Flying home

And now for the long slog home. I actually slept better last night than on any other during this trip, so it was good to feel refreshed for the journey. We took our time over the breakfast offering at the Hotel Catedral, enjoying sitting in the airy courtyard.

We then finished packing, checked out and loaded the car for the drive to the Europcar office at the airport. The journey went smoothly and we arrived well ahead of the 10.00 deadline (after which we would have incurred another 24 hours rental fee). They inspected the car, claimed a new chip on the windscreen which we were pretty sure hadn’t happened while in our possession, but fortunately weren’t minded to charge for it!

We took their shuttle to the terminal where we were far too early for check-in, thanks to the need to return the car so promptly. But there was plenty of room to sit and wait, the counters opened on time and security was quick. Once in the departure area I went to buy coffees, using up some of our few remaining pesos. But on returning to where Chris was sitting minding our bags and juggling cups and change, I somehow managed to drop a 10 peso coin directly into my small double espresso cup! Cue coffee splashes everywhere (but very little on either of us, thankfully) and a visit to the loo to tip out the coffee which I didn’t fancy drinking with a probably grubby coin in it. And then back to the counter to buy a replacement coffee – well, at least that used up more pesos!

Our flight left on time and I had good views of La Paz and the coastline as we took off.

We got the standard Aeromexico snack of juice (or coffee) and a bag of nuts and fruit. I took some photos as we came in over Mexico City, spotting the large park where we'd visited the Anthropology Museum on the afternoon of our arrival. It seemed so long ago!

Once in the terminal we wandered around a bit to stretch our legs and I bought some Mexican chocolate for family members and the neighbours who'd kept an eye on our house and turned our heating on ready for our return. We checked out the Aeromexico lounge as we had such a long wait (over five hours), but it was full, so instead we found a relatively quiet corner to sit in.

We broke up the time with a beer and snack (guacamole) in a bar, before finding another quietish spot in which to wait. Eventually it was time to board. By now it was almost 11.00 PM so of course we were tired, but even when, eventually, the bustle of meal service was over and the lights were dimmed, I struggled to sleep (as I always do on flights). The night passed in fits of dosing and waking, and eventually I gave up and read for a bit. Travelling east we gained six hours, so morning had in any case come early!

Breakfast was served a little before landing at Heathrow. Yet again we were grateful for living so close to the airport as it wasn’t too long before we were home. Another wonderful trip was over!