So....I stepped off the plane in Hartford yesterday (Thur.) at about 1:20 p.m. I began taveling on Wed. at about 1:09 p.m. Mind you, there is a 6 hour time difference, which makes the trip, for me, about 30 hours. That is better than my flight TO Malawi...which was seriously about 2 days!!
The airport I left from was really small...I don't know if you can make it out, but there are people just outside the airport, looking at the luggage. When you step into this airport, the conveyer belt is to your immediate right. Your luggage goes through a 'scanner', whick I'm not sure actually scans anything, and you collect it at the end. You then walk approximately 10 steps to the counter, where you get your ticket. They perform all the tasks any other airport does, it's just on a much smaller and a bit less sophisticated scale. I went through a security check point where they frisk you and look in your carry on luggage, then on to the waiting room. They ask you to check outside to identify your luggage before they load it on the plane. When it was time to board the plane, they make sure that you have identified your luggage; by the time I go on there was still a pile out on the tarmac unidentified. Some people don't know how to follow directions I have discovered! Oh, and the other 'funny' thing is...the plane we got on,, had just arrived and was the only plane out there...one plane at a time, is how this airport functions!
I flew for 2 hours to Johannesburg where I spent the next 7 and a half hours...It really went by rather quickly, thankfully! I had some coffee, a little food, and did some homework...getting ready to return to school. The next leg of the journey would be the longest...7-8 hours flying to Dakar, Senegal, then onto the U.S. We spent an hour on the ground in Senegal, and I was able to see outside because it was 6 a.m., and light out. We had landed there several times before and never seen what it looked like, it looks very nice and my 'seatmate' said that it is a very peaceful city and beautiful; anything right on the ocean is bound to have some beauty. oh, another noteworthy item about those last 7-8 hours...we ate 'dinner' at about 12 a.m., and the movies did not work!!! They said they were going to try to re-boot the system to get them working, which they tried and it did not work!! So, we left Dakar and onto our next stop 8 hours over the ocean to Washington!! Again, the movies did not work...I was able to sleep a bit on these flights, ate, did a little reading, which made me tired so I closed my eyes some more...
And the rest is history...I arrived at Bradley, met Stephen on my way to the luggage...and my bag came right out. I have had an opportunity to unpack and as far as I can tell, nothing is missing. All in all, a very successful travel experience and trip! I began working on a sight uploading photos and video, and will continue that, so stay tuned and check it out:
My next adventure starts in about 11 days...riding my bike 500 miles around New England trying to raise funds for Educate Malawi! If you have not already done so, please support my effort and a donation of any size will be greatly appreciated. You can donate on the website or by check, made out to Educate Malawi, Inc. and all donations are tax deductible!
Stay tuned for more adventures!
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