If someone asked me ‘Do you think you’re an impulsive person?’ my initial reaction would be mixed. I’ve always considered myself to be a bit of a planner and organiser but I’m also a little partial to some last minute fun too. But my latest world adventure has proved me to be so absolutely incorrect that if I were now to be asked that question my answer would be a definite ‘Hell Yes’.
Looking back on how this adventure started makes me laugh. It was one fine & sunny afternoon at my local pub catching up with a friend talking about the trip he was about to embark on. It sounded amazing. He had lived in Cyprus before so he knew what to expect and was eager to catch up with friends. As I listened to his plans my feet began to itch. That travel bug inside of me, the one I hadn’t really indulged in for 18 months since my trip to USA & UK, was getting to me. My thoughts must have shown on my face because 2 drinks later I had agreed to tag along. Impulsive step #1.
Only thing to possibly derail my plans was work. Luckily my manager was happy to let me have some time off over our quiet time and my leave was approved almost instantly. My friend Scott, who was now my confirmed travel partner, came over sometime later to confirm all of our flights. We both had 2 weeks off for this overseas trip while I was able to snag another week off to surprise my parents on the farm. Sitting at the computer searching flight options we discussed all our options. Eventually, within the space of an hour and a half, we had decided to travel to Cyprus, then head to Athens, off to Istanbul next and finish with a little retail therapy in Dubai. With our flights all booked and our accommodation confirmed before we knew it we had just planned a fast paced but exciting trip that held no resemblance to the original plan. Impulsive step #2.I was leaving Port Vila after work Saturday afternoon. To capitalise on every second of leave I had I planned to fly with no rest stopovers all the way to Cyprus. I was extremely excited and was rushing to pack just before my pick up arrived at the hotel. The night before it occurred to me to double check what the weather was like at all of my destinations. I found out that I had temperatures on this trip from 25 – 9 degrees to dress for and living on a tropical island didn’t give a lot of inspiration on how I would handle 9 degrees. In the end I closed my bag and hoped for the best. Impulsive step #3.
My flight to Brisbane was non eventful and I transferred to the International Terminal and waited to meet up with Scott who had arrived a couple of days before. After all the custom and x-ray checks were done we went to the gate and waited for our departure. We had secured two isle seats opposite each other which I was happy with. At least one of us didn’t have to climb over the other to get out when needed. Someone was looking out for me because the middle seat next to me was vacant thus giving me and the guy at the window some extra space which came in handy on our 14 hour flight.
I am one of these people that hate to talk on a plane flight. I will do the customary and polite hello when we are first seated but after that I have no interest in discovering all life's secrets about my neighbour. Thankfully Mr window seat obviously felt the same way for he fell asleep before takeoff. A little over 14 hours later we landed in Dubai. We were taxing to the terminal when low and behold Mr window seat decided to make conversation. He wanted to know where I was from, what I’m doing in Dubai and without any queues from me he felt the need to tell me everything about himself too. I can confirm he was from Sydney but any other details were lost on me. After almost 21 hours of straight travel thus far, this was the last conversation I wanted to have. But I was warm and friendly as ever and Mr window seat seemed happy enough. For the purpose of this trip he was later dubbed my Sydney boyfriend.
Our stopover in Dubai was the start of many more eventful adventures to come. Scott needed a business centre to print some documents. After following the signs we ended up in what was an airport hotel. Long corridor after long corridor I was that tired that I had no idea where we were going. Eventually we found it but only after seeing the day spa, gym and lift lobby area more times than really necessary. Thankfully we made it to the gate and then we were off! This time around I got the window and Scott got the isle. It was not a problem as I was asleep before we even left the gate. Sometime later I awoke from my nap to find we were still on the tarmac. Feeling confused I was sure I hadn’t missed the entire flight. I turned to Scott who told me we were delayed and were still on the tarmac in Dubai.So after what has to be a record flying time of over 30 hours straight I finally reached our first destination – Larnaka, Cyprus. It was here that I took advantage of my Italian heritage with pride and used my Italian passport to get Scott into the European Union customs line which was a hell of a lot quicker than the other lines. For the next two weeks that passport was my saving grace for quick lines and no visa fees.
My luggage came through almost straight away but Scott’s took forever. His friend was waiting out the front for us and as our plane was delayed over an hour meant he was now running on a tight schedule. I told Scott to tell his mate to look for me and I’ll go meet him in the arrivals hall. After previously dissecting my appearance earlier on the flight – black hair, black shoes, black pants, black cardigan – I was sure he was going to say ‘Just look out for the Goth Girl’. As it was his friend waved to me and all was ok.Finally making it to the car all I could think about was a nice hot shower and a change of clothes. As we drove through the country side it finally dawned on me that I was in fact on the other side of the world. While Scott and his mate were busy catching up on lost time, I was in the back seat feeling somewhat like a dog whom couldn’t get their head outside the car window far enough to see. Random ruins started to appear next to the freeway as we drove and I was in my element while all the while Scott’s friend started to give me a run down on his life in Cyprus. Finally we made it home. I was so happy to finally be there, so delirious from my journey and so smelly from not showering I almost cried.
After a mandatory shower I forwent the obvious need to sleep and embarked on the journey of the year. What would become of this trip would be an eye opening experience and one that would result in lifelong friends, hilarious stories and amazing memories.
Next instalment – Part 2: The Cyprus Adventure.
