In transit
Arriving in Jo’burg, waiting for my luggage to slide down the belt, a small, rather cute dog was being walked around by a minder, sniffing the bags. Sniffing mine, the dog stopped, sat down, at looked at its ‘owner’. Did I have any fruits or cheese? One apple indeed and, in my checked in luggage, two nice little cheeses, but I didn’t tell anyone that of course.
I was allowed to eat the apple on the spot. Then, when my luggage arrived, I made sure I skirted the dog, which was now sitting nearby, next to another traveler’s backpack.
Cairo airport is nothing like how I remember it to be from my last visit. Then again, I don’t remember it at all.
I bought the ticket for my last leg online, with Kulula, one of the three low budget airlines operating in and around South Africa. Kulula has its own airplanes, all pretty in fluorescent green. Not so for the flight to Harare, which is operated by British Airways, but flown using a plane from the American carrier Comair. Indeed, a bit confusing.
In Harare, the airport, still looking very fine, was very quiet and empty. Last time I passed through, I had to queue up extensively, joining the many foreigners in getting a visa. Now, the bulk of the passengers queued up in front of the counter for residents.
Harare, at first, seems to have changed very little, except for the quiet streets. Not empty, just Sunday-like. Not like you’d expect a Monday afternoon to look like. Public transport, the many white vans, combis, operating as shared taxis, seemed to have all but disappeared.
But petrol is still available, if you have the right connections to get the coupons required.
Work starts tomorrow but today, it was time to relax with Rouzeh.