Pam went back to the room to clean up and pack for a 10.30 check out. She decided to ring Precision Air to see if we could get an exit seat for our flight from Johannesburg to Kilimanjaro tomorrow. Pam found out that Precision Air had cancelled the route in September 2012 but had not notified us of the change!!! After a bit of a discussion they rebooked us on a Kenya Airlines flight to Nairobi and then we have to fly back from Nairobi to Kilimanjaro! This flight leaves at 10.55am. Previously the flight was leaving at 1.35pm so it's just as well we checked. Funnily enough our flight time is less going via Nairobi than it would have been going direct, doesn't make sense but it is what it is...
We checked out of the hotel at 10.30 and waited for our pickup to the airport. There were many people checking out so we got talking to an American who had been travelling for a couple of weeks and was heading back to Jo'burg as well.
We got onto the minibus and headed to the airport around 11.15. There were a lot of people at the airport, a British Airways and a Sth African Airways flight were leaving at the same time, just like most other airports.... crazy, it was chaotic.
We got through screening etc and sat at the bar to have a drink and wait for an hour or more until the plane was leaving. The American guy we had been talking to at the hotel arrived so we were chatting, he left to get ready to get on his flight and then reappeared. Back out in the check in area one of the tour guides had a small carry bag with some souvenirs which he believed belonged to an Australian girl and wondered if that might be me. Which it was... I'd got distracted at the hotel with getting paperwork for the minibus driver to take us to the airport and had forgotten all about my shopping. One of the other Americans in the hotel lobby had noticed I'd been carrying it so when it got left behind he said it probably belonged to me and that they should take it to the airport as he knew we were also flying out. How lucky was I?? They let me go back through the screening point and collect the bag. I thanked the tour guide for his thoughtfulness.. and then went back to board the plane.
The flight was uneventful apart from Terry dropping half his lunch in his lap, so typical. Got through immigration and customs in Jo'burg easily and then on to the hotel shuttle bus for the 5 min ride to the hotel.
Said farewell to Maria and Steven around 6pm. They were flying back to New Jersey on an 8pm Delta flight. Terry and I had a light snack in the bar and a relatively early night.
Fond farewell to Maria and Steven
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