Day 2 – A Rocky Start to Our Adventure! ✈️❤️

Well, they say every adventure has its challenges, but I wasn't expecting ours to begin quite so soon!

Unfortunately, our day didn't get off to the best start. During the night, Joe had got up and somehow managed to trip backwards, hitting his back against the marble bedside table. Ouch! Not exactly what you want to happen when you're about to embark on a long journey to the other side of the world.

Despite being in considerable pain, Mr C was adamant that he didn't need to see a doctor and that he would be fine. Those of you who know Joe will know that once he has made his mind up about something, it can be rather difficult to persuade him otherwise!

So, we headed down for breakfast at the hotel, packed up our belongings and made our way across to Terminal 5 to check in for our flight to Tokyo.

By the time we had walked through to the terminal, Joe realised that his back was simply not up to navigating the airport on foot. Thankfully, we were able to arrange wheelchair assistance, which made getting through the airport considerably easier for him.



We then discovered that we couldn't check our luggage all the way through to Osaka, which meant we would have to collect it in Tokyo and transfer it ourselves. Not ideal, particularly as we only had a short connection window between flights. However, the airline assured us that assistance would be available when we arrived in Tokyo, so fingers crossed that everything would go smoothly.

Of course, no airport visit with Joe would be complete without a trip to the shops! He was convinced he had forgotten his scarf, so we went in search of a replacement, along with some painkillers and a few other essentials from the chemist. Some things never change!

Before long, it was time to board our flight to Tokyo.

The aircraft was fitted with the older-style Club World seats, which, although they recline into fully flat beds, aren't quite as modern or comfortable as the newer configurations. Still, we were grateful to have the space to stretch out, especially given Joe's back pain.

By this point, poor Joe was becoming increasingly stressed, feeling sick and struggling with the pain in his back. It certainly wasn't the start to the holiday that any of us had hoped for.

Meanwhile, Gaby was absolutely loving the space and making herself very comfortable, settling into the journey with considerably more enthusiasm than her dad!



And there I was, quite literally in the middle of them both, trying to keep everyone comfortable, calm and positive.

It was a long flight, made even longer by worrying about Joe and hoping that his back would improve. Thankfully, despite everything, we all managed to get some sleep along the way.

Not quite the glamorous beginning to our Japanese adventure that I had imagined, but travelling certainly teaches you to be flexible, patient and to take things as they come.

Hopefully, once we arrive in Japan, things will start looking up. After all, we have so many wonderful experiences ahead of us, and I am determined that we will make the most of them.

Japan, we're nearly there!❤️

🌿 Daily Reflection

Life doesn't always go according to plan. Sometimes the greatest lesson is to remain calm, adaptable and grateful, even when things get challenging.

✨ Highlight of the Day

Having Gaby alongside us on our journey and managing to get some much-needed rest despite a difficult start.

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