I woke up at 1:30am, before the alarm went off at 2:00. At 2:30, I was on the road headed to the airport in Abu Dhabi.
I arrived at 4:15. We boarded the plan at 5:30.
The first stop was in Doha, Qatar, about a 45-min flight.
Immediately I noticed the rain. I had not seen rain since I left the US.
The other really noticeable thing, is the different ethnicities. Doha is a small city in a very small country, but their national airlines, Qatar Airways, has a dominant presence in the Middle East. Now, I was no longer seeing a sea of brown faces, nor did I see obvious Muslims in their distinct dress. Diversity was everywhere. This was the most diverse crowd I'd seen, also since leaving the US.
The airport in Doha is under construction, so the plane taxied as far as it could go, then canopied steps were attached to the plane. We got off, and went to a waiting bus that shuttled us to the the terminal. Once we went through several security checkpoints, we boarded another bus, to our departure plane.
In complete contrast was the stop in Johannesburg, where we had another layover but couldn't leave the plane. No matter. The view was great. The airport is modern, with all of the amenities you would expect.
The different airlines, parked at the terminal, with their colorful tails, made a wonderful splash of color against the beautiful blue sky.
The airport was neat, clean and orderly. Like Abu Dhabi, just not as flashy.
As we were coming in for landing, I was surprised at what an orderly, structured city, Johansburg is. Clearly, I had fallen prey to the negative media portrayal of this part of the Motherland.
Side note - The flight attendants counted all of us remaining passengers on the Johannesburg flight at least a dozen times. We were showing two more folks on the flight than we should have had. In chatting with one of the flight attendants, he said we'd be surprised at how many people that fly that are not sure where they're going.
Insane, right?
Side note 2 - On this leg of my journey, I had an allergic reaction to something on the plane. My top lip started to tighten and swell. This went on for several hours, while I tried to figure out what was happening. I doubt it was something I ate because it only caused my top lip to swell. I think it was a reaction to the orange juice container, as that was the only thing that would have touched the effected area. Thankfully, I remembered from when I was married to a commercial pilot, that they have a medicine chest on board. I explained the issue and was given an antihistamine. I tried to deplane in Johansburg to get more meds, but I was given another pill instead. The second one really turned the tide. The tightness and tingling feeling started to go away.
Side note 3 - I had an allergic reaction like this several days before I got married. I used to pluck leaves from bushes and shrubs when I walked by. Why? Who knows! Anyway, I touched something I was allergic to, and my entire mouth quadrupled in size. Not a pretty sight with just days before my wedding!
This last leg of the flight is less than two hours. I have the seats to myself. I didn't see anyone get on. About half the folks we had on, got off here.
Already, Africa is so much better than I expected.
There's a great TED Talk by a young African author, and in it she discusses the single story. Too often, we know one thing about someone or something, and draw incorrect conclusions from that limited scope. She has a powerful message. See the link below.
http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html
I arrived at 4:15. We boarded the plan at 5:30.
The first stop was in Doha, Qatar, about a 45-min flight.
Immediately I noticed the rain. I had not seen rain since I left the US.
The other really noticeable thing, is the different ethnicities. Doha is a small city in a very small country, but their national airlines, Qatar Airways, has a dominant presence in the Middle East. Now, I was no longer seeing a sea of brown faces, nor did I see obvious Muslims in their distinct dress. Diversity was everywhere. This was the most diverse crowd I'd seen, also since leaving the US.
The airport in Doha is under construction, so the plane taxied as far as it could go, then canopied steps were attached to the plane. We got off, and went to a waiting bus that shuttled us to the the terminal. Once we went through several security checkpoints, we boarded another bus, to our departure plane.
In complete contrast was the stop in Johannesburg, where we had another layover but couldn't leave the plane. No matter. The view was great. The airport is modern, with all of the amenities you would expect.
The different airlines, parked at the terminal, with their colorful tails, made a wonderful splash of color against the beautiful blue sky.
The airport was neat, clean and orderly. Like Abu Dhabi, just not as flashy.
As we were coming in for landing, I was surprised at what an orderly, structured city, Johansburg is. Clearly, I had fallen prey to the negative media portrayal of this part of the Motherland.
Side note - The flight attendants counted all of us remaining passengers on the Johannesburg flight at least a dozen times. We were showing two more folks on the flight than we should have had. In chatting with one of the flight attendants, he said we'd be surprised at how many people that fly that are not sure where they're going.
Insane, right?
Side note 2 - On this leg of my journey, I had an allergic reaction to something on the plane. My top lip started to tighten and swell. This went on for several hours, while I tried to figure out what was happening. I doubt it was something I ate because it only caused my top lip to swell. I think it was a reaction to the orange juice container, as that was the only thing that would have touched the effected area. Thankfully, I remembered from when I was married to a commercial pilot, that they have a medicine chest on board. I explained the issue and was given an antihistamine. I tried to deplane in Johansburg to get more meds, but I was given another pill instead. The second one really turned the tide. The tightness and tingling feeling started to go away.
Side note 3 - I had an allergic reaction like this several days before I got married. I used to pluck leaves from bushes and shrubs when I walked by. Why? Who knows! Anyway, I touched something I was allergic to, and my entire mouth quadrupled in size. Not a pretty sight with just days before my wedding!
This last leg of the flight is less than two hours. I have the seats to myself. I didn't see anyone get on. About half the folks we had on, got off here.
Already, Africa is so much better than I expected.
There's a great TED Talk by a young African author, and in it she discusses the single story. Too often, we know one thing about someone or something, and draw incorrect conclusions from that limited scope. She has a powerful message. See the link below.
http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html
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