African Airlines

Today I had another experience with the vagaries of African airlines.

One has a ticket "confirmed" for 16:15 on a Friday afternoon. One arrives at the airport at 3pm and hands the aforesaid ticket in.

Problem #1 happens when one's ticket is left on a pile when boarding passes are issued to all and sundry.

Problem #2 is more severe when you see the nice lady selling tickets to other people.

Problem #3 is when you ask (in english) what the problem is and she answers in french and points to a booking list for 9am that morning where my name is.

Call the translator and he yabbers away in French and confirms that despite my ticket details, I was booked by the airline that morning.

Chirp and phone the agent in Lumabambashi who "will check up and phone me back"

Net effect: Phone hotel and pray they still have a room. Happily confirm that they do and ask them to please hold it for me. Phone travel agent and say best you get me on the Saturday flight and happily be advised that the plane is full.

Say to travel agent - "Best you make a plan"

As we stand now I have been advised to go to the airport tomorrow at 8am and hopefully get on the plane. If not - I am faced with an 8 hour trip on apparently scary roads for the 350km to Lumambashi.


Welcome to DRC Tony - hope you enjoy your stay!!

Service

When you pay R1050 a night (bed only) for a hotel room, you expect something that approaches reasonable.

Ask for a menu at 8pm. (no problem)

Receive menu at 8.20 pm (humm - we may have a problem)

Hear waitron say "there is no beef" (The problem may be growing)

See that almost the entire menu is Beef (Note there is a problem)

Order a baby chicken and chips (That should work)

Be advised that the baby chicken will take 45 mins (Sigh - that is a problem)

Order Chicken in Curry Sauce (That should work)

Enquire about our food at 9pm (BIG problem)

Enquire about our food at 9.15 pm

Receive food at 9.30 pm (fark at last!!!!)

Sad that.

Tonight we decided to order food early, only to be told "the kitchen only opens at 7pm"

You cannot even get a cup of coffee cause "That is made in he Kitchen"

Yup - Hotels in Small African towns are interesting - and this is the best place to stay in town.

Who says travel is a gas??

This is Africa

Just another African country. I have said this before and I will say it again a few more times in my life I assume.

Flying a SAX turboprop for three hours to Lumambashi in the DRC is not my idea of fun, especially if the lad next to you did not appear to have taken much care when it came to personal hygiene.

The four hour wait at the airport – albeit in a nice lounge – further added to my mood enhancement trip. The fact that I never saw my luggage picked up was a worry due to the fact I had showered at the Gym that morning – farking builders had not turned on the geyser when they left the night before – and was still dressed in my tracksuit pants and T shirt, which makes losing ones luggage a major train smash.

I had just decided to have a beer – as opposed to the bitter coffee I was supping the whole morning – when the small plane decided to leave. Simba Beer is a tad on the bitter side for me.

Kolwezi is a place that has all but collapsed. Roads are almost impassable, electricity is worse that Ghana in the dry season and cops abound everywhere.

The mine is an education and it was evident that when the civil war broke out they were in the middle of a major upgrade. They have 7 brand new mills as well as heaps of equipment that has been lying there for around 25 years.

The best part was a welded platform on the ground that a tree had grown through. Not a small tree. A bloody big tree some 3 meters high. The painters had done a good job as it appeared almost new after so long in the elements.

The “hotel” at $150 a night is reasonable enough. The fact that they are building new rooms and this is happening right outside my door could be an issue. The fact they do not have a genset is an issue as power goes off on a regular basis. No aircon’s, but the weather is benign currently so the ceiling fan suffices.

But the bed? The Bed is as hard as a rock. I battled to sleep – for more than one reason last night – and the bed did not help at all. Taking the problem in hand however did.

The DRC when I landed looked a hell of a lot dryer than I thought. However vegetation on the flight to Kolwezi looked more like I thought the country would be. It then dawned on me that the fact we land at cities means the local populace has denuded the surroundings of anything that you could burn. The place honestly looked like it was approaching a desert around the cities.

We looked at renting a motel and some houses. Wonderful places 25 years ago. Run down shells now. Rent a motel for $4500 a month and you in the hole for $50,000 to make it habitable. The current owner rents the place to locals for $10 a night. He is overcharging.

Tomorrow we finalise some of the deals we need to finalise and wing our way back to Lumambashi. A weekend in Lumambashi is ahead as we are unable to get a seat on any of the flights that head off to JHB on the weekend. I have $$$ - I understand there are places to party in town. I will see if I can take advantage of this.

Oh yes – and also have a meeting with the auditors and the local admin staff.

Am I having fun?

Not 100% sure. I seem to have a hole just below where my heart usually is.

Life is indeed complicated!!

Trust you have fun this weekend happy people. I know I will try!

Hiatuis Over!!

Africa Missive has been on hold for the past few months due to a sense of humour failure.

That is now over - I have rediscovered my sense of humour and can now start posting again.

What has happened in my life over the last few months:

- Nessers and I broke up - Enough Said

- I have been a busy lad - whats new

- I have done a fair amount of Travel (both Business and Pleasure) and have started a travel blog

- I am doing home renovations - fark!! What a mission

- I am going to visit my sister in Cyprus - HUGE SMILE

- I am going to spend some time in Rome and on the Amalfi Coast - HUGE SMILE

- I have made some really nice new friends and am rediscovering my social side

- I had Malaria rapidly followed by a dose of Flu - No fun

- The HOP is back - Mothers Hide Your Daughters (especially a specific mother in Bela Bela