Tuesday 5th December 2023
I managed to sleep quite well considering I was getting up at 3am, but my nightly bathroom trips had trained me up for this. Plus I found a much shorter and almost puddle less route to the airport so I got there at 4am bright and breezy.
I got through customs easily too so sat comfortably with a latte and watched the fellow travellers, wondering where everyone was going. Spain seemed a popular choice as the first plane was called. By the time my flight was ready it had started raining again and the rear stairway into the plane had me cursing the lack of overhead cover, haha.
My long flight is currently midway, as I write this and it's like this strange sample of an alternate universe. 300 strangers squeezed into a magnificent piece of metal traversing the desert of Africa all mostly avoiding eye contact with each other. I have not uttered a word, with the large arm bearer who has moved his man-purse under my armpit and trying to hog the armrest. Fortunately I booked the emergency exit seat so my legs have more than enough leg room. Initially it's like this unspoken game of armrest wrestling. But ultimately size does count and I've ended up leaning forward to avoid getting anymore bruises on my boobs, haha. It's not funny but it is.
The lovely KLM stewardesses are fabulous and a daytime flight means very little respite from cranky passengers who are willing the remaining 5 hours away. The tin can houses us all for the 10 hours with aircon, food and drink and entertainment. As a species we seem to have outgrown the ideal passenger size, as the seats have shrunk and the toilets can create claustrophobic issues. But I'm still excited when these engines rev up and the earth whizzes past at an exciting speed. I'm very grateful to be able to be doing this journey because the alternative was a 10 day trip at sea, which at one stage I was contemplating. There's freight liners that offer passengers a journey which I thought would be great, but at €100 a night (for 14 nights at least) and after my experience of my cruise in July, I realised that not going offshore for 24 hours had me very antsy, never mind once in 2 weeks. So plane it is. Unless of course, I do an overland trip? Nah, I'm becoming too accustomed to not roughing it, haha
I've watched 2 movies, had lunch, now into music and a sandwich, although bread at altitude isn't one of my favourites. So now back to arm wresting across the Central African Republic....
Last update: I was one of those that lept out of my seat as soon as the seatbelt sign went off on landing... haha. Back in Johannesburg still in the air-conditioned plane.
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