Maybe it’s because there wasn’t so much excitement or maybe it was because we were so tired but I managed to sleep fairly well on the flight back, it was still fairly long and punishing but certainly a lot easier than before. Once again the KLM staff worked tirelessly through the night serving drinks and snacks but this time I wasn’t awake for the whole time. Arriving back home was a strange experience – it felt like I’d been gone for a month or more, we’d been to so many different places and seen so much. James and I both caught different busses back home and I ended up sat opposite a South African who was on his way from Germany (where he lives) to Milton Keynes so we were talking about the trip and everywhere I’d been, a funny coincidence.
written by thirtyfootscrew
\\ tags: Africa, heathrow, South Africa, Travel
I woke-up in Guildford, slightly disorientated after spending the New Year in Deal, we all had a great time over there though poor James did get a bit messy on Murphy’s and champagne. We finished a few last-minute packing chores & checking that we had passports and tickets (I have a well-earned reputation for forgetting, losing, washing and generally befouling passports). The taxi arrived about 11am and off we went to London Heathrow.
We passed through check-in with very little waiting time, just enough for last-minute calls to family & the ‘do we need this in hand-luggage?’ checks. I had been to Malta a few months before and flew from the same terminal so the layout was pretty familiar, especially the directions to the nearest bar! Heathrow was not too busy – plenty of time for wandering around and making last-minute purchases such as money-clips and disposable cameras.
At about an hour before the potential boarding time it was announced that due to dense fog in Amsterdam our plane was delayed by what eventually became 3½ hours. Having exhausted most of the potential activities in the terminal we sat down and read, I watched the planes taking off and landing – something I never tire of. We arrived in Amsterdam with just enough time to make our connecting flight though were rather confused whilst running though the airport chasing a flight to Johannesburg rather than Cape Town. We boarded safely and waited for some time for another delayed plane so that a few more passengers could make their connection.
The flight was long and arduous, neither of us slept for more than a couple of hours but were suitably entertained by the in-flight movies, Rush Hour 2 and Legally Blonde, as well as a documentary about Ewan McGregor in the rainforest with Ray Mears. During the flight we were well-attended to by the stewards and stewardesses who worked consistently hard throughout the journey.
written by thirtyfootscrew
\\ tags: Africa, Amsterdam, Cape Town, flight, heathrow, Johannesburg, South Africa, Travel