...so it begins...

21 hours and spinal cord injury later...I'm safe in London. I really would have loved to have started my first blog in 3 weeks using the word epic. It would of went something like..."wow, what an epic 21 hour journey...Sydney to London". Sounds good right? but unfortunately, the truth of it is, that it all went pretty smoothly in terms of logistics and people transportation by the masses. 

Though because I like to have a good bitch and moan and lets face it there are so many little quirks when traveling that grate us.

5 things that come to my mind on (super) long haul journeys is;

1. DVT. Will I get 'deep vein thrombosis' if I don't get up and stretch and do 10 reps x 90 sets of calf raises and ankle mobility? So I always book an isle seat so that I can stand up at least 9 times per hour to get up out of my seat and do my DVT prevention exercises.

2. Food. Now surely in this day and age in which we can check in on line, choose our seats etc. we should be able to choose our food and special requirements online if one fails to be so organised in advance. Here are the reason(s) one must always organise special case meals...you meal comes first! That's pretty much it really. It doesn't taste better than "normal" food, though come to think of it, in the past when I have ordered vegetarian, I find that I have less cabin pressure.

3. Cabin Pressure. The reason I also recommend special meals is that, it seems that by eating the same meal as the vast majority, one can develop allot of gas in their intestines. Yes, intestinal pressure. But the interesting chemistry about this is that when at altitude this gas does not have an odour when being released from the sphincter.

4. Children. (a.k.a. noise making creatures) Though there is nothing I can do about this, being on a flight and seeing folk with their off spring, babies (crying) toddlers (fidgeting, playing and constantly walking up and down the isle) it is always a nice little reminder to know why I am not ready for them, if at all. In other words...shut them up!!

5. Sit upright. I have finally learnt after many years of travel in 'cattle class' is that the only way to prevent spine and neck injury is to sit up right. I used to sit, spread, lean, wedge, manouvre, balance, contort and try all sorts of positions to now only realise at the ripe age of 32 that a seat is to be sat on.