TIME Travel...

Quite a build up to this trip. Ingrid resigned from her job at the Hospital where she had worked for 12 years. Not an easy decision to make, but I feel that she really needed to. She loved her job, but it it was in my opinion, and ultimately her own, costing her her health. Continuously surrounded by the stress of people being ill must have eaten her some. They were great years, but it was TIME to close the book. TIME for something new...

True story being that although she was both saddened and happy that she had made the bold decision, the happy definately allowed her to loose some of the stress in her life! To the outside world she had changed! Being honest she will say that she felt changed!

In our current world of what is truth and what is lies, I Iook at the predicament we are placed in. To book a flight with the Royal Dutch Airlines from Amsterdam to Johannesburg is more expensive than to book our trip from Brussels Airport. You would not expect this in todays climate (brilliant choice of words) of "Our Environment is being heavily burdened by the race called Humans", that it is possible for the following scenario to be possible. It is cheaper to fly from Brussels Airport to Johannesburg than to fly from Amsterdam to Johannesburg. Wait I hear you ask, where is the idiocracy in this? [Aside: IdioCRAZY it should be spelled].

So Travel from Home to Brussels Airport, Board a flight to Amsterdam and then fly with Flight 591 to Johannesburg is €200 per person CHEAPER than Travelling from Home to Amsterdan Airport , Boarding the exact same flight 591 from Amsterdam to Johannesburg! Repeat in reverse direction on the homeward journey. So WRONG on so many levels! So there you go.... The rule of thumb is if it is cheaper it is acceptable. Unless we are TOLD otherwise! Silly business these Politicians and all.

Up in the morning and off to school (A saying from when times were normal).  4am wakeup called by the alarm clock and off we go to Brussel Airport. Thankfully no protests by the Farmers so we arrived at the guestimated time at the airport and it was Kiss & Ride. Daughter Bo would take the car safely back Home. Brussels Airport seems somehow more relaxed and user friendly than Amsterdam Schipol (Kindly referred to as Shithole Airport by some). Not quite yet able to lay my finger on the how and why, but the penny is in the slot and one day it will drop.

Our flight to Amsterdam was uneventful at first. "Ladies and gentleman. Captian X-man from the flight deck. We will be starting our decent in 4 minutes. It is windy at Schipol Airport and it probably will be bumpy on final approach. We thank you for flying Royal Dutch Airlines. Fasten your seat belts please". Give that m

an a Medal!!! It was indeed bumpy. Very bumpy!!! Pilot X handelled it extremely well. Chapeau Captain!!! Definately an X-man! This man had skills! 

After nearly a marathon distance walk from terminal to terminal at Amsterdam Shithole we arrived at the gate and boarding of flight 591 had just started. The larger plane did not seem to be bothered much by the wind. Maybe the pilot was also that good? A pretty smooth flight ensued with only a few minor bumps somewhere over the Sahara. And then we landed in Johannesburg. We had gained an hour! TIME TRAVEL for Dummies!

PS: A whole chapter could be added about my tiff with the man at passport control in South Africa, but I will says that he had a chip on his shoulder and somehow decided that I was the deserving recipient of his vent. He finallly stamped my Dutch passport and granted entry after earlier having threatened to place me on the next plane back home!

From the Airport to the shuttle bus and then to the hotel for a much wanted shower and sleep. Funny that youare tired but not really tired after sitting in a plane for 10.5 hours. Somewhere, some time in the time spectrum we fell alseep and it was Groundhog day again. 03h30 and the alarm was loving it! Up in the morning and off to school! We  realised that we were in South Africa! HOME (almost). The Domestic flight to Port Elizabeth was termed relaxed. As per usual at destination (The windy city) the pilot did the required high speed landing and was strong on the brakes.

TIME to meet the parents. We had a delightfully morning breakfast with my parents and then after gaining access to the world wide web in the form of a South African simcard for Ingrid (Mine from our last trip was still valid) we set off for a quick visit to the surfski factory (Carbonology Sport) and took the highway to our final destination, Cape St Francis.

We checked in at my brothers in laws for the keys to his vacation house and are settled in our 'home' for the next few months. Travelling through TIME is tiring, but a good shower and an hour with the lids shut, one is back in the race!