I woke up uncharacteristically early , before 8 am :O and thought I would do all the laundry so that it would be dry for the next guests, not something I had to do but I wanted to.  I went out for breakfast and text the owner of the apartment at around 9.45am to make sure he remembered that I was checking out at 6pm. He didn’t answer but the day before , judging by all the noise, all night, was a major 24 hours of partying in Madrid. The owner was youngish and maybe he had been out partying all night. Who knows, anyway, being the expert on sleeping in I gave him a few more hours. Then I rang him and there was a recorded message of a telephone company lady saying something in Spanish. I had to take my phone to the the take away sangria man, he had been one of the only people in Madrid to be even remotely friendly. ( other than the apartment owner). I asked him to interpret what the lady was saying and he said that it meant I had no credit for calls on my phone. So off I went to go and find a Orange store to buy some credit. Once I had gone through the dramas that that involved I took the phone back to the take away sangria man to see what the message I was getting now said. Now,  I was told, the owners phone was switched off. While I am talking about the take away sangria guy , I asked him why Madrid people are so rude. ( even saw a guy with the word “rude” written on his hoodie ). He said that they aren’t rude ’cause being rude is part of an individual’s personality type and that actually they were all very closed and not open to anything. I said but you are very friendly and he said “that is ’cause I am from Portugal” So to cut a longer story of angst short the owner had mistaken what day I was leaving and didn’t show up. So after talking to a lovely and reassuring waytostay staff member I left the keys on the table and left half an hour later than I had timed for and without my 200 euro damage deposit. That unfortunate event was by far the fault of the owner and no reflection on waytostay.

Before I left the area, I took my left over shampoo, conditioner and soap and gave it all to one very grubby beggar that hung out at the market. I thought he was going to hug me, thankfully he didn’t. In the area I was staying they have security devices on the shampoo and conditioner in the supermarket so I thought it must be something of a desired object by those that steal or have little money.

I got all my luggage to the metro but then found out that I would have to change trains two times to get the right train. I was not in the best of moods so I got a taxi instead. As, once again, I was approaching a customs person visibly anxious I got a bit of a going over by the customs girl. She even put her hands down my pants. I suppose she might of thought my rolls 😉 were drugs and not fat. (So at least I can say someone put their hands down my pants while I was overseas).

Madrid airport is very big, you get on a driverless train to get to the terminal and once there, there is very little to do with your time, so I read. Who would have thought it possible but the organisational skills of getting everyone on the plane was worse than Singapore. I had to keep moving to the end of queues. This was at 10.30 pm and the only food I had , other than a small breakfast was the fruit in the sangria . I got onboard , settled in , had a few wines and slept for an hour.

During the day , Sarah ( the friend I stayed with in London) and I realised through social media status updates that we were on the same plane from Dubai to Melbourne. An amazing coincidence! So when she went to check in she got my seat changed so that we could sit together. We found each other in Dubai airport and had lunch sans alcohol, due to me be being not all that well from the turbulence mixed with alcohol.

Dubai airport, reportedly, has 56 million people a year transit through it and both times I have been there I have seen someone I know. It was really nice sitting with someone I knew on the plane. A relief after a day I would prefer hadn’t happened. I drank as many as gin and tonics as I could get. There was a very funny and cheeky steward that amused us with flirty banana innuendo. ( I had put down a menu requirement that I had the fruit platters, I will be doing that again, not for the banana innuendo but as it is nice and light and healthy).

The turn around time in Singapore was 20 mins so there was no dilly dallying there.

I got an email from my nephew as soon as the plan landed saying welcome home- that made me go naw. ❤

Before and during my trip I have copped a few ribbings about ending up being on the t.v show “Border Patrol” probably ’cause I have been known to react vocally to something I am not happy about. So I was amused to find out that they were filming that day. I got through without ending up on a future episode. What did surprise me though, is that you can nominate not to go on it. Why then do people that do end up on it and in trouble nominate to not do it? The mind boggles!

I realise that travelling involves unfortunate events and until the apartment check the worst thing that had happened was the beggar that had told me to go and die. So really I was pretty damn lucky through the whole trip. Way to stay have been super proactive about getting my deposit back so that is really comforting. I come back having spent no credit and still with a couple days pay still in my bank account.  I am so happy, triumphant in fact , that I didn’t spend any credit.

I still have stuff I want to write about to complete this trips blogging and I am going to travel more and will blog more. Hey, I always have something to bang on about.