Fly the Friendly Skies

Notes from my flights:

I finally turned up the brightness on the window. The ocean is indeed vast, but it’s hard to see it in detail which makes it easier to stay awake. 

Now we’re over the Namib desert in its striking orange hues. Puffy white clouds dot the sky. I feel lucky to have found decent sleep over the course of the flight; the dark cabin and hum of the engines managed to lull a notably short sleeper into a cozy slumber.

The flight attendants are quite attentive and managed to deliver my banana approximately two minutes after I woke up. Color me impressed. The gluten free food on the flight was better than expected. A cute little salad and curry in the evening and eggs with potato and tomato before we landed.

Now I’m in the airport in Johannesburg getting ready for the next leg of the journey. I had a lovely stay in a hotel near the airport (not a ton of sleep but I think that’s to be expected). Many thanks to an old friend of mom’s for meeting me upon my arrival. The warm welcome made for a great introduction to South Africa. 

After a good shower and great conversation with the aforementioned welcoming committee, I managed to sort through my belongings and consolidate in advance of my flight today. I decided to leave a heavy metal box I’d brought along and so far I have zero regrets. Hopefully someone else gets more use out of it! I also had a lovely bouquet of roses so I got to trim them up and share them with the next person who might enjoy them. 

I got up in good time for breakfast and was pleasantly surprised to find passionfruit!! to go with my yogurt. The crunchy seeds and vibrant colors place it among my favorite fruits; as someone who eats a lot of fruit, that’s a high compliment. I had a tasty egg and some potatoes and mushrooms before heading to print my boarding pass and venture toward the airport. I managed to bring my bag down to almost the maximum weight limit (20kg/44lbs) but they didn’t say anything about it when it came in at 20.8 kg. 

I wore my heavier clothes today because my flight is not so long and I didn’t want to carry them, but ended up being quite comfortable with my coat and jean jacket. 

I am getting used to it being winter again. I enjoy wearing my warmer coats and wool socks. The sun sets early, and the colors are beautiful. 

I’m getting situated for a week on the coast. I had a fun airport ride over with a driver who suggested that I try bunny chow (curry in a bread bowl) and asked me about the seafood boil videos on the internet these days. The hotel let me check in early which I appreciate. I sometimes struggle to adjust to the physical demands of travel so it’s nice to have a place to chill out.

I can see a super cool skate park and the Indian Ocean from my hotel room and will go visit the shore to enjoy the sun eventually. 

Till next time,

Lillie