I left Melbourne on a beautiful morning and carrying the friendship, smiles, hugs and cheers that Lizzy and João offered me at 5:30am!! That meant a lot to me. I could wish for no better send off.
I arrived at the airport on time, got on the plane on time, arrived in Perth on time, Got out of Perth on time and arrived in Johannesburg on time. And that was it. I was in Africa. And problems are as common as flies here. I had a ticket from Johannesburg to Blantyre that needed to be converted to a boarding pass. So there I went, to the Passengers in Transit Lounge to find the Air Malawi stand. Air Malawi… Air Malawi… nothing. No stand for Air Malawi. I asked around on the other stands. Got 3 different answers. Finally in one of them a lady there called someone that knew someone that told me that someone from Air Malawi would be right down. This was 17:30h. My flight was at 19:40h. I had plenty of time, so I was relaxed. In the meantime I was watching all the activity around me. A Delta Airlines flight had been delayed 8h and some Americans there were not very amused by it. A Spanish guy was flying to Madrid, but had no idea how to get his boarding pass also. Suddenly I realized it was already 18h00. Nobody had come. I went there again, and that lady was not there. Then I heard a couple of Chinese guys saying the word Malawi desperately to a guy from TAAG. I went up to tem and found out that they had come from Malawi, with South African Airlines (SAA), but that they were supposed to come with Air Malawi, and now they didn’t have their luggage!!
- Why didn’t you come with Air Malawi? – I asked
- Because ALL their flights have been cancelled because both their 2 planes broke down!
Ah… the excitement of one small sentence…
ALL flights cancelled
Air Malawi has 2 (!!!) Airplanes
The planes, BOTH of them, had broken down…
I called the number that was in a big billboard in the lounge and that said Air Malawi, but the number was not correct… of course… this was when a strange looking Norwegian guy told me he had been in the Lounge since 10h that morning and that he still didn’t have a boarding pass… But he had the correct number for the Air Malawi Office. So I called (what you are about to read is the EXACT conversation I had with the guy on the phone… I wrote it in my black book so I would never forget!!):
- Air Malawi, how can I help you?
- Hi, Hello! Hum… I’m in the Transit Lounge and I need a boarding pass to flight 204 at 19h40 to Blantyre, but there is nobody here from Air Malawi. Could you, please, send someone here?
- There is nobody there sir.
- I know that…
- Where are you Sir?
- I’m in the Transit Lounge…
- You will need a boarding pass if you are in transit. Do you need to check in luggage?
- No… I just need the Boarding Pass…
- Without boarding pass you cannot go on the plane, sir.
- Look… Let me try again! I’m in the Transit Lounge and I need a boarding pass to flight 204 at 19h40 to Blantyre.
- Allright sir. I’ll send someone down. Thank you.
-Cheers…
It’s needless to describe my face, or the continuous laughing of my Nordic friend since the beginning of the call. We waited 5min… 10 min… 15 min…
- Someone for Air Malawi!?
- YES!!!
I went to the lady, explained her my situation and with a big smile she told me not to worry. Very nicely she relieved me of my passport, my tickets, and disappeared! Not looking good, I thought, but… 20 min later she was back. With my boarding pass!!
Apparently, there was going to be a flight to Blantyre with Air Malawi that night. Not that I liked it very much! Lol
I finally got myself on the plane, a good looking Boeing 737 that smelled like it had been marinating in fuel all day! After all the safety checks, the captain spoke:
- Ladies and Gentlemen… blah, blah… we had to change the engine of the aircraft and the engineers told me that some fuels had got in some systems and that these fuels are responsible for this smell, but I guarantee fresh air once we get to Blantyre.
LOLOLOL… very good!! Some fuels in some systems is just beautiful!
The important thing is that I’m here already and willing to do my work and to enjoy a bit, whenever possible! :D
See you soon! Some sleep is getting into some body parts and now I need to do something about it…
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5 comentários:
Not to worry mate!
You'll soon be out of the job! better start looking for something better to do, cause a few portuguese cientists (not like yourself) showed a mathematical schematic to erradicate Malaria from Africa!
Better see what you can do either with your cooking skills or with your hairless girl looking chest...
May I suggest a book? Keep on traveling and then write a book about it. Or marry a rich old lady owner of a diamond mine... beware the wrinkles
Bem, eu vou ser do contra e escrever em português.
Devo dizer que esses africanos concretizam um certo estereotipo que o pessoal tem acerca deles xD (não me chamem racista ou pre-conceituoso, vocês concordam comigo).
Quanto à ideia da Carla, não te atrevas a fazer-me concorrência ao prémio nobel da literatura. Sei que ter dois portugueses concorrentes a tal prémio seria fenomenal mas devo dizer que humilhar-te assim tão publicamente seria um pouco mau. Mas garanto-te que leria o teu livro e diria publicamente que o teu vale bem mais a pena que o meu (que já tem 3 versões, logo, já tenho 3 livros xD)
Ahhh!!!! Africa!!!!
Not that I want to generalize from one or two Black African countries to the whole African continent but one does seem to find the same situations over and over again, in many different parts of Africa: West, East, Central. It really seems like it doesn't matter.
Anyway! I know you know it's part of life there and that you just have to deal with it, as you did. I personally find it very enjoyable, even when it gets uncomfortable, worrying or annoying...
I sincerely wish you the best of time there!
Enjoy all of these moments, as you did in Angola and remember them all: places, faces, times, smells, colors, sounds, atmospheres. This continent is the heart of the Earth and it vibrates, it pulses, it sucks and pushes, vacuums and blows. It is youth, it is freshness, it is energy. Unfortunately, higher up it is mainly corruption, self-centered egoistic maniacs that only think about money and power for themselves and forget about their people. The top of the pyramid is engulfed in the slimy putrid glue of selfishness and materialism. I can only hope that this toxic slime won't slide down the sides of the pyramid and contaminate the still beating and willing base!
As Femi Kuti did before me, I wonder what will tomorrow bring to Africa...
Glad to know that you have everything done for your trip to malawi, though not everything is perfect. I believe this is at least part of the reason why your portugese travelling and exploring the world.
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