So that was it. The months of planning were at last at an end. Everything was in place. There was nothing else that I could do. I'd had all the jabs, bought all the essential and a lot of unecessary kit and was fully packed; and all with a whole day to spare. I have absolutely no idea what I did on the Saturday before I set off. If anyone can remember I'd be glad to know.Sunday 9 September 1990 dawned and I was on my way. The first leg was from Brian's in Muswell Hill to Heathrow. Emma came too. She was due to set off on her own trip some time later. There was a suggestion that we might meet up when I got to Australia.
Brian drove to the Airport. I was really nervous. This was a step into the unknown. It wasn't excitement I felt. It was fear. What was I doing? Okay, so I had done some sort of independent travelling before. Both times it was to to Turkey and on both occasions it was with Emma. This time I was alone. My heart was certainly beating much faster than usual by the time Brian parked the car. In those pre 9/11 days you didn't have to check in until 2 hours before take-off. We were a bit early. It wasn't my idea but it might not have been entirely sensible to have decided to have a quick smoke in the car before going down to the check-in area. When we did get down there the trepidation was verging on paranoia. How stupid would I look if I wasn't allowed through check-in because I was obviously under the influence of something? How would I explain that? I needn't have worried. I looked pretty stupid anyway. Just look at the picture! The problem with rather too much time to plan something is that every last detail is covered. Look at all the stuff I had with me! I did need everything. At least, I thought I did. When I think about it I did use practically all of the kit I took with me and if I had been doing the same thing now I'm not sure what I would have left behind.
