Guatemala-London

Mon 0858 AeroMexico online checkin still thoroughly broken. Tried a few times when woke up in night (3am, 5am, 8am). Going to go have breakfast at Y Tu Pina Tambien. Can't wait to sit in non-aisle seat for 12h. Serves me right for being stupid enough to fly with AeroMexico, eh?

1102 Back at hostel, showered, packed. AM site didn't work at internet cafe, nor does it work now on my phone. TBH a bit worried I won't even be allowed to fly as I have no piece of paper to show, never mind getting an acceptable seat, but hey, serves me right for chosing AM doesn't it? Fuckers.

Gonna shave and see if there's any free coffee. Getting to point I almost daren't try online check in on phone as if it *did* work I'd be short on time to get right across town to net cafe to print boarding pass; since airline rules are always wanky I wouldn't have any confidence I could check in and get a boarding pass at airport if I've already checked in but not printed it myself.

The one positive here is that getting the early shuttle and being at the airport way too fucking early does slightly increase the time available to sort out any problems at the airport. Though I guess the clock doesn't start until the checkin desk for the flight opens, probably 3h before departure, so I won't have all that much extra time.

1350 Got to airport maybe 5-10 mins ago. Lurking in pseudo-queue (just me) near AeroMexico check in desks; not too surprisingly unmanned given the flight showing is mine at 1905. Traffic moderately heavy in GC but shuttle turned up more or less on time and all OK. Didn't tip driver despite sign inviting tips; I haven't usually been tipping shuttle drivers.

So far I haven't really spent excessively due to "having money left over"; the two breakfasts yday and today at YTPT a bit pricey but not insane. Think have Q200ish left (one Q100 note and some smaller bills), don't plan to indulge in anything overly pricey here but *may* look at prices for food once I have got checked in. In short term need to save cash in cash I have to pay for some stupidly excessive printing of documents at an internet cafe thing at airport (if it exists) or taxis for emergency dash into GC for such a thing. Seriously doubt it will come to that but better keep cash on hand jic. Could well be 2h before anyone appears at these desks, but WTF, air travel is all about delays and being treated badly. Guts a bit funny earlier, prob in part tension, for all I have no paper documentation I am not feeling *too* stressed now.

Massive shortage of seats.

1421 Score. A woman appeared at AM desk relatively briefly, can't check bag in til 4 but she printed me my boarding cards and (I asked; maybe it would have been automatic) I got to keep the seats I had selected online. So I'm now mostly good and rather more relaxed, just the usual airport shit to deal with now.

I spoke to her in Spanish; I'm sure she speaks English but I thought it might give a better impression to make an effort.

Was feeling a bit sad to be leaving as sat in hostel garden waiting for shuttle. I may be deluding myself but I felt like I was getting close to a breakthrough on the whole meeting people (fellow tourists) thing; I guess I can continue from where I left off in January, and then I won't have the "going home soon" negativity.

Half wish I had some TSA-approved insecure locks to put on bag just to help protect against coming open accidentally in transit. But OTOH I read locks can get caught in luggage conveyor belts and cause damage. Have put a keyring through main compartment zip which may do some good.

Guts still feel a bit bunged up but nothing terrible.

In passing, while I haven't been religious about getting in X minutes of walking and haven't always noted down the pedometer counts, I have notched up more than 10k steps most days and when I haven't it's often been around the 8k+ mark.

1748 At gate 17. Security not too problematic, some (a lot, actually, though not super busy -relatively speaking) people took their shoes off but I didn't and no issues. For once I managed to be organised enough that virtually everything was in bag or fleece as I went through so didn't have to scrabble around emptying or refilling trouser pockets.

Mildly tempted to get a beer at one of the places airside seeing prices like USD2 advertised - that's not exactly *cheap*, but no different to a slightly pricey bar in Antigua for example (assuming these are regular 350ml-ish bottles not some special airport 275ml ones) -  but didn't, I don't want one that badly, I don't have that long to wait and I can probably get one on the flight(s). Given the short flight and hour or two's stopover in Mexico City it's not as if there's even an argument for helping me sleep; it's too early to be drinking a couple from that POV.

Bag is checked through to London. I asked this a couple of times (in Spanish) to be sure, still a smidge nervous about it TBH.

Generally feeling OK. Still have to go through security in Mexico City, but can't be helped. Obviously there's always possibility of minor shit with customs in the UK (eg if I get randomly picked out and have to unpack to get to all of these 8 bottles of Quetzalteca) but at least I'll be home by then (albeit doubtless feeling knackered and peeved at the 90-odd minute trog from Heathrow to flat).

There is a phone charging point here at the gate but am resisting temptation; I topped up phone from power bank earlier, power bank is still relatively full too and I may get a chance to top up again in MC.

Some really annoying system or something keeps playing what sound like phone dialling tones *really* loud, at PA volume.

1808 Actual PA is terrible. Massive levels of distortion. I just barely understood a request in Spanish for some named passengers to do something, I don't know what and I don't *think* my name was on the list, but fuck knows. Since I didn't check in online this time I don't think I will be summoned up for some kind of extra document check as I was on departing Heathrow back in October.

I don't think it would be much clearer to me in English.

1839 Fifteen minute delay announced. I did mostly understand the Spanish (first) version, which was good - gate PA is better than airport PA. Probably all going to be fine, I have a fairly long connection time and ultimately it's their problem if I miss the connection. I haven't checked but I'm pretty sure I have a day 'spare' in London before my train up to visit parents is booked in case I do get seriously delayed.

1841 Plane is just coming up to gate now, so that does at least suggest the delay shouldn't be insane.

2028 Surprisingly decent "meal" (more of a snack), including small meat baguette with no mayo. Got a beer - they actually had choice of Tecate Light, Corona and Heineken - went with Tecate Light for relative novelty - and a water.

Embraer 190, not that full - I have the rear three rows of seats to myself. Been given a Mexican immigration form to fill in but they haven't turned the seatbelt sign off yet so haven't been able to get up and get pen out of my bag in overhead locker. Not a huge deal, I can always fill it in at the airport, I'm pretty sure I'll have to fill out a customs type declaration anyway and I haven't already been given that.

GC actually looked pretty nice from the air at night.

Feels odd not having my main bag with me a carry-on, but it is in a small way more convenient not to be lugging it round - I'd still rather not have to worry about it getting lost or get delayed collecting it at Heathrow, but might as well say it is nice in the short-term just to have the small daypack. Of course the decision was made for me when I decided to bring some Quetzalteca back with me.

Might as well say I've consumed very little QT while in Guatemala (I normally drink beer), but it seems like a good symbolic present/"souvenir". Plan to keep quite a bit for myself, it's not as if spirits will go off even if - as is often the case - I don't drink it for years or even decades, and it is very cheap. (I believe I still have some apricot brandy I bought in Hungary on a weekend trip which must have been well over a decade ago.)

2205 Cleared immigration and security in Mexico, topping up battery pack from charging point. MC very impressive at night as flew in. No big problems with I&S, as last time I checked with the organic materials people about my peanuts just to be super correct and since I'm not short of time. Also went over towards baggage reclaim belts to see if my bag was floating around there, but a fairly helpful chap intercepted me almost before I got there and told me it would be going through to my final destination. That's what I thought anyway. If it gets lost it will be an insurance job anyway.

Phone randomly turning wifi on and off as I try to find the "free" wifi advertised with no network name or password on the wall. Maybe it's on the fritz, or maybe this is just some clever Android magic.

2217 Phone gone all jerky - more Android magic I guess - but managed to get on CHILI's wifi after clicking through a trivial authentication page. No idea if this is the advertised free wifi, that is just labelled "SCT" and I'd have expected Chili's to be a bit more upfront and put their logo on the sign. But anyway, just used it to send a quick e-mail home, don't really need anything else, so thanks to Chili's!

2233 Fucking hell. No flight to London on screens. No AM staff around. Found a woman at AM checkin desk for Cancun flight who says it is from this terminal and will appear on screens soon-ish, but maybe I misunderstood. Just as I was starting to feel positive about AM again this happens. Now I don't have a fucking clue if I am going to get my flight or not. And of course, though only a minor point, all of the phone charging stations are out of sight of a departure board.

2252 At gate 54. By sheer luck I found the AM info point on one end of terminal. I asked - in English this time, was losing the plot, much out loud cursing as walked round terminal like a nutter - and was told gate 54. Come over here and asked - in Spanish this time - at AM info point and woman there told me it was an error it was not on the board but gate 54 was it. Why there couldn't be the occasional fucking announcement about this I don't know? I am not sure if this is AM's fault or not, but not very happy right now.

Priority boarding is just being called here at the gate. Flight goes 2340 according to boarding pass.

Chill, I've made it. Just hope I haven't lost anything while haring around but I have phone and passport and boarding pass etc so that's main thing.

2257 Flight is now on the board. And there's an ad for allianza del pacifico which has a photo of different countries on and I find myself wondering if one of them is of a market in Santiago, Chile in old large train station (?) with distinctive clock.

2333 On board. Busy but not that busy; got empty seat in middle of my three, row of three in centre has just one bloke. Inconsistent Spanish/English weather warning from captain a bit ago; AIUI in Spanish we can expect turbulence all over American continent up to latitude 5X, in English the weather here is lovely but we expect turbulence near London due to rainy weather or something like this (this was mahybe 10 mins ago so memory not perfect).

Free bottle of water on seat, which is a nice touch. AM really oscillating my preferences today...

0002 Mexico City looked almost bejewelled on the way out.

Yawning a bit, but assume will be food soon.

Wanky Oxfam Mexico ad at airport saying n million Mexicans have no water and then contrasting that with water used for golf courses and complaining about inequality. I guess it can't be lack of infrastructure, the golf courses must simply be stealing the poor people's water. Just the sort of facile bollocks argument I might expect.

0029 Films same as last flight and struggled a bit to find something. Watching 'la delgada linea amarilla', which seems to have no subtitles (in Spanish or English) but managing to mostly follow it so far.

0221 Just finished film; paused it for dinner. Not bad, and I understood 80-90% of it (though it's not super heavy on dialogue), including I think the vast majority of the really significant lines. A little bit - what's the word? - fuck, I'll just have to say cheesy in the absence of a thesaurus, but that's unfair really. Sort of heartwarming yet also sort of stereotypically so, but that's not necessarily a bad thing I guess.

Yawning quite a lot. Not sure if I should try to go to sleep or not.

Tue 0846 Had breakfast. Probably slept quite a lot but woke feeling very groggy, mouth v dry etc - had some of water from supplied bottle but didn't like to drink too much. Weird dreams oscillating between been cold and being somewhere hot and sunny with IIRC party atmosphere. Not so much the two things themselves weird as the way they seemed to morph into each other.

This is a 787-8 BTW.

1030 (Guatemala) on T4 tube platform. 1630 London time. No problems with customs, auto gates didn't recognise me at immigration but no real problem, bag was available pretty much as soon as got to belt so no real delay from checking it, not ripped it all apart to check but fingers crossed everything is intact.