Monday morning, we had a van scheduled to pick us up from the guesthouse at 6:00am for our 9:20am flight. As much as we pre-packed the night before, and had most of our stuff ready to go, we still didn’t get out of the house until 6:35. Rajen had woken up to send us off, and we thanked him for all the hospitality over the last 3 days, loaded our stuff into the car, and we were off.
Oddly, as we all talked about our experience in Mauritius, we weren’t as thrilled about it as we thought we would be. All the girls said the same thing. I think three things may have impacted this for us. Number one, our stay was very short---only 3 days. With the timing of everything else, the length of the trip, and limited flights in and out of Mauritius, that really became the only option. Since we were only there for a few days, I had initially figured that aside from the hike, we’d spend most of the time at the beach. I had a few misc. ideas of other activities but didn’t set up any arrangements, figuring that if we didn’t want to spend the time at the beach we could figure them out later.
Secondly, since our flight was an overnight flight, we were all overtired and not well rested for the first full day, which tends to taint the first impressions that you get of the place.
Thirdly, after staying at the Meas Family Homestay in Cambodia, we had such an amazing time, it set the bar too high for the subsequent trips. By the time you left, you felt like a part of their family. None of us wanted to leave, and I’ll never forget saying goodbye to Siphen and Mach you really got the sense that they didn’t want you to leave either. I do also wonder if part of this was also connected to the fact that in Cambodia, all our activities were with the family. We went to help them at the school, We helped at the afterschool English class at the Meas home. Also, Siphen had family there as well that helped cook many of the meals, and I think likely had more energy to spend a lot of time with her guests. We had bonded so well with them, we had similar expectations in Mauritius. Similarly, in India, staying with Kamalika and Jayant and their family, they are friends, and we felt like we had companions the entire stay. However, in Mauritius we went out on our own for the most part during the day, and in the evenings, we had cocktail hour and socializing with Rajen, Kingsley, and the other guests, but then only a bit with Sandy afterwards. Somehow we didn’t form the same bonds.
So perhaps ultimately, the denouement from spending time with such great friends, coupled with a bit of travel fatigue soured our spirits for our stay in the guest house. Had we had the same experience towards the beginning of our trip, I think we would have had much more resounding praises of our time there.
These things we pondered as we made the 45 minute journey to the airport. We checked in, found our gate, grabbed some breakfast, and then boarded the plan to our final leg of our journey: Namibia.
This section of our itinerary was one of two that went through several changes after we had solidified our plans (the first being the cancellation of Kingfisher flights which required rerouting through Kuala Lumpur instead of Bangkok, and a change to our Indian domestic flight). Air Namibia eliminated the route we were initially supposed to take, and we ended up rerouting through Cape Town instead of Johannesburg on the way in.
The flight to Cape Town was a 6 hour flight. Both Kalyssa and I know were just past the peak of a head and chest cold: stuffy noses and sinuses, and a bit of a cough. As we began to make our final descent into Cape Town, and all the passengers went through the typical process of yawning, stretching their jaws, chewing gum, and the babies on board began to cry, Kalyssa started complaining that her left ear would not pop. Every time the plane would drop another 1000 feet, she would clutch her left ear in pain. Halfway into the descent, she was in tears, and in a bit of panic as the pressure was building on her eardrum, and no matter what, she could not release it. We encouraged her to keep trying, and to try not to cry, as that would swell things even further. I thought perhaps blowing her nose would create pressure inside her head to counter the mounting pressure outside her head. That didn’t’ work either.
We ended up taking our time again getting off the plane since Kalyssa was crying and we had a lot of carryons to grab. The flight attendants were concerned about what was wrong, and if she was upset because she didn’t want to leave/go home. Natalie explained the issue, and they offered her some tissues.
As we got to the Immigration checkpoint, we realized we had forgotten to fill out our forms while on the plane, so we went over to a counter and began filling them out. Alexandra had headed to the bathroom. When we were half done with one, an immigration agent came over and rather sternly said, “no need to fill out the form, they are all waiting for you!.” So we began to gather our bags, and Natalie went in to try and find Alexandra (who was in the bathroom primping) to get her moving. Meanwhile, the agent came back over to me, even more irritated that now only two of the four of us were there. “You need to proceed to the counter! You are delaying the entire process!!!” I tried to explain that Natalie was getting Allie, but he didn’t seem to want an explanation. I tried to make some superficial forward movements to show that we were trying to gather our stuff and get over there, but also while stalling for Natalie and Allie. Finally we made it to the counter, and provided our passports.
The immigration officer (who was a bit more friendly) asked some of the basic immigration questions---“Where are you coming from?”, “Where are you going?…” We explained we were only in transit through Cape Town, and that we were leaving for Namibia around 7:00. He looked at us and casually said, “Oh, I think that flight is cancelled. You may be staying in Cape Town.” At first I thought he was joking, based on the way he said it. I asked him such, and he confirmed, “no, that flight is cancelled. Look at the board.” I couldn’t see the board from here, but as a bit of panic began to set in (as our safari embarked the following morning at 7:00am, we needed to get to Windhoek, tonight! My mind and my feet couldn’t decide whether to keep talking to him or to go check the board, And meanwhile, he asked one of the other agents to confirm that the flight was cancelled. She said, “no, that’s not the one that is cancelled.” At this point, our agent began to backpedal and said, oh maybe it’s the other flight. Then the woman said “The inbound flight #743 was cancelled from Namibia.”
He responded, “yes, but that is the plane that is needed for the outbound flight #747, so that one is cancelled as well. Look at the board.”
“Oh yes, you’re right, so that one is cancelled as well.”
Knowing that Windhoek is a small town in a sparsely populated country, I asked the question knowing the answer: “There’s not a later flight is there?”
“Yes, but tomorrow morning.” I proceeded to explain the reason for our urgency of travel to Windhoek. In my mind I was continuing to think about how this was one of the very few points in the trip that I didn’t have any contingency available if this flight got cancelled. Everything else on our journey, there wer fairly flexible options besides this, and my strategy was admittedly hope, that nothing would go wrong for this flight.
Natalie reminded me that, the agent really probably wasn’t that interested in our issue.
I’ve had a Personalysis study done on me(similar to Briggs-Meyers) which describes the way I approach things. Generally I enter a situation as the collaborator, that wants everyone happy, and wants everyone to work together nicely (yellow), but at the same time, my secondary trait is action/results (red). I am weaker on the logic/process oriented focus(Green) and the abstract/consider all possible options trait(blue). However, this test also explains that when I reach appoint of stress, I become much more red, less yellow, and a little more green. Since I had this analysis, I’ve become very conscious of when this switch occurs, as it is a sudden and immediate change in personality for me. It happens often at work, when suddenly we hit “crunch time” on something, or there is a dramatic negative turn of events.
I began setting up/determining the goals. Safari is paid for (and was costly). We need to get to the safari. First ranked preference, be in Windhoek at all costs (since yellow just took a back seat, the comfort and concensus of everyone else was secondary. This is the goal. If this goal cannot be achieved, we will need to arrange secondary transportation to rendezvous with safari group on first night or second day. This had some challenges but would be worked out perhaps with help of safari company. I then began to use my green to develop the process of achieving this:
• Run through options of transport: plane, train, automobile (rented or bus)
• Determine expected timing of arrival, and prioritize based on optimal to meet objective
• Upon achieving tentative plan, call Swenja (our Safari coordinator from New African Safaris),
o Solicit feedback on plan
o Get recommendations on transport from Windhoek to meet up with Safari if needed.
o Determine financial repercussions or credits (assumed probability of the latter: 0%).
Usually, it is at work that I shift from my initial state to my stressed state, and it is something Natalie has not often seen. I generally change physically as well at this point. My eyes open wide, my breathing and heart rate increase, I begin to fidget. If I’m holding a pen, I will begin to twirl it even faster than normal. I get much more decisive, and to the point. Decide now-ask for forgiveness later.
Natalie seemed to be taken aback quite a bit at the change, looked at me with a bit of concern, and said “Don’t panic, don’t panic, its going to be alright.”
This caught me off guard for a second, and I gave her a quizzical look. “No, I’m not panicking” This was said matter-of-factly, not defensively. Sub-consciously:
Green: “Process generated, plan in place.”
Red: “Goal in sight. Execute plan.”
Yelllow: “Why does she think I’m Panicking?”
Red: “Doesn’t matter. Goal in sight, Execute Plan.”
Blue: [snores….]
Red: “Don’t worry about Blue. You’re goal is in sight, Execute Plan.”
I had a brainstorm, remembering a trip many years ago with a bunch of friends to Vegas, which had a similar hiccup: “Is there a bus from here to Windhoek.” Simultaneously I heard all of the following:
“We are not taking a bus.” - Alexandra
“Dad, no!” – Kalyssa
“Yes, there is, but that will take many hours” – the agent
“There’s no way I’m doing that” – Natalie
Subconsiously:
Yelllow: “Nobody wants to take a bus, maybe we should explore some other options.”
Blue: [rustles, and then resumes snoring]
Red: “They’ll survive. You’re goal is in sight, Execute Plan.”
Suddenly all the voices stopped, as the agent looked at us and said: “There is an earlier flight to Namibia, but it leaves in one hour at 2:35. You may be able to get on that one, but you need to talk to Air Namibia very fast. Suddenly, a new plan took place:
I will run to the counter and get us on the flight if possible
Natalie will manage the bags and the girls and make her way in that direction.
I ran over the plan with Natalie, she agreed. I informed the agent (with a half smile) that he had not been the bearer of good news. Rather coolly, he simply said, if I didn’t tell you, someone else would have.
As I ran to the counter, I ran through customs. I had all the passports, as I knew I’d need them to get the tickets, but suddenly thought, if anything happens at customs, they will likely need them. That seemed secondary though, I can come back if they don’t show up. First we need to get the tickets for the flight. Sure enough, moments later, Natalie came through with the girls and all the bags. The customs agents stopped them and asked a few questions, starting with can I see your passports. Natalie explained that I had run ahead to the ticketing counter, and that I had them, due to our situation. The customs agent, with some mild annoyance, said, “Never mind then, go on ahead.”
At this point, I was at the ticketing agent, and I explained the situation, and she said with a smile, we’ve already gone ahead and placed the 4 of you on the earlier flight. I was awash with an amazing amount of relief. I wanted to jump over the counter and hug her, but I figured that would be frowned upon. I attempted to text Natalie that all was well and I was at the ticket counter, but my phone was taking a long time to register itself to the new network, and I couldn’t get the text to send.
While I was waiting for Natalie, and/or my phone, I asked the desk agent if she flies or just works the desk. She said she didn’t fly. I explained Kalyssa’s issue of her ears not popping and asked if she knew anything that could help. She said there was a pharmacy back towards the baggage claim, and they would have something. As she began processing the passports, I saw Natalie coming, and from across the room gave her the thumbs up from across the airport with a big grin.
She rejoined me, we debriefed each other, and she then went back to gather the kids and the bags and bring them up to check in the bags. They returned, and we checked in. At this point, I sent her along with the girls to take the carry-ons through security, while I ran down to the pharmacy, and I told them I’d meet them at the gate.
I talked the pharmacist and asked if they had Sudafed, and whether that would be a good solution, he said it would be. He asked for my name, I started to spell it, but we were tripping up through the accents. I had my wallet open, so I just gave him my license. He entered my name, and then asked “Tennessee, what country is that?”
“USA” I answered.
“Oh yes, Jack Daniels Whiskey.”
“That’s right,” I said with a smile.
I then returned and went through security, and then through immigration again. As the agent checked my passport he said, “You just came today, and you are leaving already?”
“Yep”, I answered.
“That is not long enough. You need to spend some time in Cape Town, my friend.”
I said thanks, and smiled, briefly enjoying the irony of his comment. It is interesting how a few favorable interactions between the Pharmacist and the incoming and outgoing immigration agents can paint your perception. As I walked away, I thought, “Perhaps I should spend some time here someday….”
Our plane boarded a good 45 minutes late, though still 4 hours earlier than we otherwise would have had our original flight not been cancelled. As I sat in the Air Namibia flight, I noticed the upholstery on the chairs seemed to be 20 or 30 years old, and was very warn. The curtains separating first from economy class was extremely frayed, especially near the Velcro fasteners. The seats still had ashtrays in the handles (though smoking is not allowed on the flight.) When they did the initial safety announcements they mentioned that there are no oxygen masks in the bathroom, so if we lose pressure, you are to exit as quickly as is feasible to get a mask in the cabin.
I turned to Natalie and said, with mock intrigue, “You know, I think there’s a good chance the Wright brothers actually test flew this aircraft.
On our ascent, Kalyssa and I who had both now taken Sudafed, felt much better. However, both of our left ears were crackling like the head of a drum that had not yet been tightened. Each time they popped, a bit of pain shot through our ear, due to the soreness from earlier, but at least we were able to keep the pressure eaqualized.
We made it to the Hotel Pension Moni, checked in, and the receptionist showed us to our room. Natalie asked where we can turn the heat up, (as it was already very cold,and it was supposed to get to 30 degrees F/-1 degree C tonight. She hesitated and said, there is no heat, but there are hot water bottles that you can fill and put in your beds. I quickly became aware that this was not going to make for pleasant camaraderie amoug the 4 of us this evening.
Compared to most American cities, Namibia has a very low crime rate. However it was getting dark, and in a country with only 2 million people living in it, even the largest city Windhoek is a small town. The streets were dark and fairly empty
After a bit of debate on whether to get a taxi or to walk, we walked the several blocks to the mall. On the way there, Natalie did see someone sitting in a tree, wearing dark clothing. This increased their unease. We arrived at the complex at about 5 minutes after 6:00, and began to notice that many of the shops were dark and closed. We checked some of the signs, and almost all of them said 6:00. There were a few larger stores still open, but even those appeared to close at 6:30, so we split up to try and find somewhere that sold clothing. Natalie found one, and we all went over there. While we were looking around, Natalie at one point commented that people kept trying to talk to her, when she was trying to find the clothes before they closed. I reminded her that the cultural notes I found said that its common place when entering a business to greet the owner/employee whathaveyou, and that some people may find it very rude if you don’t. “This is the place that is like that? That’s why!”
“Think of it as the Nashville of Africa.”
We soon realized that unfortunately, this store specialized in mid-tier designer lines, which was a bit more pricey than what we were looking for to keep us warm while hiking through Namibia. Unfortunately, we were pretty much out of options, and we picked out a couple warm outfits/jackets for the girls.
We were getting a bit hungry, so we stopped at a semi-fast food burger joint called Wimpy for some food. Our waitress was an early twenties, rather bubbly girl. When we finished the meal, Natalie asked her if there was somewhere we could get a taxi, and asked again if it was safe to walk in the area. The waitress answered, walking is safe, but taxis not so much. I have a friend that takes a taxi and she knows a good one, I’ve used him a few times. I’ll call him for you.
Oddly, as we all talked about our experience in Mauritius, we weren’t as thrilled about it as we thought we would be. All the girls said the same thing. I think three things may have impacted this for us. Number one, our stay was very short---only 3 days. With the timing of everything else, the length of the trip, and limited flights in and out of Mauritius, that really became the only option. Since we were only there for a few days, I had initially figured that aside from the hike, we’d spend most of the time at the beach. I had a few misc. ideas of other activities but didn’t set up any arrangements, figuring that if we didn’t want to spend the time at the beach we could figure them out later.
Secondly, since our flight was an overnight flight, we were all overtired and not well rested for the first full day, which tends to taint the first impressions that you get of the place.
Thirdly, after staying at the Meas Family Homestay in Cambodia, we had such an amazing time, it set the bar too high for the subsequent trips. By the time you left, you felt like a part of their family. None of us wanted to leave, and I’ll never forget saying goodbye to Siphen and Mach you really got the sense that they didn’t want you to leave either. I do also wonder if part of this was also connected to the fact that in Cambodia, all our activities were with the family. We went to help them at the school, We helped at the afterschool English class at the Meas home. Also, Siphen had family there as well that helped cook many of the meals, and I think likely had more energy to spend a lot of time with her guests. We had bonded so well with them, we had similar expectations in Mauritius. Similarly, in India, staying with Kamalika and Jayant and their family, they are friends, and we felt like we had companions the entire stay. However, in Mauritius we went out on our own for the most part during the day, and in the evenings, we had cocktail hour and socializing with Rajen, Kingsley, and the other guests, but then only a bit with Sandy afterwards. Somehow we didn’t form the same bonds.
So perhaps ultimately, the denouement from spending time with such great friends, coupled with a bit of travel fatigue soured our spirits for our stay in the guest house. Had we had the same experience towards the beginning of our trip, I think we would have had much more resounding praises of our time there.
These things we pondered as we made the 45 minute journey to the airport. We checked in, found our gate, grabbed some breakfast, and then boarded the plan to our final leg of our journey: Namibia.
This section of our itinerary was one of two that went through several changes after we had solidified our plans (the first being the cancellation of Kingfisher flights which required rerouting through Kuala Lumpur instead of Bangkok, and a change to our Indian domestic flight). Air Namibia eliminated the route we were initially supposed to take, and we ended up rerouting through Cape Town instead of Johannesburg on the way in.
The flight to Cape Town was a 6 hour flight. Both Kalyssa and I know were just past the peak of a head and chest cold: stuffy noses and sinuses, and a bit of a cough. As we began to make our final descent into Cape Town, and all the passengers went through the typical process of yawning, stretching their jaws, chewing gum, and the babies on board began to cry, Kalyssa started complaining that her left ear would not pop. Every time the plane would drop another 1000 feet, she would clutch her left ear in pain. Halfway into the descent, she was in tears, and in a bit of panic as the pressure was building on her eardrum, and no matter what, she could not release it. We encouraged her to keep trying, and to try not to cry, as that would swell things even further. I thought perhaps blowing her nose would create pressure inside her head to counter the mounting pressure outside her head. That didn’t’ work either. 
 |
| South Africa from the Air |
At this point, my own ear stopped popping, and I as well began to have severe pressure building up inside my left ear. I could only imagine how bad hers hurt having had no release of the pressure for the first half of the descent, based on how bad mine was now hurting through the lsat half. Both her and I cringed in pain, frantically trying get our ears to open up. I had now gone entirely deaf in my left ear, as had she, and even my right ear was sounding very muffled as it was having quite a bit of trouble staying open. Throughout the entire 20 minute descent she was in tears, and for half of it, I was near the same. We got off, and she was pretty miserable. About 5 minutes later, mine finally popped, but she was not as lucky.
We ended up taking our time again getting off the plane since Kalyssa was crying and we had a lot of carryons to grab. The flight attendants were concerned about what was wrong, and if she was upset because she didn’t want to leave/go home. Natalie explained the issue, and they offered her some tissues.
As we got to the Immigration checkpoint, we realized we had forgotten to fill out our forms while on the plane, so we went over to a counter and began filling them out. Alexandra had headed to the bathroom. When we were half done with one, an immigration agent came over and rather sternly said, “no need to fill out the form, they are all waiting for you!.” So we began to gather our bags, and Natalie went in to try and find Alexandra (who was in the bathroom primping) to get her moving. Meanwhile, the agent came back over to me, even more irritated that now only two of the four of us were there. “You need to proceed to the counter! You are delaying the entire process!!!” I tried to explain that Natalie was getting Allie, but he didn’t seem to want an explanation. I tried to make some superficial forward movements to show that we were trying to gather our stuff and get over there, but also while stalling for Natalie and Allie. Finally we made it to the counter, and provided our passports.
The immigration officer (who was a bit more friendly) asked some of the basic immigration questions---“Where are you coming from?”, “Where are you going?…” We explained we were only in transit through Cape Town, and that we were leaving for Namibia around 7:00. He looked at us and casually said, “Oh, I think that flight is cancelled. You may be staying in Cape Town.” At first I thought he was joking, based on the way he said it. I asked him such, and he confirmed, “no, that flight is cancelled. Look at the board.” I couldn’t see the board from here, but as a bit of panic began to set in (as our safari embarked the following morning at 7:00am, we needed to get to Windhoek, tonight! My mind and my feet couldn’t decide whether to keep talking to him or to go check the board, And meanwhile, he asked one of the other agents to confirm that the flight was cancelled. She said, “no, that’s not the one that is cancelled.” At this point, our agent began to backpedal and said, oh maybe it’s the other flight. Then the woman said “The inbound flight #743 was cancelled from Namibia.”
He responded, “yes, but that is the plane that is needed for the outbound flight #747, so that one is cancelled as well. Look at the board.”
“Oh yes, you’re right, so that one is cancelled as well.”
Knowing that Windhoek is a small town in a sparsely populated country, I asked the question knowing the answer: “There’s not a later flight is there?”
“Yes, but tomorrow morning.” I proceeded to explain the reason for our urgency of travel to Windhoek. In my mind I was continuing to think about how this was one of the very few points in the trip that I didn’t have any contingency available if this flight got cancelled. Everything else on our journey, there wer fairly flexible options besides this, and my strategy was admittedly hope, that nothing would go wrong for this flight.
Natalie reminded me that, the agent really probably wasn’t that interested in our issue.
I’ve had a Personalysis study done on me(similar to Briggs-Meyers) which describes the way I approach things. Generally I enter a situation as the collaborator, that wants everyone happy, and wants everyone to work together nicely (yellow), but at the same time, my secondary trait is action/results (red). I am weaker on the logic/process oriented focus(Green) and the abstract/consider all possible options trait(blue). However, this test also explains that when I reach appoint of stress, I become much more red, less yellow, and a little more green. Since I had this analysis, I’ve become very conscious of when this switch occurs, as it is a sudden and immediate change in personality for me. It happens often at work, when suddenly we hit “crunch time” on something, or there is a dramatic negative turn of events.
I began setting up/determining the goals. Safari is paid for (and was costly). We need to get to the safari. First ranked preference, be in Windhoek at all costs (since yellow just took a back seat, the comfort and concensus of everyone else was secondary. This is the goal. If this goal cannot be achieved, we will need to arrange secondary transportation to rendezvous with safari group on first night or second day. This had some challenges but would be worked out perhaps with help of safari company. I then began to use my green to develop the process of achieving this:
• Run through options of transport: plane, train, automobile (rented or bus)
• Determine expected timing of arrival, and prioritize based on optimal to meet objective
• Upon achieving tentative plan, call Swenja (our Safari coordinator from New African Safaris),
o Solicit feedback on plan
o Get recommendations on transport from Windhoek to meet up with Safari if needed.
o Determine financial repercussions or credits (assumed probability of the latter: 0%).
Usually, it is at work that I shift from my initial state to my stressed state, and it is something Natalie has not often seen. I generally change physically as well at this point. My eyes open wide, my breathing and heart rate increase, I begin to fidget. If I’m holding a pen, I will begin to twirl it even faster than normal. I get much more decisive, and to the point. Decide now-ask for forgiveness later.
Natalie seemed to be taken aback quite a bit at the change, looked at me with a bit of concern, and said “Don’t panic, don’t panic, its going to be alright.”
This caught me off guard for a second, and I gave her a quizzical look. “No, I’m not panicking” This was said matter-of-factly, not defensively. Sub-consciously:
Green: “Process generated, plan in place.”
Red: “Goal in sight. Execute plan.”
Yelllow: “Why does she think I’m Panicking?”
Red: “Doesn’t matter. Goal in sight, Execute Plan.”
Blue: [snores….]
Red: “Don’t worry about Blue. You’re goal is in sight, Execute Plan.”
I had a brainstorm, remembering a trip many years ago with a bunch of friends to Vegas, which had a similar hiccup: “Is there a bus from here to Windhoek.” Simultaneously I heard all of the following:
“We are not taking a bus.” - Alexandra
“Dad, no!” – Kalyssa
“Yes, there is, but that will take many hours” – the agent
“There’s no way I’m doing that” – Natalie
Subconsiously:
Yelllow: “Nobody wants to take a bus, maybe we should explore some other options.”
Blue: [rustles, and then resumes snoring]
Red: “They’ll survive. You’re goal is in sight, Execute Plan.”
Suddenly all the voices stopped, as the agent looked at us and said: “There is an earlier flight to Namibia, but it leaves in one hour at 2:35. You may be able to get on that one, but you need to talk to Air Namibia very fast. Suddenly, a new plan took place:
I will run to the counter and get us on the flight if possible
Natalie will manage the bags and the girls and make her way in that direction.
I ran over the plan with Natalie, she agreed. I informed the agent (with a half smile) that he had not been the bearer of good news. Rather coolly, he simply said, if I didn’t tell you, someone else would have.
As I ran to the counter, I ran through customs. I had all the passports, as I knew I’d need them to get the tickets, but suddenly thought, if anything happens at customs, they will likely need them. That seemed secondary though, I can come back if they don’t show up. First we need to get the tickets for the flight. Sure enough, moments later, Natalie came through with the girls and all the bags. The customs agents stopped them and asked a few questions, starting with can I see your passports. Natalie explained that I had run ahead to the ticketing counter, and that I had them, due to our situation. The customs agent, with some mild annoyance, said, “Never mind then, go on ahead.”
At this point, I was at the ticketing agent, and I explained the situation, and she said with a smile, we’ve already gone ahead and placed the 4 of you on the earlier flight. I was awash with an amazing amount of relief. I wanted to jump over the counter and hug her, but I figured that would be frowned upon. I attempted to text Natalie that all was well and I was at the ticket counter, but my phone was taking a long time to register itself to the new network, and I couldn’t get the text to send.
While I was waiting for Natalie, and/or my phone, I asked the desk agent if she flies or just works the desk. She said she didn’t fly. I explained Kalyssa’s issue of her ears not popping and asked if she knew anything that could help. She said there was a pharmacy back towards the baggage claim, and they would have something. As she began processing the passports, I saw Natalie coming, and from across the room gave her the thumbs up from across the airport with a big grin.
She rejoined me, we debriefed each other, and she then went back to gather the kids and the bags and bring them up to check in the bags. They returned, and we checked in. At this point, I sent her along with the girls to take the carry-ons through security, while I ran down to the pharmacy, and I told them I’d meet them at the gate.
I talked the pharmacist and asked if they had Sudafed, and whether that would be a good solution, he said it would be. He asked for my name, I started to spell it, but we were tripping up through the accents. I had my wallet open, so I just gave him my license. He entered my name, and then asked “Tennessee, what country is that?”
“USA” I answered.
“Oh yes, Jack Daniels Whiskey.”
“That’s right,” I said with a smile.
I then returned and went through security, and then through immigration again. As the agent checked my passport he said, “You just came today, and you are leaving already?”
“Yep”, I answered.
“That is not long enough. You need to spend some time in Cape Town, my friend.”
I said thanks, and smiled, briefly enjoying the irony of his comment. It is interesting how a few favorable interactions between the Pharmacist and the incoming and outgoing immigration agents can paint your perception. As I walked away, I thought, “Perhaps I should spend some time here someday….”
Our plane boarded a good 45 minutes late, though still 4 hours earlier than we otherwise would have had our original flight not been cancelled. As I sat in the Air Namibia flight, I noticed the upholstery on the chairs seemed to be 20 or 30 years old, and was very warn. The curtains separating first from economy class was extremely frayed, especially near the Velcro fasteners. The seats still had ashtrays in the handles (though smoking is not allowed on the flight.) When they did the initial safety announcements they mentioned that there are no oxygen masks in the bathroom, so if we lose pressure, you are to exit as quickly as is feasible to get a mask in the cabin.
I turned to Natalie and said, with mock intrigue, “You know, I think there’s a good chance the Wright brothers actually test flew this aircraft.
On our ascent, Kalyssa and I who had both now taken Sudafed, felt much better. However, both of our left ears were crackling like the head of a drum that had not yet been tightened. Each time they popped, a bit of pain shot through our ear, due to the soreness from earlier, but at least we were able to keep the pressure eaqualized.
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| Namibia! |
Two hours later, we landed at Hosea Kutako airport in Namibia. I’ve never seen a more empty and quiet airport than this one. We made our way through, and talked to the information desk to determine what the best mode of transportation would be to get all of our bags and ourselves to our hotel. They said the only option was two taxis, as there were no vans or shuttles. For some reason this airport is a significant distance outside the city, and was about a 35 minute drive through complete wilderness before hitting the city limits. This was a bit frustrating, but nonetheless we split up.
As it turns out, Windhoek is having an unusually cold snap this winter. We had known it would be fairly cool in the evenings, but I was expecting high forties We had packed some warm clothes, but since all our other countries were very tropical though we didn’t bring much. I had done some research before the trip, and new there was a large mall down the street from our hotel, and I figured we could try and buy some warmer clothes there. I asked the receptionist if its walking distance, how late its open, and if it’s a safe walk. She said it would only be 10 minutes, it is safe, and she thought the stores were open until 7:00 (it was now 5:15 and almost dark.) but the restaurants are open a bit later.
Compared to most American cities, Namibia has a very low crime rate. However it was getting dark, and in a country with only 2 million people living in it, even the largest city Windhoek is a small town. The streets were dark and fairly empty
After a bit of debate on whether to get a taxi or to walk, we walked the several blocks to the mall. On the way there, Natalie did see someone sitting in a tree, wearing dark clothing. This increased their unease. We arrived at the complex at about 5 minutes after 6:00, and began to notice that many of the shops were dark and closed. We checked some of the signs, and almost all of them said 6:00. There were a few larger stores still open, but even those appeared to close at 6:30, so we split up to try and find somewhere that sold clothing. Natalie found one, and we all went over there. While we were looking around, Natalie at one point commented that people kept trying to talk to her, when she was trying to find the clothes before they closed. I reminded her that the cultural notes I found said that its common place when entering a business to greet the owner/employee whathaveyou, and that some people may find it very rude if you don’t. “This is the place that is like that? That’s why!”
“Think of it as the Nashville of Africa.”
We soon realized that unfortunately, this store specialized in mid-tier designer lines, which was a bit more pricey than what we were looking for to keep us warm while hiking through Namibia. Unfortunately, we were pretty much out of options, and we picked out a couple warm outfits/jackets for the girls.
We were getting a bit hungry, so we stopped at a semi-fast food burger joint called Wimpy for some food. Our waitress was an early twenties, rather bubbly girl. When we finished the meal, Natalie asked her if there was somewhere we could get a taxi, and asked again if it was safe to walk in the area. The waitress answered, walking is safe, but taxis not so much. I have a friend that takes a taxi and she knows a good one, I’ve used him a few times. I’ll call him for you.
Ten minutes later, a very short young man of about 25 years or so showed up on the other end of the mall. Our waitress pointed him out, and said there he is, way down there. She waved him down, and he began jogging goofily through the mall, eliciting some flirty giggles from our waitress and her friend. He then escorted us to his car, and drove us the half mile to the hotel, for a charge of only about US$5. Interestingly, on the way back, we again saw the man from the tree, this time, standing at the corner of the gate that surrounded the perimeter of our hotel, peering in through the bars. He did seem a bit creepy.
After this excitement, we headed to our [unheated] room, filled up our water bottles, grabbed the extra blankets in the closet, and turned in for the night.
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| Natalie and her Water Bottle |
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| Kalyssa and Her Water Bottle |
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