12 July. Wednesday. Today is our homeward bound day. We checked out of Hotel Tembo at
1030 (after a horrible buffet breakie of which I had tea and the least of the stale croissants.) We stashed our stuff in the hotel lobby's lock up closet and checked email on the free internet... and it was free cos it was dial-up and SLOW! We had to wait until 2pm to get a ride to Zanzibar airport, so we sat about the verandah and read. Being that breakie was a sad affair we went out looking for a good lunch, which we found at the lobby of the Serena Inn. (good coffee there too.)
After a nice light lunch, we went back out into the town and did a bit more shopping at two cool stores that we had visited the day before as we still had Tanzanian shillings burning in the pockets of our safari shorts.
Time moved on slowly, as slow as the internet we were surfing to pass the time. Soon our Island Express van arrived to shuttle us to the airport. Once again, we had it easy as the porters lugged our duffels to the check in line. We were pointed to one line, so we stood there and then this American BIATCH looks at us and said something rude refering to the fact that we were in the wrong line for Nairobi. I was ready to ask her who made her boss! It wasnt as if we were jumping the queue in front of her! We moved to the next line.. only to be moved back to first line in minutes. After we got through that hassle.... we moved on to the passport and visa line where we got the thrill of paying 28 something dollars (American please) to LEAVE Tanzania!
They even offer to wrap your luggage in cello wrap for a price of five American dollars. We declined that luxury though. The flight back to Nairobi was a much bigger plane than the white knuckler we rode to Zanzibar, and we got to fly past Mt. Kili (Mum took pics.) When we got to Nairobi, we got off the plane and thanked Dog aka Thor for not having to shlep our luggage around Narobi Airport. We went to suss out a taxi to Carnivores restaurant as we had our Kenya Visas in paws... but only found out that the road into town was backed up for hours due to traffic and accidents.... so even though we had 6 hours until the flight to Nodnol..... we would be calling it close to getting back in time :(. Instead, we walked down to the Java Lounge for a cuppa coffee (I was so warm I took an Iced Mocha.) We sat and read and sipped coffees for a bit... then we got up and walked around the airport shops for reading material. I bought a Jodi Picoult novel "The Pact" to read on the plane. We bidded our time and went on to collect our free meal ticket for dinner in the wait lounge. We got sat at a table next to a Kiwi/Svensk couple... very nice couple. We sat and chatted with them. I can't remember the lassie's name but she was with a swede named Tomas. They were on their way back to northern Sweden. After supper, it was just a lil while before loading up on the plane so we sat in the waiting lounge and read.... listening to swahili and screaming babies........ then we got to go sit in the departure lounge. They took forever and a day to get us on to the plane. Finally, settled in and given blankees.. we tucked into our cramped economy seats for a few hours of shut eye.
We arrived into Heathrow with the sun.... after breakie on the plane they delivered us to customs at London... luckily we just had to do the "in transit" thingie... so no worries.. but we still had to collect our luggage and shlep it from terminal 4 to terminal 1 to check in for our United Airlines flight to LAX which would take off 7 hours later! We did the usual customs, collect luggage.. schlep it down to the trains.... on the tube... to Terminal 1 where we then gladly checked in our now heavier luggage onto the plane (why is it that even if you buy nothing abroad, you luggage is way heavier on the return flight?)
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Mum and I hung about the departure lounge at Heathrow, had a coffee at the Starbucks Kiosk and read for a bit. We each took turns running off to the loo and the bookstall for yet more reading material.. (oh come on... of course I need a new book.. cos you see, it was an eight hour flight from Nairobi, and now I have a 10 hour flight!)
We whittled away the time... had a bit of lunch at TGIFridays (burgers baby, burgers.) and finally were allowed into the departure gate where we sat for another hour because of course the plane was over booked and they were looking for volunteers to take a different flight... oh, the 1000 dollar voucher sounded good.. but a night in my own bed and being snogged by my doggies sounded way better!
OK.. we are on the plane now. But leaving Heathrow is always a chore.. arriving too. One seems to always have to sit in the hot plane on the hot tarmac waiting for take off clearance... we waited nearly an hour and finally were allowed to take off. Mum and I had seats not together, and unlike the trip over, both of us were too worn out to bother with trying to trade for seats together.. so we just stayed in our ticketed seats. I did my best to sleep the way over. Tried to watch movies, but the only good one was "eight below" and I just couldnt sit through watching those poor malamutes alone at the south pole again. LOVE those dogs!
Well.. Im cramped, tired and grumpy.... we arrive in LA. Mum books buns off the plane cos her plane to SLO via SF is gonna take off... shes hoping to get a different flight straight to SLO... so she is GONE. I get off.. make it through customs, collect and redeposit my luggage and head off to United Express where I find mum at the gate for flight to SLO. (her original flight is taking off with out her to her delight.) She has an hour til her flight, I have two hours to wait myself.
O.K. wait is over. I'm on the flight to Fresburg. But I hardly remember it cos I sat down, clipped in and soon fell asleep barely remembering the safety lecture. I just remember waking up and looking out the window and wondering if i was looking down at L.A. or Fresburg.... thankfully it was Fresburg! (and when is someone thankful for seeing Fresburg? LOL)
Off the plane... waiting for the luggage so I ring up Elli at work. Oh ma gosh, the schedule sucks.. I have to report for work Sat night.. its THURSDAY (nearly Friday) now. So I collect luggage, cuss again about the work thing, and go out to suss out a cab over to work so I can get my car. But where is my car... I wait a few minutes, ring up dewitt subacute.. and ok.. Jan is out on break getting Jack in the Crack. Luckily, minutes later he shows up with my Subaru and Im soon on my way home to my own bed and my dogs.
