It was smooth sailing from Canada to Uganda. Everything got packed up well, and I only forgot a few tiny little things, but so far, nothing important. The flight to London was uneventful. I watched "Water for Elephants" and got a tiny bit of sleep. Every seat on the plane was packed full, so no room to stretch out! But it was ok. Had a decent seat-mate - a young woman who was going to live with her boyfriend in the Netherlands. Her Dutch was better than mine, so she was off to a good start :)
I was wondering how my 8 hour layover in London was going to go, since I hadn't slept in a while, and I hate that half-dazed feeling, wandering around the airport, greasy hair and sleep in my eyes. But it turned out not so bad, and went rather quickly. Terminal 5 has 3 sections - the main section with A Gates, then there are "satellite" terminals with Gates B and C. Since I flew out of Gate C last time, I knew there was a lovely Starbucks and some peace and quiet in Gate C area. But after getting off the plane, everyone is shuttled to Gates A section, where you have to go through security. Then you're immediately in the crazy business of the main Terminal 5, with no quiet places to sit, gizzilions of people everywhere and lots of noise.
So, I immediately got on a train to head over to Gate C, figuring I had 8 hours to wander back through Gates C, B and then end up at Gate A by dinner time before it was time to find the gate for my onward flight. That plan worked quite well. I found a completely deserted section of Gate C, with huge windows overlooking the runway. It was a lovely place to sit and relax and read my book and just be quiet for a little while. Once I got bored of sitting there all by myself (and a wee bit peckish for a snack!) on an uncomfortable upright chair, I made my way over to the Starbucks. Starbucks has beautiful couches to sit on, complete with little throw pillows. So I got a juice and a muffin (didn't think I could handle too much caffeine in my unslept-state) and enjoyed the comfy couch for quite a good chunk of time, while slowly nursing my muffin and juice (so I felt justified in taking up what was probably the most comfortable chair in all of Terminal 5!).
After quite a long time, though, I figured I might be overstaying my welcome, so it was off to the next Gate section to see if I could find another comfy Starbucks to sit in. Problem was, there were no signs anywhere leading you back to Gates A or B. No signs whatsoever! So I ended up going down the elevators I had come up on from the train from Gate A. And still no signs of how to get anywhere else. Fortunately, there was a nice staff woman sitting there near the train, probably for the very purpose of directing lost passengers. She realized I was a bit lost, so I told her I wanted to go to Gates B (didn't tell her I was just looking for another Starbucks rather than going to catch a flight...). She said that if I took the train, I would have to go through security at Gate A AGAIN, but instead, I should take the staff walkway. So she had to call on her walkie-talkie to "base" to tell them that she was going to let me through the walkway. She used her little swipe card and opened the door to the walkway. Wow. I wish I had a skateboard or something, because it it was just a huge long hallway, 20 feet across, and no end in sight. Just concrete and blue lights. "Off you go", said the nice lady. So there I was, all alone, in the bowels of Terminal 5, in a concrete bunker. Just me, my carry on luggage and the blue lights. It was pretty eery, actually!
And it was a LONG walk. 10 minutes of good walking, and not another soul down there. Periodically, there were chairs to sit in, but I didn't want to linger down there for very long! Eventually, I did come up at Gates B! And I saw that the walkway continued up to Gates A, as well.
Anyway, by then, I was happy to see people again, so I lingered around Gates B for a while, whiling away time while looking at magazine covers. I think North American magazines should learn from British magazines - they give away free stuff with all their magazines! You get free tote bags or free mascara or free nail polish with every magazine you buy! I also noticed that the cover for National Geographic is different in the UK than it is in North America. I guess they figured this month, the London audience would be more attracted to robots than to Grizzly Bears.
At Gates B, I found a deserted TV showing BBC, so I sat and watched that for a little while, all the while doing a bit of head bobbing while my eyes closed. Eventually, though, I got a bit hungry for some real food, so decided to head to Gates A for a burger or something. Of course, there were no signs again directing anyone to Gates A. Once you're at Gates B or C, they figure the only way you're going to get out is by getting on a plane! But I knew the secret this time... So off I went, down the elevator, and down a flight of stairs to the secret passageway. This time, the passageway was just open, no secret door to go through or anything. I really didn't know what I would find at the other end, and there were still no signs of any people at all, so it was still a bit eery. But sure enough, I ended up at a set of elevators, which indicated that they went up to Gates A. So up I went, by this time, with 3 staff people who had wandered by. They looked at me rather funny, wondering, probably, why I was in the passage way!
After a nice burger for dinner, I did manage to find a chair to sit in at Gate A, as they hadn't even posted which gate my flight was leaving from yet. I then managed to sleep a little, and by the time I woke up, it was time to go to my gate. I couldn't believe how quickly the time passed! But I had a good book, and I must have walked a few kilometers in the passageways, so it was all good.
Getting on the plane to Uganda was a bit fun. Again, the flight was absolutely PACKED. There were SO many people, with SO much carry on luggage. Couldn't believe all of us, and our junk, fit on that plane. It was actually a bit comical watching everyone try to settle themselves and their stuff. My own little sling-back "purse" fell on my head 3 times while people tried to find space for their stuff. Good thing it's got a nice padded back.
I fell asleep during two movies that I started, so gave up, but still couldn't sleep very comfortably. But I must have slept at least a little. I also made a lot of trips up and down the aisle to the galley to get some water and juice. I love it that BA keeps a tray of juice and snacks out all night, so you can go and help yourself.
Anyway, we made it to Uganda, safe and sound, and my buddy Grace was there to fetch me. All the luggage came through, too. There were a few groups of huge short-term missions teams on that flight, and I could not believe how much stuff they had (and this is the pot calling the kettle black, by the way). I was happy to see that two people were still travelling with old vinyl samsonite suitcases, exactly like my parent's old suitcases (one of which I now use for storage in Jb!).
As soon as Grace got me home, I had a shower and a snack, and then we walked over to the new hair salon near her house. While she got a hair cut, I got a pedicure. Man, what a way to arrive. I think I shall make it a tradition. My feet were all sore and swollen, and that pedicure did wonders for me. I've never in my life had a pedicure from a guy before, but this guy was good. He massaged the swelling right out of my feet and ankles! So armed with beautiful pink toenails, I was ready to take on the day. The idea was to stay awake until 8 pm. I almost managed - had to take a short nap in the afternoon. And I fell asleep right after dinner. But once I woke up from my cat nap (with a cat on my lap, by the way), I was able to stay awake till 10pm. Then, off to bed, where I slept like a log (or a dead soldier, as one of my colleagues likes to say!) until 6am. And today, I feel more awake than I have in days!
Hopefully that means I've nipped the jetlag in the bud :) But a cup of coffee sure would taste good now... good thing I brought Grace a giant tub of coffee. One cup as a carriage fee isn't unreasonable, is it?
I was wondering how my 8 hour layover in London was going to go, since I hadn't slept in a while, and I hate that half-dazed feeling, wandering around the airport, greasy hair and sleep in my eyes. But it turned out not so bad, and went rather quickly. Terminal 5 has 3 sections - the main section with A Gates, then there are "satellite" terminals with Gates B and C. Since I flew out of Gate C last time, I knew there was a lovely Starbucks and some peace and quiet in Gate C area. But after getting off the plane, everyone is shuttled to Gates A section, where you have to go through security. Then you're immediately in the crazy business of the main Terminal 5, with no quiet places to sit, gizzilions of people everywhere and lots of noise.
So, I immediately got on a train to head over to Gate C, figuring I had 8 hours to wander back through Gates C, B and then end up at Gate A by dinner time before it was time to find the gate for my onward flight. That plan worked quite well. I found a completely deserted section of Gate C, with huge windows overlooking the runway. It was a lovely place to sit and relax and read my book and just be quiet for a little while. Once I got bored of sitting there all by myself (and a wee bit peckish for a snack!) on an uncomfortable upright chair, I made my way over to the Starbucks. Starbucks has beautiful couches to sit on, complete with little throw pillows. So I got a juice and a muffin (didn't think I could handle too much caffeine in my unslept-state) and enjoyed the comfy couch for quite a good chunk of time, while slowly nursing my muffin and juice (so I felt justified in taking up what was probably the most comfortable chair in all of Terminal 5!).
After quite a long time, though, I figured I might be overstaying my welcome, so it was off to the next Gate section to see if I could find another comfy Starbucks to sit in. Problem was, there were no signs anywhere leading you back to Gates A or B. No signs whatsoever! So I ended up going down the elevators I had come up on from the train from Gate A. And still no signs of how to get anywhere else. Fortunately, there was a nice staff woman sitting there near the train, probably for the very purpose of directing lost passengers. She realized I was a bit lost, so I told her I wanted to go to Gates B (didn't tell her I was just looking for another Starbucks rather than going to catch a flight...). She said that if I took the train, I would have to go through security at Gate A AGAIN, but instead, I should take the staff walkway. So she had to call on her walkie-talkie to "base" to tell them that she was going to let me through the walkway. She used her little swipe card and opened the door to the walkway. Wow. I wish I had a skateboard or something, because it it was just a huge long hallway, 20 feet across, and no end in sight. Just concrete and blue lights. "Off you go", said the nice lady. So there I was, all alone, in the bowels of Terminal 5, in a concrete bunker. Just me, my carry on luggage and the blue lights. It was pretty eery, actually!
And it was a LONG walk. 10 minutes of good walking, and not another soul down there. Periodically, there were chairs to sit in, but I didn't want to linger down there for very long! Eventually, I did come up at Gates B! And I saw that the walkway continued up to Gates A, as well.
Anyway, by then, I was happy to see people again, so I lingered around Gates B for a while, whiling away time while looking at magazine covers. I think North American magazines should learn from British magazines - they give away free stuff with all their magazines! You get free tote bags or free mascara or free nail polish with every magazine you buy! I also noticed that the cover for National Geographic is different in the UK than it is in North America. I guess they figured this month, the London audience would be more attracted to robots than to Grizzly Bears.
At Gates B, I found a deserted TV showing BBC, so I sat and watched that for a little while, all the while doing a bit of head bobbing while my eyes closed. Eventually, though, I got a bit hungry for some real food, so decided to head to Gates A for a burger or something. Of course, there were no signs again directing anyone to Gates A. Once you're at Gates B or C, they figure the only way you're going to get out is by getting on a plane! But I knew the secret this time... So off I went, down the elevator, and down a flight of stairs to the secret passageway. This time, the passageway was just open, no secret door to go through or anything. I really didn't know what I would find at the other end, and there were still no signs of any people at all, so it was still a bit eery. But sure enough, I ended up at a set of elevators, which indicated that they went up to Gates A. So up I went, by this time, with 3 staff people who had wandered by. They looked at me rather funny, wondering, probably, why I was in the passage way!
After a nice burger for dinner, I did manage to find a chair to sit in at Gate A, as they hadn't even posted which gate my flight was leaving from yet. I then managed to sleep a little, and by the time I woke up, it was time to go to my gate. I couldn't believe how quickly the time passed! But I had a good book, and I must have walked a few kilometers in the passageways, so it was all good.
Getting on the plane to Uganda was a bit fun. Again, the flight was absolutely PACKED. There were SO many people, with SO much carry on luggage. Couldn't believe all of us, and our junk, fit on that plane. It was actually a bit comical watching everyone try to settle themselves and their stuff. My own little sling-back "purse" fell on my head 3 times while people tried to find space for their stuff. Good thing it's got a nice padded back.
I fell asleep during two movies that I started, so gave up, but still couldn't sleep very comfortably. But I must have slept at least a little. I also made a lot of trips up and down the aisle to the galley to get some water and juice. I love it that BA keeps a tray of juice and snacks out all night, so you can go and help yourself.
Anyway, we made it to Uganda, safe and sound, and my buddy Grace was there to fetch me. All the luggage came through, too. There were a few groups of huge short-term missions teams on that flight, and I could not believe how much stuff they had (and this is the pot calling the kettle black, by the way). I was happy to see that two people were still travelling with old vinyl samsonite suitcases, exactly like my parent's old suitcases (one of which I now use for storage in Jb!).
As soon as Grace got me home, I had a shower and a snack, and then we walked over to the new hair salon near her house. While she got a hair cut, I got a pedicure. Man, what a way to arrive. I think I shall make it a tradition. My feet were all sore and swollen, and that pedicure did wonders for me. I've never in my life had a pedicure from a guy before, but this guy was good. He massaged the swelling right out of my feet and ankles! So armed with beautiful pink toenails, I was ready to take on the day. The idea was to stay awake until 8 pm. I almost managed - had to take a short nap in the afternoon. And I fell asleep right after dinner. But once I woke up from my cat nap (with a cat on my lap, by the way), I was able to stay awake till 10pm. Then, off to bed, where I slept like a log (or a dead soldier, as one of my colleagues likes to say!) until 6am. And today, I feel more awake than I have in days!
Hopefully that means I've nipped the jetlag in the bud :) But a cup of coffee sure would taste good now... good thing I brought Grace a giant tub of coffee. One cup as a carriage fee isn't unreasonable, is it?
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