Homeward Bound

 My flight awaits.

 Lucy and I.

 Danny and I.

With Dad and Danny for dinner.

Friday, July 13^th.

Up early for breakfast and to say goodbye to the remainder of our group. I gave Buhuu the remainder of my Mongolian money and then Gwen, Susie and I took a transfer to the airport that he had arranged. We got there really early (as were afraid of getting stuck in Ulaanbaatar traffic, but the highway was clear) and had to wait a half hour before they let us check in. We did that and then had to wait a couple more hours for the flight. All three of us had to take two flights to get to our destinations, but we were on the first flight together. Somehow, Susie and I got two boarding passes, but Gwen only got one. I was heading home, Susie to her home and Gwen to Cambodia for a stint of volunteer work. The flight to Beijing was only two hours and when we got there we did not have to go through customs as we were travelling on, but we did have to go to the transfer area. They would not let Gwen in because she didn’t have her second boarding pass. Susie and I said goodbye to her there as she scrambled to find out what she had to do. I found out a few days later by e-mail that her second flight left from a different terminal and she could not go there without the second boarding pass. She missed her flight, which flew only once a day, and had to spend over 24 hours in the airport before she got it straightened out and she could fly. She had to stay overnight in a hotel room in the airport.

I did not have the same reaction as last time I completed my world trip and saw the Air Canada flight waiting for me. That time it brought tears to my eyes with the realization that the adventure was over, and I was heading home and back to work. For some reason it did not affect me the same way this time. I was happy/sad to go home. The planning and living the dream was over again, but that’s the way it is. Of course, I was looking forward to seeing family and friends, but the adventure is over and work looms. What more can I say?

I had a more spacious seat in Economy Plus for my flight home on Air Canada. I settled in and watched a few documentaries until dinner and then did manage to get some sleep.

When I landed at Pearson Airport I found Lucy waiting for me as planned, as she had flown in from Melbourne and arrived two hours before me. We met up with my Dad and my son and we all went out for dinner. We spent most of Saturday with my son, Danny, getting the renewal sticker for my car and replacing a flat tire so that it was ready for our drive to Quebec City for the World Underwater Hockey Championships (or as the French say: Hockey Subaquatique) which were held there. We left Toronto late in the afternoon and drove as far as Cornwall where we stayed for the night. The next day, July 15^th we drove the rest of the way and met up with her teammates in Quebec City.