ESCAPE BLOG

Whilst flying back from Tehran to Manchester last week, there were two elderly ladies discussing their trip. To be honest, I was in no mood for laughs – I’d had a long journey to the airport and I was hot, sticky and hungry (read miserable). All I wanted to do was get home. Thank God the flight was on time. It’s weird travelling alone sometimes and amazing how receptive you get to other people’s conversations. Believe me, I’ve spent hours sitting in an airport, alone, and have seen and heard some crazy things in my time. This encounter was not the funniest by any means, but so completely endearing I just have to share it with you.

So, there I was – the flight had just been called, we’re all waiting at the gate and I’m reading my book. Occasionally I look up (yeah girls, just in time to catch the cute guy in the combats… with his girlfriend) and this time I zone in on the old dears.

Asking a fellow passenger to take their photo by the window (plane in view) the ladies posed. After a couple of successful snaps, the chap with their disposable camera asked if they would take one of him and his family in the same spot. After giving it some thought, one of the old girls answered “Sorry dear, but we only have two pictures left and we wanted to take some photos of the palm trees.”

Rather than try and explain that he wanted to use his own camera, the chap walked away looking more than a little perplexed, before the second lady whispered to her companion “I wouldn’t want photos of him anyway, did you see that stain on his shirt?”, both completely oblivious to the comedy of the situation.

I’ve often wondered why those 2 little old ladies were in Tehran airport (come on, it’s a strange post-retirement holiday destination isn’t it?) but they did make me chuckle.