Yes yes for those of you who check on my blog regularly, I am sorry that I have been not updating the blog as I have promised to do. However, better late than never and sadly no pictures this time. One of my blogs will have a few pics of just arb stuff and I still need to have photo's put up of the inside of the apartment where I am staying, in due time.
Well this post is just about my flight back to Cameroon after a very nice week in Cape Town, I got to see some old friends which was great.
Anyway, my trip back ... well my flight was booked to leave from Cape Town at 20:40 but it was delayed till 20:50 then 21:20 then 21:30 and I think we finally left at 22:00, this was cutting it close as my flight from Johannesburg to Nairobi which was leaving at 00:40.
The nice thing was that SAA put me in their buisness lounge when I spoke to them about my connecting flight, I however didn't mention this to the other passengers sitting downstairs getting more and more frustrated. There were about 6 of us that needed to catch the connecting flight. We all had apparently spoken to SAA to confirm with Kenya Airways to wait for us as we will land at 00:10 giving us 30 minutes to run over to the boarding gate and onto the plane.
On the plane I got the air hostess to also try and confirm that Kenya Airways will wait for us, she informed me that the Captain is arranging this and that ground crew will meet us when we get off the plane and take us to the boarding gates. When we landed ... yes, the ground crew was there but only had space for 3 passengers so the other 3 of us had to make a run for it to the boarding gate for Kenya Airways. When we got there however, there was no one waiting for us, and when talking to the Kenya people on the phone, they told us that they didn't know about us, just that our suitcases were there but we weren't so they removed our suitcases from being loaded.
This meant no flight to Kenya and that we would have to be put up in the hotel which was nice of them. I phoned the after hours number for the travel agency to try and get me on the 11:30 flight the next day where I would still catch my evening flight out of Kenya to Cameroon. This was another problem as there was no flight at 11:30 and my next flight out would only been 00:40 that evening. This wasn't much of a problem as it meant either leave at 00:40 or the next day at 11:30 and I opted for the 00:40 as this would give me about 13 hours in Kenya and my plan was to go do a bit of sight seeing in Kenya.
When I woke in Johannesburg the next morning my task was to confirm the flights had been set up for me and hunt for my luggage. Getting my flights changed and confirmed was easy enough, my luggage was a bit of a worry as they couldn't find it on the system which meant it wasn't logged in which meant it was in the basement somewhere. But thankfully it was found so I could breath a little and hopefully things would go my way. I got back to the hotel to do some relaxing and confirm that I only need to check out that evening when I went to the airport. This was confirmed so I was happy.
While at the hotel I got a call to say that my flight was changed successfully to the 11:30 flight the next day and when I asked why it was changed to 11:30 when I wanted the 00:40, the instruction was from the poor bugger I woke up with the after hours number who thought I didn't want to spend that much time in Kenya so it was back to the airport for me to confirm or get the flight changed back again. Only to be told that they can't change it as I am confirmed on the 11:30 even though the ticket is printed for the 00:40 flight but will be put on standby with instructions to the boarding crew that I have to go no matter what.
Needless to say I got my flight for 00:40 when I went to board, got through boarding and passport control hoping that the worst was over. Murphy my buddy ol pal had another trick up his sleeve, my flight from Johannesburg to Nairobi(Kenya) was delayed till 01:50 due to a fire at the Nairobi airport causing planes to depart late and Johannesburg internation or whatever the new airport name is now are so clever and kind that they close all the shops at 10pm (except the electronic store which closes at 11pm) it would be nice however if we could at least have a coffee shop open till the last flight boards. Don't know what electronic equipment we would need at that time of the night (I say till the day I need something electronic at some crazy hour)
Well we finally left SA at 01:50 and landed in Kenya an hour late, by this time I was buggered. Taking into account that I had been at Cape Town International (whose name is staying the same by the way and NOT I reapeat NOT being changed to some political dude) anyway as I was saying ... I was at CTN International from about 8pm Sunday night and we are now on Tuesday morning in Kenya. I thought I would go book myself into one of the rooms and get some sleep, the flight was fully booked and I didn't even get to doze off for 5 minutes. To tired to go sight seeing in Kenya I have now added it to my list of things to do still. My time in Kenay airport (Nairobi for those not paying attention) went by uneventful .... untill it was time to board. You might be able to guess, flight got delayed!!! There was almost a punch up between some passengers for something I couldn't understand, my french isn't at that point where I can pick up bits and pieces of a conversation.
This flight was delayed for about an hour and a half due to a technical failure, some of the passengers were irate as we had to wait for another plane to be sent to us to board, my thoughts however were "bring on the new plane" preferably without the technical failures, send these others on the technical failure plane, this technical failure isn't something you can just reboot and hope for the best people!!! The bad thing about this "new" plane however was no TV and therefore no movie on the flight. I am so glad I had a movie or two with me and my laptop.
So I am ready to get going, hoping that everything will finally be smooth sailing, so far so good, no more passengers boarding the plane, I am at the exit and the seat next to me is empty ... finally murphy has gone to sleep ... so I thought ... he is just a sadistic bastard that likes to get my hopes up high so that he can crush it. Yes my fellow neighbor showed up LATE, but also showed up as drunk as can be, she couldn't even walk straight. She put her bag in the overhead and then started fighting with people cause she couldn't find it. There were threats of kicking her off (which I was silently praying for while murphy sat in his little corner laughing) but she said she will calm down and sat down (I felt a tear run down my cheek and the exit door was looking like a very promising option from my seat right about now)
But then Murphy decided he had been cruel enough for one day and the air hostesses told the lady that she is not allowed to sit there as it is an emergency exit (another good reason to request emergency exit seats when flying) and invalids (her words not mine ... you see I am not an invalid, the drunk lady is) can't operate the emergency door. Yes, I am man, hear me roar, I can open the emergency exit with ease (and about 2 minutes away of actually proofing this fact) because I am not an invalid so move woman!! but it wasn't going to be easy, she had to fight and argue and call them some names in french, translated was "I am an invalid, I am an invalid" at least that is what I was hearing. Finally one of her friends couldn't take it anymore and got her to sit in his seat while he sat next to me. He slept the whole way, something I was unable to do, but I had a book to finish (orders from her highness) and movies to watch.
Finally we arrive in Youndee in Cameroon, we are a 25 minute flight away from my final destination (poor choice of words if that movie is anything to go by) so all I have to do is wait my 45 minutes before take off, I felt sleepy, so I closed my eyes and slept. About an hour later I was awake expecting to see night sky not tarmac and an airport out my window, we should be about 10 minutes away from Douala. But Murphy had one more trick up his sleeve, you guessed it, we are delayed again because now the fuel pump is not releasing from the plane or something. Bring on the new plane I think to myself. Nope, they are going to fix this one and get the pump released. Well while watching 5 men standing around in a circle around this big machine (smoking!!! right now smoking is very bad for your health and mine!! I don't do well sitting in the middle of an explosion, I don't think my medical aid covers that) But finally 2 hours later they get the fuel thingamajig loose and we are on our way, the plane goes up and then comes down, 25 minutes later.
I am pleased to say that my luggage actually arrived, murphy, I pray killed himself laughing (for real) or fell asleep not realizeing I was in Douala. But everything else went off without a hitch.
And now my friends, that is all for me for today. Hopefully you have a very nice time and until later, happy days.
