On the Way

August 5

Here I sit in the Heathrow Airport after waking from a fatigue and boredom induced nap. I arrived after a 6 hour 20 minute flight across the Atlantic on a journey that began at 11:45 or so in the evening. The plane did not leave on time. With a flight that began at the end of a day still crammed with preparations for departure, I didn’t have too much trouble sleeping, although fitfully because … let’s face it … airplanes are inherently uncomfortable. I knew I would have an 8 ½ hour layover and I wanted to be rested up. I thought perhaps I might even try to make it into downtown London. I remember that is exactly what I did once – on one of my journeys to India, but that was in the Eighties, this was post 9.1.1.

The first thing I did upon landing was go through customs not once, but twice. On my way from the washroom, I didn’t really notice the sign that directed me to Terminal 1 where I needed to be. Instead, following my herding instinct of discombobulated humans everywhere, I found the shortest line and stood in it. Only after I completed the annoying process, not seeing any sign for Terminal 3 did I think I had better ask a question or two. The security guard pointed me in the right direction and said “Go.”

I guess that is one advantage of an 8 ½ hour layover. You can afford to be dazed and confused and still have time to be at the right place at the right time. After passing through customs the second time, I made my way to the South African Airline counter only to find it unattended. Apparently, it was too early for them to even be there. I had a pressing question to ask too. I had to find out whether I would need to pick up my bag in Johannesburg or whether I would undergo customs in the smaller city of East London. I had to cool my heels until 2:00 at least, when someone would be at the counter. So what to do except explore my surroundings.

The airport was a testament to commerce. Lots of places to spend money and quite a few places to sit and wait or lie and wait because thankfully many of the seats did not have those bothersome arm rests that force you to sit upright. But I was still playing with the idea of going into town, so I went to the Currency Exchange. I hoped to get some information there because I didn’t see any airport sponsored information booths helping people to get the answers to their questions. Hmmmm. Maybe that was because I was still in Departures and not Arrivals. Anyway, the young woman at the currency exchange was very helpful. She gave me a range of options in what I could do, but in that moment I suddenly felt very tired.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how much money I needed. The cash I had on hand if converted wouldn’t yield me very much to spending money. I didn’t like the option of buying 500 pounds of currency in order to be eligible for the 0% fee return. In other words, I could have all the money I would need and sell it back to them at the same price. The woman told me I could pay to get my bag checked at arrivals and I would have a couple of hours to wander the streets of London if I left right away. At this point I didn’t even know how easy or hard it would be to get downtown. I just felt tired and lacking decisiveness. I decided to think about it. I found a place where people were waiting and laying about, so I joined the people in the prone position. It felt so good I fell asleep. The nap did me good. I was ready for a snack and found a tasty sandwich at an Italian eatery.

I remembered that now would be a good time to check the South African Airline counter. The agent checked my documents and told me that I would indeed have to pick up my luggage in Johannesburg, but that it was a simple process. She also said that with only 4 hours to get into town, it would be a big hassle with the risk of missing the flight because of rush hour in London and having to do the security check again. That made it clear where I would spend the next few hours.

So here I am now on the plane heading for Jo’burg. It’s much like the Air Canada plane, but I really do think there is more room between the rows. I don’t feel so cramped.