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Very detailed Africa travelogue with lots of information for anyone planning a trip. Indexed for easy reference. 11 Countries over 3 months.
3 months in Africa -- detailed travelogue, travel tips, indexed
Larry2006-05-27 03:11:54
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into Atlanta, we all had to claim our bags and take them
through immigration and customs (then re-check them onto our connecting
Delta flights). While in Atlanta, I realized that the agent in Cape Town
hadn't assigned me a seat for my Atlanta - Los Angeles flight. By the time
I was in Atlanta, the agent at the special connection desk was only able to
give me a middle seat, saying window seats were still available, but blocked
since it was so close to flight time. She suggested asking at the Delta
Service Counter or at the gate. Having time to spend, I went first to the
service counter, but after waiting 15 minutes, was told they couldn't access
the blocked seats either. Then, heading to the gate to wait (where I was
second in line), the agnet opened up with an announcement that if you're
waiting to change your seat, don't bother -- as there are no seats left
(even though I was told by everyone that indeed there were seats available
that I could request at the gate). When I mentioned this to the agent, he
curtly said "nope, I don't have anything", so I asked him to write my name
down in case a window seat opened up or the flight was overbooked (as I'd
volunteer my seat). He scribbled down my name, and I left to wander
around. Coming back a bit later, I asked if they were overbooked. He said
no, but when I again asked him about a window seat, again, one magically
appeared. He was surly and rude, and certainly didn't present a good image
for Delta.
While at the Atlanta airport, I stopped at a snack bar to buy a doughnut
(99c), and when I was asked to pay a dollar and change, I had to stop and
remember that back in the U.S. now, tax is charged separately. One more bit
of information about the airport: upon first landing in Atlanta, we passed a
sign on the runway saying "Caution: Area Not Visible From Control Tower."
Hmmm...
The Delta flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles was full (and long), though
I wound up passing some of the time by talking to the businessman sitting
next to me (who imported power tools from Asia), as well as a South African
businessman in the back whom I had met on the earlier SAA aircraft.
Finally, after a 22-hour flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg to Ile de
Sal to Atlanta -- then a 2-hour layover and another 5-flight, I was back in
Los Angeles, arriving in at noontime.
Looking back on the trip, I fully realize what a wonderful experience it
was. Africa is a place that's largely ignored by the U.S. and Europe, but
it's a continent worthy of attention. Though tradition still holds firm,
the countries here are modernizing in their own way, and I know that a visit
ten years from now will show a vastly different Africa than the one I saw
this time around. The trip was long, but it was something that will stay
with me for the rest of my life -- and I can hardly wait until the next time
I'm in the area!
::::: End :::::
Please visit my webpage for more travelogues and other things:
http://www.tcp.com/~lgreenf
http://www.nausicaa.net/~lgreenf (mirror)
See photographs from:
Botswana Gallery
,
Cape Verde Gallery
,
Kenya Gallery
,
Lesotho Gallery
,
Malawi Gallery
,
Mauritius Gallery
,
Swaziland Gallery
,
Tanzania Gallery
,
Zambia Gallery
,
Zimbabwe Gallery
I just thought it might be helpful for you to know how i am finding your system.
Thank you
Susan J, 2008-01-28 14:00:20