Johannesburg
Trip Start
Jun 28, 2007
1
2
15
Trip End
Aug 07, 2007
Johannesburg,
South Africa
Thursday, June 28, 2007
You will recall from my introduction to this blog how much time, effort and thought I put into packing - especially from the perspective of not carrying anything that is not allowed under the new rules. So when the explosive checkers at the Bangkok airport asked me to open my bag for inspection after x-raying it, I was feeling smugly confident in the knowledge that they wouldn't find anything illegal amongst my belongings. Well, you can probably guess from the fact that I'm even mentioning this that they did find something illegal in my bag: The new high tech explosive detection system detected my hidden containers of (actually non-explosive) peanut butter and blueberry preserves! Crap! My complaints that they were taking away my breakfast for the next couple of weeks were completely ignored. What does my breakfast matter when national - nay, international security is at risk? So they confiscated my precious consumables and got me started on my trip in a bad mood, as it is their job to do
01-Armed for the flight
.28 June
When I booked this flight a week ago, my seat was the only occupied one on the row. And most of the rest of the plane was empty too. I was really looking forward to having an entire row to myself and to having a good sleep on this 10 1/2 hour flight because I would really need it given the number of successive flights I would be taking within the course of the next day. Well, it was not to be. The flight was stuffed to the gills. Not a spare seat to be found. And my entire row was occupied - by a few very hefty South African ladies. After a chat with my neighbors and a not very good meal, I resigned myself to having to sleep sitting up. The only hope was with my trusty sleeping pill that I carry for precisely such situations. About an hour after taking the pill, I dozed off and slept off and on until just before breakfast about an hour before landing. All things considered, it was a decent sleep under the circumstances. I also wish to point out that at breakfast we were given metal knives with our utensils. So I can't carry my own peanut butter - but the airline feels comfortable GIVING me and everybody else a knife. I think I'm beginning to understand.
We arrived at Johannesburg right on time at 6 a.m. to nearly freezing temperatures (1 degree Celsius.) People told me that it had snowed the night before - for the first time since 1981. (The result of global warming, no doubt.) I immediately transferred to the international departure lounge without having to pass through customs and immigration - contrary to what I had been told to expect by the Thai Airways staff in Bangkok.
Comments
A Knife on the plane?!?!
You should do something with it.