Finally the D-day arrived - 4th of May 2008. After galloping around (i mean it!!) to complete my documentation i finally found myself at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport early in the morning (2:30 am). I was booked on the 5:50 am Ethiopian airline flight from Mumbai to Dar Es Salaam via Addis Abba. I walked into the terminal, got my baggage screened, moved towards the check-in counter and put my luggage on the conveyor belt beside the counter.
"Mr. Sudeep, you are overweight" said the lady at the Ethiopian airline counter. I immediately remembered Shail and felt like quipping back "He!! he!! Me and overweight!! Wow!! Wish i really were". I am sure you guys must have already guessed that the lady was referring to the baggage that i was carrying which was 20 kgs in excess of the stipulated limit of 40 kgs. I looked at her, waiting for her to tell me that i would have to pay for the excess baggage. Instead she just kept punching the keys on the keyboard, issued my boarding pass and said "Have a nice flight." Heaving a sigh of relief i walked through the customs and immigration. Having completed all formalities i walked into the departure lounge for an hour long wait before my flight.
Hungry me
I did some window shopping at the duty free shop & hungry (as i always) i headed for the snack bar. On the way to the airport, dad told me to eat at the airport without having a look at the price. Now, that made me even more curious. I glanced at the snacks on display and then my eyes went looking for the cost -
Sandwich, samosa, pizza, puffs
The cost of it made me eat my cuffs
- When i initially saw the cost of a sandwich i wondered if there was a decimal point missing somewhere. It said...
Sandwich.............................................. Rs. 100
Wait... stop... before your imagination runs wild thinking about the fancy 100 buck sandwich, let me have the honour of describing it to you. Ingredients - 2 slices of bread, tomato & cucumber ONLY!!!! No salt. No pepper. No butter on the bread. Nothing. I believe i can make a better and more economical sandwich.
@ Addis Abba
The five and a half hour flight to Addis was on time at 5:50 am. After the hot sultry weather at bombay, Addis was a complete anticlimax. It was cloudy and wet with puddles of water on the airstrip suggesting that it had just stopped raining. The weather was simply amazing. A cool breeze blew across the open airport lands. Did someone say it was summer??
The airport at Addis was well maintained and spacious. I notices people of various hues waiting for their flight. Addis apparently happens to be a transit point for several destinations in Africa. There was this group of around 20 people who were waiting to board the same flight i was taking and they were make a lot of noise chit-chatting. Just before they proceeded for the security check-in they formed a circle, held hands and with heads bowed they maintained silence for around 2 minutes. This silence was infectious. They were the biggest group around making noise and when they stood in silence it was as if the entire airport became silent. This was a sight to see.
My flight from Addis left on time and around 3 hours later i landed in Dar Es Salaam. Another country... another place... What lay ahead, i wondered...
Coming up...
1. 1st impressions
2. Kids will be kids
3. A multiethinic dinner & a fire extinguisher
4. For the food lovers
5. Nampula
"Mr. Sudeep, you are overweight" said the lady at the Ethiopian airline counter. I immediately remembered Shail and felt like quipping back "He!! he!! Me and overweight!! Wow!! Wish i really were". I am sure you guys must have already guessed that the lady was referring to the baggage that i was carrying which was 20 kgs in excess of the stipulated limit of 40 kgs. I looked at her, waiting for her to tell me that i would have to pay for the excess baggage. Instead she just kept punching the keys on the keyboard, issued my boarding pass and said "Have a nice flight." Heaving a sigh of relief i walked through the customs and immigration. Having completed all formalities i walked into the departure lounge for an hour long wait before my flight.
Hungry me
I did some window shopping at the duty free shop & hungry (as i always) i headed for the snack bar. On the way to the airport, dad told me to eat at the airport without having a look at the price. Now, that made me even more curious. I glanced at the snacks on display and then my eyes went looking for the cost -
Sandwich, samosa, pizza, puffs
The cost of it made me eat my cuffs
- When i initially saw the cost of a sandwich i wondered if there was a decimal point missing somewhere. It said...
Sandwich.............................................. Rs. 100
Wait... stop... before your imagination runs wild thinking about the fancy 100 buck sandwich, let me have the honour of describing it to you. Ingredients - 2 slices of bread, tomato & cucumber ONLY!!!! No salt. No pepper. No butter on the bread. Nothing. I believe i can make a better and more economical sandwich.
@ Addis Abba
The five and a half hour flight to Addis was on time at 5:50 am. After the hot sultry weather at bombay, Addis was a complete anticlimax. It was cloudy and wet with puddles of water on the airstrip suggesting that it had just stopped raining. The weather was simply amazing. A cool breeze blew across the open airport lands. Did someone say it was summer??
The airport at Addis was well maintained and spacious. I notices people of various hues waiting for their flight. Addis apparently happens to be a transit point for several destinations in Africa. There was this group of around 20 people who were waiting to board the same flight i was taking and they were make a lot of noise chit-chatting. Just before they proceeded for the security check-in they formed a circle, held hands and with heads bowed they maintained silence for around 2 minutes. This silence was infectious. They were the biggest group around making noise and when they stood in silence it was as if the entire airport became silent. This was a sight to see.
My flight from Addis left on time and around 3 hours later i landed in Dar Es Salaam. Another country... another place... What lay ahead, i wondered...
Coming up...
1. 1st impressions
2. Kids will be kids
3. A multiethinic dinner & a fire extinguisher
4. For the food lovers
5. Nampula
1 comment:
sounds like you had an interesting trip! Rs.100 for a sandwich? now that's a first! looking forward to reading about your first impressions of Africa. Have always wanted to visit Dar-es-salaam. My dad was born there!
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