To and fro Calais! Part 2.

3^rd of November, 8:45 in the morning.

...Waiting for the local bus to take me into Maidstone town. Soon the bus arrived and took me town, £1.50 it charged me. I don’t really like travelling on early morning buses they are so noisy because of school kids. Anyway it took me 10 minutes instead of 7 as they was shool traffic rush on the roads. After I reached town I headed on my wheelchair towards the Maidstone that is he train station. It took me 5 to 7 minutes. There was an earlier train at 9:15 to Ashford so I decided to catch that one. Its better to be early than late. The informed the station management to assist me on the early train. After a anxious wait the train arrived one of the station supervisors helped me on to the train by putting a ramp between the platform and the train gap, so I could just wheel myself in to the train. Which is very convenient, but in order to receive such assistance you have to call them up earlier at 0800 7834524. When I was in the train I realized I didn’t have breakfast, my stomach was growling, thankfully I had kept my home-made sandwich and a bottle of water which I had on the train. On my way to Ashford I was too busy eating, it took me an hour and a few minutes to arrive. Now I was waiting at the Ashford International Train Station for the train to Dover. It was the next platform and many were waiting I saw a young boy reading a magazine which had naked women on the cover, I also saw a group of Chinese students, an old man and a women puffing away on cigarettes, a mom trying to discipline her children and a young couple all waiting for the train. On the train I managed to get out of my wheelchair and made myself comfortable on the train seats. ‘Thats nice’, I thought there was hardly anyone in my train compartment ‘I guess they might be sitting in the other ones’, and then I made myself comfortable and looked out of the window. The train travelled along the coast soon I could see the White Cliffs of Dover, magnificent it all was. After an hour’s train ride I was at the Dover Priory train station.

When I came out of the train station I saw a motel called Priory Hotel. I could see the cliffs they are all white due to limestone. The weather was very mild but cloudy, say 15 degrees so I had to wear my jacket. Thank God it wasn’t raining. Anyway, so right next to the station was the bus stop, there were the P&O buses that take passengers to the port. They come to the station every fifteen minutes, which was good. Fortunately I had to just wait for 5 minutes for the bus. The driver got out and pulled out the ramp, the driver was very helpful and impressed when he heard I am travelling from Maidstone on my own. The bus ticket is £2 but the bus driver let me go for free, which was a score.

‘Welcome to the Port of Dover’ it said in big bold letter at the entrance. I could feel the cool sea breeze on my face. ‘Oh gosh! My hairs gonna become frizzy’ and that what the first thing popped into my mind when I felt the cool sea breeze. ‘Uh, who bothers but o French man will wanna bump into me having messy hair!’ Relax Nadia, you are on a day-break enjoy it, I thought it. Sorry about speaking my thoughts aloud, got a bit distracted there, but seriously this what came into my head. Back to the port, yeh so in the bus at the port, I was the only passenger on the bus (I think people come earlier) so the driver kept chatting with me kept asking me questions like ‘have you been in a wheelchair all your life?’ ‘Aren’t you scared going on ure own?’ and I am use to all these question and I politely answered all his questions. I feel so proud in saying ‘Whats there scared to be about, I enjoy being adventurous!’ It took just 7 minutes for the bus to reach the port, the driver once again pulled out the ramp and I wheeled myself out. ‘Nifty lil wheelchair you’ve there!’ I agreed with him and exchanged good byes.

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