Our last day - Day 14 -
Sunday, 20th February
I'm at home writing this - can't quite believe it. I'm feeling very strange. I'm still moving, though the world around me is still. My cats are here - Denis hasn't stopped purring since I walked in the door and Rupert keeps looking at me as if to say,' I know you, don't I?' Everything is surreal as if I'm in a dream.......
I hardly slept at all on our last night and finally, at 3.30am, I gave in and got up and had a shower. No one was around and I was quite glad. I needed that time to have a shower and get my head around what today was all about. As I readied myself, I still couldn't believe that in just a few hours I'd be leaving this wonderful boat and this wonderful place....
By the time I was dressed and got my coffee, Gary and Dan had appeared ( as if from nowhere) and we said a muted 'mornin' to one another. I found it difficult to talk as I was already choked up. I also suddenly felt incredibly queasy. Oh, that's great, I thought, all this time not throwing up and then I'll spend my last hours on the boat in the loo being sick! I was determined not to do this come what may...
Gradually, my fellow travellers began to appear and I took myself off outside to get some air and try and quell the queasiness. The morning light was, as ever, magnificent and I tried to take in as much of the vistas as I could so that I would never forget and it would all be firmly imprinted on my mind. Once Rachel was up, I finished my packing (stuffing everything into the case!) and went upstairs to have another coffee. I couldn't eat. My stomach was just churning over and over. I busied myself with writing a little poem to leave for the crew, surrounded by a few of my personal doodles which I love to do. Sonya came and sat with me and we tried to comfort each other, but it was getting harder and harder.
'Garyyyyyyyy...'I said at one point as he and Dan tried to work out who owed what for their bar-bills.
'Yeeeessss, Debbieeeeeeee.' he patiently replied.
'I've left a space in my suitcase for you....'
Gary smiled that smile and said simply,'I don't think it's gonna be big enough....!'
Oh well, I tried!
Sonya and I decided to go out on deck, just as Captain Mike suddenly turned the boat in a different direction and started heading back out to sea.
'We're going back!' I said to Sonya.'They love us so much, they don't want us to go home!'
We climbed up top and went and stood by the bridge to see where Captain Mike was taking us. Turned out he had spotted some whales on the radar and thought it would be nice for us to see them in the sunrise. What a bloody hero! The man deserves to be knighted or something for services to his adoring public!! I mean - how lovely was that! I know he probably does it for all his trips, but it felt like he was doing it just for us and that was enough! It was nice for Sonya and I to spend a last little bit of time up there in his company. Finally, he turned the boat round and started heading towards the port again, so Sonya and I decided it was probably time to start saying 'goodbyes' etc. Sonya said that she was feeling really sick too and I decided that it was probably some kind of mass hysteria at the thought of leaving the boat.
The mood was very sombre. Bags were being brought out on deck and people had started gathering for the inevitable. I can't remember who started me off - I think it was Sylvia - who enveloped me in a huge hug and I just started to cry! We had a few personal words - which were lovely and made me cry even more - and I decided that I'd wear my shades for the rest of the morning as my eyes were already a big red mess!! I started to go round hugging people and telling them how much I loved them and would miss them etc. Each one got harder and harder. Sonya decided we should 'do' the crew. Dan and Gary were closest, so we started with them. I gave Gary the biggest hug I could muster and tried not to weep too hysterically. I managed to thank him profusely and told him how much I'd miss him and wished him a safe journey home. He wished me the same and gave me one of his smiles. I think he was quite emotional. Not about me, but about us as a whole. Or that could just be my delusions. My eyes were so misted up, I thought everyone elses were too! We then grabbed Matt who was (hiding) at the side of the boat. I hugged him, told him I loved him at that he was a hero for trying to save the whale. He just looked all embarrassed and said 'You're welcome' or something. I think he was trying not to (laugh)cry! I then realised that JP/PJ and Brian were watching and laughing, so Sonya said,'Let's get them', but they pretended to be too busy trying to moor the boat!! So, I then had to go round my fellow travellers - as many as I could lay my hands on. I think I got most people. I gave Tony a huge hug and when we parted he was wiping his eye. Ah bless, I thought, the emotion has really got to him. Turns out, I poked him in the eye with the peak of my baseball cap when I hugged him. I hope it didn't cause any serious damage!
Then it was Mark's turn. Naturally, I had to wait in queue whilst everyone hugged and kissed him and had their photo taken with him. He was very patient and good natured. Especially considering he'd hardly slept as he was up trying to put the finishing touches to the DVD. I would have told everyone to B......Off if it had been me! I did get my chance to give him a hug and have my photo taken etc. I didn't want to let go and had to really force myself to do so! I tried not to say too much to him as I didn't want to put my foot in it again and leave him with the memory of me talking rubbish. I'm sure he'll have that memory anyway, so I didn't want to make it worse!!!
Next came JP/PJ. He gave me a lovely hug. Despite my reservations at the beginning of the trip, I actually ended up getting on really well with him. He was fine with me too once he realised that I wasn't going to lust after him! He even playfully hid my bag and would only give it back to me after I'd given him another hug! Actually, he was probably lusting after me the whole trip and I just didn't realise it. Oh well! After threatening to stow away in the food store, I was finally persuaded to disembark. I then gave Scottie the biggest hug and told him to make sure he stayed in touch via the emails (Rachel said he was going to be included in the list)He said he would. Brian also got a huge hug - well he is a big man after all! Finally, I saved my last hug for Captain Mike. I told him I loved him and thanked him profusely for giving me the best experience of my life. He smiled, embarrassed, and said simply,'You're welcome.' Tears were in full flow now and I didn't want to talk to anyone for a bit. The further we walked from the boat, the worse it got.
It was a shock walking into Cabo. It was hot, full of noise, full of buildings and people trying to sell us whale-watching trips. It felt so strange and alien to be amongst people again and the modern world. We had an hour or so before our coach came, so we split up and a few of us went and got a coffee at a cafe on the quayside. Everything was still swaying and everything felt weird. Before we got the coach, there were loads more hugs and kisses for Mark and Rachel.
When we arrived at the airport, some of us were going from different terminals, so I had to say goodbye there and then to some of my fellow travellers - especially Tony and Sonya, which was really hard. I started crying again. When we entered the airport, it was a total shock to the system. There was noise and stressed people rushing around here and there. I just stood there shell-shocked. Mark saw my face and said 'It's a shock isn't it?' I think I just nodded as the power of speech had left me at that point.'Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just follow us.' He reassured. Luckily, Seb and Hannah also valiantly took me under their wing and helped me through the madness of customs and check-in. I suddenly felt like a lost little child and was very grateful for all the help I could get!!
Once we were through security, our little group found somewhere to sit and people grabbed coffees and food. We spent a really nice couple of hours having a good chat with Rachel and Mark. It was one of the few opportunities I'd had to spend quality time with Mark, so it was a pleasant way to spend our time waiting for the flight.
The flight to LA went without hitch and once we were through security etc, it was time to say more goodbyes. Mark was staying in LA for a while and Rachel, Hannah and Seb were getting different flights from the rest of us. Time for more hugs and tears - I was beginning to get used to it by now!!
Then, me, Trish, Lesley and Pat had a long wait at LAX for our United Airlines flight to Heathrow. It was nice to spend the time with new found friends and we had plenty of stories to reminisce about.
The flight home was smooth and uneventful. I spent most of it dozing - too tired to even watch any movies or anything. Any time we hit a small amount of turbulence, it felt a bit like the motion of the boat again and was strangely comforting. I never thought I'd say that about sitting on an aeroplane going through turbulence!!!
We finally arrived at Heathrow to a cold, drizzly Monday afternoon. Getting through customs etc was a chore, but didn't take too long. I lost Lesley and Trish, but managed to say another tearful goodbye to Pat.
Marilyn was there to pick me up as arranged and we went for a quick coffee before we headed off. I think I was manic by now, because I just couldn't stop talking - there was so much to tell!! By the time she dropped me off, I had exhausted myself and had become non-verbal!!
So, now, I'm sitting here trying to stay up so that I go to bed at a relatively normal time. I feel exhausted, but I don't want to sleep because I know that when I wake up I'll think I'm back in Baja! I'm sipping a coffee from my Spirit of Adventure Mug and find it hard to comprehend where it and I have just come from. I can't unpack yet because that makes it all too final.....
This has been the most amazing experience of my life so far. I've been through a lot of major stuff in my life, but this has had a deep and profound effect on me. I'm not sure what it all means yet, but I know that this is just the start of a new and exciting chapter in my life and that great things are going to happen. I have all this new energy inside me and it has to be channelled into something - I'm just not sure what yet....I feel that perhaps.....The Best is Yet to come.....!
Sunday, 20th FebruaryI'm at home writing this - can't quite believe it. I'm feeling very strange. I'm still moving, though the world around me is still. My cats are here - Denis hasn't stopped purring since I walked in the door and Rupert keeps looking at me as if to say,' I know you, don't I?' Everything is surreal as if I'm in a dream.......
I hardly slept at all on our last night and finally, at 3.30am, I gave in and got up and had a shower. No one was around and I was quite glad. I needed that time to have a shower and get my head around what today was all about. As I readied myself, I still couldn't believe that in just a few hours I'd be leaving this wonderful boat and this wonderful place....
By the time I was dressed and got my coffee, Gary and Dan had appeared ( as if from nowhere) and we said a muted 'mornin' to one another. I found it difficult to talk as I was already choked up. I also suddenly felt incredibly queasy. Oh, that's great, I thought, all this time not throwing up and then I'll spend my last hours on the boat in the loo being sick! I was determined not to do this come what may...
Gradually, my fellow travellers began to appear and I took myself off outside to get some air and try and quell the queasiness. The morning light was, as ever, magnificent and I tried to take in as much of the vistas as I could so that I would never forget and it would all be firmly imprinted on my mind. Once Rachel was up, I finished my packing (stuffing everything into the case!) and went upstairs to have another coffee. I couldn't eat. My stomach was just churning over and over. I busied myself with writing a little poem to leave for the crew, surrounded by a few of my personal doodles which I love to do. Sonya came and sat with me and we tried to comfort each other, but it was getting harder and harder.
'Garyyyyyyyy...'I said at one point as he and Dan tried to work out who owed what for their bar-bills.
'Yeeeessss, Debbieeeeeeee.' he patiently replied.
'I've left a space in my suitcase for you....'
Gary smiled that smile and said simply,'I don't think it's gonna be big enough....!'
Oh well, I tried!
Sonya and I decided to go out on deck, just as Captain Mike suddenly turned the boat in a different direction and started heading back out to sea.
'We're going back!' I said to Sonya.'They love us so much, they don't want us to go home!'
We climbed up top and went and stood by the bridge to see where Captain Mike was taking us. Turned out he had spotted some whales on the radar and thought it would be nice for us to see them in the sunrise. What a bloody hero! The man deserves to be knighted or something for services to his adoring public!! I mean - how lovely was that! I know he probably does it for all his trips, but it felt like he was doing it just for us and that was enough! It was nice for Sonya and I to spend a last little bit of time up there in his company. Finally, he turned the boat round and started heading towards the port again, so Sonya and I decided it was probably time to start saying 'goodbyes' etc. Sonya said that she was feeling really sick too and I decided that it was probably some kind of mass hysteria at the thought of leaving the boat.
The mood was very sombre. Bags were being brought out on deck and people had started gathering for the inevitable. I can't remember who started me off - I think it was Sylvia - who enveloped me in a huge hug and I just started to cry! We had a few personal words - which were lovely and made me cry even more - and I decided that I'd wear my shades for the rest of the morning as my eyes were already a big red mess!! I started to go round hugging people and telling them how much I loved them and would miss them etc. Each one got harder and harder. Sonya decided we should 'do' the crew. Dan and Gary were closest, so we started with them. I gave Gary the biggest hug I could muster and tried not to weep too hysterically. I managed to thank him profusely and told him how much I'd miss him and wished him a safe journey home. He wished me the same and gave me one of his smiles. I think he was quite emotional. Not about me, but about us as a whole. Or that could just be my delusions. My eyes were so misted up, I thought everyone elses were too! We then grabbed Matt who was (hiding) at the side of the boat. I hugged him, told him I loved him at that he was a hero for trying to save the whale. He just looked all embarrassed and said 'You're welcome' or something. I think he was trying not to (laugh)cry! I then realised that JP/PJ and Brian were watching and laughing, so Sonya said,'Let's get them', but they pretended to be too busy trying to moor the boat!! So, I then had to go round my fellow travellers - as many as I could lay my hands on. I think I got most people. I gave Tony a huge hug and when we parted he was wiping his eye. Ah bless, I thought, the emotion has really got to him. Turns out, I poked him in the eye with the peak of my baseball cap when I hugged him. I hope it didn't cause any serious damage!
Then it was Mark's turn. Naturally, I had to wait in queue whilst everyone hugged and kissed him and had their photo taken with him. He was very patient and good natured. Especially considering he'd hardly slept as he was up trying to put the finishing touches to the DVD. I would have told everyone to B......Off if it had been me! I did get my chance to give him a hug and have my photo taken etc. I didn't want to let go and had to really force myself to do so! I tried not to say too much to him as I didn't want to put my foot in it again and leave him with the memory of me talking rubbish. I'm sure he'll have that memory anyway, so I didn't want to make it worse!!!
Next came JP/PJ. He gave me a lovely hug. Despite my reservations at the beginning of the trip, I actually ended up getting on really well with him. He was fine with me too once he realised that I wasn't going to lust after him! He even playfully hid my bag and would only give it back to me after I'd given him another hug! Actually, he was probably lusting after me the whole trip and I just didn't realise it. Oh well! After threatening to stow away in the food store, I was finally persuaded to disembark. I then gave Scottie the biggest hug and told him to make sure he stayed in touch via the emails (Rachel said he was going to be included in the list)He said he would. Brian also got a huge hug - well he is a big man after all! Finally, I saved my last hug for Captain Mike. I told him I loved him and thanked him profusely for giving me the best experience of my life. He smiled, embarrassed, and said simply,'You're welcome.' Tears were in full flow now and I didn't want to talk to anyone for a bit. The further we walked from the boat, the worse it got.
It was a shock walking into Cabo. It was hot, full of noise, full of buildings and people trying to sell us whale-watching trips. It felt so strange and alien to be amongst people again and the modern world. We had an hour or so before our coach came, so we split up and a few of us went and got a coffee at a cafe on the quayside. Everything was still swaying and everything felt weird. Before we got the coach, there were loads more hugs and kisses for Mark and Rachel.
When we arrived at the airport, some of us were going from different terminals, so I had to say goodbye there and then to some of my fellow travellers - especially Tony and Sonya, which was really hard. I started crying again. When we entered the airport, it was a total shock to the system. There was noise and stressed people rushing around here and there. I just stood there shell-shocked. Mark saw my face and said 'It's a shock isn't it?' I think I just nodded as the power of speech had left me at that point.'Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just follow us.' He reassured. Luckily, Seb and Hannah also valiantly took me under their wing and helped me through the madness of customs and check-in. I suddenly felt like a lost little child and was very grateful for all the help I could get!!
Once we were through security, our little group found somewhere to sit and people grabbed coffees and food. We spent a really nice couple of hours having a good chat with Rachel and Mark. It was one of the few opportunities I'd had to spend quality time with Mark, so it was a pleasant way to spend our time waiting for the flight.
The flight to LA went without hitch and once we were through security etc, it was time to say more goodbyes. Mark was staying in LA for a while and Rachel, Hannah and Seb were getting different flights from the rest of us. Time for more hugs and tears - I was beginning to get used to it by now!!
Then, me, Trish, Lesley and Pat had a long wait at LAX for our United Airlines flight to Heathrow. It was nice to spend the time with new found friends and we had plenty of stories to reminisce about.
The flight home was smooth and uneventful. I spent most of it dozing - too tired to even watch any movies or anything. Any time we hit a small amount of turbulence, it felt a bit like the motion of the boat again and was strangely comforting. I never thought I'd say that about sitting on an aeroplane going through turbulence!!!
We finally arrived at Heathrow to a cold, drizzly Monday afternoon. Getting through customs etc was a chore, but didn't take too long. I lost Lesley and Trish, but managed to say another tearful goodbye to Pat.
Marilyn was there to pick me up as arranged and we went for a quick coffee before we headed off. I think I was manic by now, because I just couldn't stop talking - there was so much to tell!! By the time she dropped me off, I had exhausted myself and had become non-verbal!!
So, now, I'm sitting here trying to stay up so that I go to bed at a relatively normal time. I feel exhausted, but I don't want to sleep because I know that when I wake up I'll think I'm back in Baja! I'm sipping a coffee from my Spirit of Adventure Mug and find it hard to comprehend where it and I have just come from. I can't unpack yet because that makes it all too final.....
This has been the most amazing experience of my life so far. I've been through a lot of major stuff in my life, but this has had a deep and profound effect on me. I'm not sure what it all means yet, but I know that this is just the start of a new and exciting chapter in my life and that great things are going to happen. I have all this new energy inside me and it has to be channelled into something - I'm just not sure what yet....I feel that perhaps.....The Best is Yet to come.....!
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