We make it here

WE ARRIVE

TUESDAY MORNING: Flight arrived a bit early in Dakar from Dulles. Seemed likely we would make the 7 a.m. flight. Went through customs control and made our way to the Senegal ticket booth. Flight is closed, they told us - taking off in 30 minutes -too late to board. After insisting that we need to make the flight, they agreed to pursue it. Then the issue of luggage came up. You are 120 KG overweight. We will need to charge you. We explained we carefully weighed everything to make sure we were not over the weight limit. They said the weight limit was 20 KG per person. We told them their website says it is 35 kg. They insisted each of us was over by 15 kg for a total of 60 kg. And since Judy and I brought four extra bags for Beryl plus our carry-on bags, we were over another 60 kg. They charged us for 100 kg – a total of $220. We had little choice but to pay. They were holding the plane for us. The others boarded. Judy and I paid for the luggage and were finally escorted directly to the plane.

DISAPPOINTED: Off we go towards Zinguinchor. Forty minutes later we descended into Ziguinchor airport. Landing gear down, brakes on, ready to land, but suddenly the plane thrust forward and upward and then turned. Our first attempt at landing has failed, the pilot announced. The weather had deteriorated and it was impossible to land. The dust and fog are too dense to land. Back to Dakar we go. Could be thirty minutes or an hour until we try it again, we were told. Two hours later, they said we may depart in the evening or next day. Very strange weather – heavy dusty fog with bright sun shining through, but very low visibility all day. Beyrl says it is dust from the desert. We waited on hard seats in the dusty airport. Finally call Beryl and Patrice to come and get us. As we were ready to leave, the airlines tell us it is scheduled to depart at 6 p.m. Are you sure? Yes! Will it definitely depart? Absoultely! Are you sure? Yes. So we decide to stay at the airport and go to a Senegalese restaurant in the airport for some good food about 2:30 p.m (9:30 a.m. back home). 4:30 p.m. Here we sit again. Hope we take off soon and land in Ziguinchor! We put our trust in you God.

CANCELLED: We ask again to borrow someone’s cell phone. Call Beryl, call Patrice. Patrice comes and guides us in taxis to a guesthouse. Went to ATM machine. Bought a large 3 gallon jug of water. Finally got to bed at 9:30. Awake at 4:20 to leave by 4:40 for airport in two taxis. Arrive at airport. Wait in line. Ask what to do. They tell us to go to gate. What about boarding passes. Use what you used yesterday. What about our luggage? It will be taken care of. Go through security for about the tenth time in two days. They confiscate our water for the first time. Drink the whole bottle. At the gate we ask if we are on flight. They say yes. What about luggage. It will be on the flight. Don and Jon go over to luggage storage area to make sure it gets on. They come back with an affirmative. We finally sit down. An agent calls us to the gate. I show her our tickets and our baggage claim tickets. She shakes her head and says come with me. We go back out through security again to the ticket counter. After another half hour of not being able to find us or our bags on the boarding list, a supervisor comes and helps clear everything up and helps us and our bags get on the plane – we hope.

Feels like everyone knows us at the airport. The Sengal ticket agents. The security persons. The persons who work at the café who sold me a SIM card that didn’t work in my cell phone. The kind lady in another shop who loaned me her cell phone and wouldn’t take anything for it. Another shop owner who sold me a $6.00 calling card that I thought would be mine to call Beryl, but instead used it to add minutes to his cell phone.
We go through security again – hopefully for the last time. Jim and Marlin get stopped – batteries from the flashlight get confiscated. Every other time – no problem. Why now? The plane is still sitting out there with no activity. The flight to Ziguinchor is no longer on the screen. The dust/fog doesn’t look good. Suddenly an announcement – Ziguinchor boarding now. Hope is revived. As we drive to the airplane on the bus, we see the wheel barrel on a wagon waiting to be loaded. Yes – at least one item will make it. A good sign.

ARRIVE IN ZIGUINCHOR: We take off – are on our way again. Smooth flight. Descent begins. Fog and dust. Finally we see ground. Good sign. A few moments later we are on the ground, claiming all 14 pieces of luggage. It is so good to see Beryl and be out of the Dakar airport. We walk about 15 minutes from the airport to a guesthouse. Beryl buys us bread and fruit for breakfast. Judy and I go with Beryl to get everyone visas to Guinea Bissau. I’m sitting in office waiting for visas while Judy and Beryl are grocery shopping. Next adventure is our journey to Gambia.

SIDETRIP TO THE GAMBIA: We arrived. Will hopefully give the story of this adventure tonight or sometime, but the improtant thing is we arrived and we are safe. Lots of photos but no time now.

Love to all!
Ron