photos!

OK, well i'm not in south america yet, but here's Mont blanc at sunset from Les Arcs after we got stuck on a lift. Last on the mountain.....



Now all I need is the technology is South America. It must be simple if I can manage it!