Travel Hell Month
What has yours truly been doing this month?
Travelling:-
What will yours truly be doing for the rest of the Month?
Travelling :-
After the normal week of Recons and meetings, intimate time with numerous airlines appears to be on the cards for me.
Last week was the DRC.
We did however manage to jump on a client charter flight direct to Kolwezi. This was as opposed to the SA Airlink to Lumamashi, 5 hour wait and then Scary Airy to Kolwezi. The one downside was a 5:30 am start at Lanseria.
The flight was great. It was a 737-200 combi with 54 seats and cargo in the front. Nice food. I managed to sleep given the early wake up. The fact the flight was not full meant I had a three seater to myself and I made full advantage of the additonal space :)
2h45 min flight.
The landing was a gas as the pilot flew along the run way line looking for pot holes. This at around 300ft with a turn right and 180 left which would have done a F15 pilot proud. Never thought a 737 could stand on a wing like that!
Normal work stuff in the DRC. Two days of shouting and meetings and back to the airport on Friday am.
Our lad got the time wrong and we were told to be at the airport at 8h30. There was a Danish Lass at the hotel who flew up with us and when we rushed off to get to the airport on time, she was casually going through her breakfast. She laughed when I told her we were off to the airport and said she will be there at 10am.
Turns out she was right and we hung around the airport chatting and smoking until 11:45 when the plane took off.
DRC continues to be - in my mind - the most corrupt country in Africa. Everyone is on the take or wants to be on the take. The latest issue was my visa was issued on the 19th March and "had to be used within 3 weeks". The fact it is a one month visa was academic according to the short immigration lad who was refusing to issue an exit visa. Of course $50 would have resolved this immediatly. Our local Site lad resolved the issue.
Flight cannot take off or land with full fuel so the return journey was via Ndola for a pit stop. 3h15 on the way back.
Lanseria was a cluster fuck with the airline taking all the passports on take off and a mob of people waiting for their name to be called at immigration. Why people can not just carry their own passports is beyond me.
That said Lanseria has grown up nicely and is a modern small airport.
It is Lisa's birthday this week, so as I am not here, her restuarant of choice was Butcher Shop in Sandton. Robbie was off to a housewarming with mates and did not join. Food was good - as expected - and I managed to polish off a very good bottle of Fleur de Cap Merlot.
Loadshedding hit us - refer previous post - and I was actually fast asleep before power came back on at 10. I did however wake up at 4am. *sigh*
Today is a chill day with a nice roast planned for lunch - first Sunday Lunch I am cooking in a while - and packing for my next trip. Mali.
Land next week Sunday at 12 and get back on the plane the same day at 4 for Australia.
Going to be fun as regards time zones in the next two weeks.
On the personal side. Had a small barny this weekend got an interesting insight on the all or nothing syndrome. Well it seems like nothing is on the cards as I do not have an all in my bag of tricks!
Travelling:-
What will yours truly be doing for the rest of the Month?
Travelling :-
After the normal week of Recons and meetings, intimate time with numerous airlines appears to be on the cards for me.
Last week was the DRC.
We did however manage to jump on a client charter flight direct to Kolwezi. This was as opposed to the SA Airlink to Lumamashi, 5 hour wait and then Scary Airy to Kolwezi. The one downside was a 5:30 am start at Lanseria.
The flight was great. It was a 737-200 combi with 54 seats and cargo in the front. Nice food. I managed to sleep given the early wake up. The fact the flight was not full meant I had a three seater to myself and I made full advantage of the additonal space :)
2h45 min flight.
The landing was a gas as the pilot flew along the run way line looking for pot holes. This at around 300ft with a turn right and 180 left which would have done a F15 pilot proud. Never thought a 737 could stand on a wing like that!
Normal work stuff in the DRC. Two days of shouting and meetings and back to the airport on Friday am.
Our lad got the time wrong and we were told to be at the airport at 8h30. There was a Danish Lass at the hotel who flew up with us and when we rushed off to get to the airport on time, she was casually going through her breakfast. She laughed when I told her we were off to the airport and said she will be there at 10am.
Turns out she was right and we hung around the airport chatting and smoking until 11:45 when the plane took off.
DRC continues to be - in my mind - the most corrupt country in Africa. Everyone is on the take or wants to be on the take. The latest issue was my visa was issued on the 19th March and "had to be used within 3 weeks". The fact it is a one month visa was academic according to the short immigration lad who was refusing to issue an exit visa. Of course $50 would have resolved this immediatly. Our local Site lad resolved the issue.
Flight cannot take off or land with full fuel so the return journey was via Ndola for a pit stop. 3h15 on the way back.
Lanseria was a cluster fuck with the airline taking all the passports on take off and a mob of people waiting for their name to be called at immigration. Why people can not just carry their own passports is beyond me.
That said Lanseria has grown up nicely and is a modern small airport.
It is Lisa's birthday this week, so as I am not here, her restuarant of choice was Butcher Shop in Sandton. Robbie was off to a housewarming with mates and did not join. Food was good - as expected - and I managed to polish off a very good bottle of Fleur de Cap Merlot.
Loadshedding hit us - refer previous post - and I was actually fast asleep before power came back on at 10. I did however wake up at 4am. *sigh*
Today is a chill day with a nice roast planned for lunch - first Sunday Lunch I am cooking in a while - and packing for my next trip. Mali.
Land next week Sunday at 12 and get back on the plane the same day at 4 for Australia.
Going to be fun as regards time zones in the next two weeks.
On the personal side. Had a small barny this weekend got an interesting insight on the all or nothing syndrome. Well it seems like nothing is on the cards as I do not have an all in my bag of tricks!
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home