BORNEO (3/14): The Big Day!

So far, so good. Saying good-bye to Mum and Dad was hard to do. The minute I cleared Passport Control, they disappeared from view. My eyes filled up and I cursed myself. After all, this is supposed to be an adventure. It's not as if I've subjected myself to a death sentence, no matter what negativity has been cast around since I registered to take part. In the departure lounge, on my own, it was a strange feeling. I was surrounded by families looking forward to holidays together, young couples holding hands, perhaps about to embark on their first trips abroad.

The departure board instructed people to make way to Gate 2. It was easy to find. In fact, it's the first gate because Gate 1 is an executive lounge, no doubt reserved for the rich and famous. Within the gate area, I met Sharon and Janet, two women taking part in the event. I happened to recognise Janet from a press release sent out by the charity. She had already met Sharon so the three of us were well acquainted before the flight boarded half an hour later.

As I write this, I'm sitting towards the back of a Boeing 747 Malaysian Airlines jet. Apparently,
one person still hasn't boarded and it's 10:55, the time we're supposed to depart. Already, I've spent half an hour talking to other people taking part: Colin from Gloucester, Yannik from France, Sharon from Poole and Graham from Reading. They seem quite friendly and so far, they've all been quite young so I'm pleased!

It looks like the flight will take off without the late boarder. The aircraft has reversed out of its bay and is now heading for Borneo... We are passing a mass of planes; United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Qantas, they're all here in what seems like a car park designed for aircraft. While the 747 itself is quite an old-timer as far as aircraft go, the technology in-cabin is amazing. You can send faxes from the rear of the plane and make international calls from the comfort of your own seat. Built into the seat in front is a liquid crystal display for your own use; you can choose which movie to watch, which game to play or which audio channel to listen to. Maybe this flight won't be so boring after all.

The plane must have received clearance to proceed to the runway. We are now driving around Heathrow Airport and seeing more airlines: Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Royal Brunei Air, Air France! From this side of Heathrow, the place is huge. I've flown from Gatwick, Stansted and Luton before, but not Heathrow. Yet even more airlines are waiting to take off before us: a British Airways 767, an Iberia 727 and a British Midland 737.

We've been taxi-ing for ten minutes which gives some idea of how big the place is. Maybe my thoughts are premature, but aside from the lonely feeling I initially experienced in the airport after parting from my parents, I feel quite happy. I only hope the grass really is greener where I am going. Seven months of fundraising and planning has gone into this trip. It's only natural, therefore, to want for it to be a success.

To my left, outside the windows, there are six planes waiting in a queue to take off on a different runway. What a busy place! An Aer Lingus jet has just taken off, a British Airways jet less than a minute after it. Air Malta is now taking its position. It's at times like this when the underlying, boyhood ambition to become an airline pilot resurfaces for the umpteenth time. We have now taken our position on the runway. It's 11:21, UK time. The engines are powerful, we are going fast. Up in the air, Heathrow is surrounded by dozens of lakes and reservoirs. We're above the clouds in less than two minutes where it's always sunny! It's a lovely, sunny day above the clouds of Britain today, but I guarantee it's warmer where I'm going! From the air, I can make out the curvature of the M25 around London. The clouds are now blocking the view so I'll sign off now and amuse myself with my gameboy!

15:40, GMT...

Throughout the day, I have looked out at the world. All too often, the world below has been smothered with cloud as soft as cotton wool, looking as smooth as silk. Having passed through most of the developed countries in Europe, the aircraft began to run parallel - although not on - the equator, seemingly avoiding areas such as Iraq and Kuwait. Geographically, it would have made more sense to fly right over these countries. Perhaps it's a safety measure in light of Saddam Hussein's unpredictability.

The entertainment on-board puts your local cinema and the Sony Playstation to shame. Via the console built into the back of the seat in front of you, you can access eleven English spoken TV channels, eight audio-only channels, ten arcade games and five mind games.

It's now 15:50 UK time and 22:50 in Kuala Lumpur. We're cruising at 607 mph at a height of 33,000 feet. We're north of Tehran, yet just south of Grozni. Thirty-odd thousand feet below is a band of mountains, smothered with snow. You wouldn't have thought that Grozni, currently involved in a civil military conflict, would look so peaceful from above. The suffering here has been well televised in recent times and the isolation of this region is somewhat apparent. You can fly for ten minutes before another town or similar settlement comes into view. How aid reaches these regions, I do not know.

We're now finishing our haul across the Caspian Sea and heading towards India and Thailand. Darkness is descending outside with a zonal time of 20:10. Don't ask! I'm still trying to figure out how the time zone system functions! Another interesting feature is that, for the duration of the flight, you can monitor the progress of the flight by watching the Airshow Channel. A map of the world is displayed, detailing the course of the flight, speed, altitude etc. This is an innovation for deaf people like myself who no longer need to ask passengers to interpret the Captain's overhead messages. On Airshow, there's also an indicator that tells you where Mecca is, and how far away it is; this information is provided for the benefit of Muslim passengers. A prayer mat and area is available on request...... Any takers?

19:40, GMT...

Once again, I am writing in this book. We have just flown between the Indian cities of Delhi and Jaipur. We are now heading towards Calcutta, then Phuket whilst cruising at 30,000 feet over the Himalayas.

About two hours after we took off from Heathrow, I got up to go to the toilet. When I returned, the man sitting in the aisle seat had feel asleep. The wotsit! Obviously, this would make my attempt in claiming my window seat awkward! I went in search of Sharon, the woman I had met at Gate 2 at Heathrow. There was an empty seat next to her and it's been good getting to know her. She's from Romford, where my Dad and I used to race Greyhounds. This afternoon, we've spoken about more things than would be practical to document here. We've been flying for eight hours with just 4½ hours till we reach Kuala Lumpur. It's been relatively uneventful up until now, but I doubt the rest of the trip will be this quiet. That I am sure of....