3 May
A 12 hour car trip with friends from Benin days Mary and Lee: just a few quick breaks, but the traffic holdup at one point had us crawling for hours. I had visited other ex-Benin friends at the SIM retirement home in Sebring, Florida. Didn’t see much of the area, but did catch up with people, as well as joining in with the morning aqua-aerobics in the pool. When she heard that I hoped to keep fit with this sort of exercise in Ouagadougou the leader kindly gave me an instruction book.
6 May - after repacking for a few days, I finally have the grand total of 2 bags and one box for check-in baggage, carryons and coat loaded, 2 trunks to follow late in the year by container to Niger (my plan to send books by mail didn’t work - they were returned), and a small box (mainly of books I need sooner than that) that may be added to other travelers to the area in the next few months.
I’ve had messages from a Canadian short-termer going on the same flight as I to Ouaga about meeting to spend some of our 9/10 hours in Paris, but she has other commitments as well in the day, and we agree to try to find each other in the terminal on the way out.
I take in a small plastic bag of things that I hope to add to bags if weight allows: when we get there the first bag is 51 lbs (1 over), but the second has 2.5lbs spare so the guy stops the conveyer belt leading it out of sight and I add 2 items. It’s decided that it’s too complicated to add to the box and retape it although there is a few pounds free. Calvin shoves the other 2 items (books) in the outside pocket of my already-full carryon - I hope that it will fit in the overhead bin now. I’ve already phoned to book in the excess item which was priced at US$180 to Ouaga, but the checker gives it to me for US$85, saying he wished he could waive it but doesn’t have the authority.
…..
As I typed the above paragraph waiting near the boarding gate I heard a garbled announcement with my flight number so went to the desk as I thought we were asked. Turned out they had overbooked and were looking for people to swap on to a Chicago flight instead of Washington. I thought of my flight early April out of Chicago (7 hours late due to 2 cancellations and a delayed flight I eventually got in via standby) but knew I had plenty of time to spare in Paris before the Ouaga flight and at least knew the Chicago airport (pretty well by now), and they promised I’d arrive only 2 hours later, so I agreed. Then I found out I got a voucher for a free round-trip within the USA for doing it, and they put me in first class for the flight to Chicago (only difference from economy on this short domestic flight was continuous free drinks instead of the one, and slightly more space).
6 May - after repacking for a few days, I finally have the grand total of 2 bags and one box for check-in baggage, carryons and coat loaded, 2 trunks to follow late in the year by container to Niger (my plan to send books by mail didn’t work - they were returned), and a small box (mainly of books I need sooner than that) that may be added to other travelers to the area in the next few months.
I’ve had messages from a Canadian short-termer going on the same flight as I to Ouaga about meeting to spend some of our 9/10 hours in Paris, but she has other commitments as well in the day, and we agree to try to find each other in the terminal on the way out.
I take in a small plastic bag of things that I hope to add to bags if weight allows: when we get there the first bag is 51 lbs (1 over), but the second has 2.5lbs spare so the guy stops the conveyer belt leading it out of sight and I add 2 items. It’s decided that it’s too complicated to add to the box and retape it although there is a few pounds free. Calvin shoves the other 2 items (books) in the outside pocket of my already-full carryon - I hope that it will fit in the overhead bin now. I’ve already phoned to book in the excess item which was priced at US$180 to Ouaga, but the checker gives it to me for US$85, saying he wished he could waive it but doesn’t have the authority.
…..
As I typed the above paragraph waiting near the boarding gate I heard a garbled announcement with my flight number so went to the desk as I thought we were asked. Turned out they had overbooked and were looking for people to swap on to a Chicago flight instead of Washington. I thought of my flight early April out of Chicago (7 hours late due to 2 cancellations and a delayed flight I eventually got in via standby) but knew I had plenty of time to spare in Paris before the Ouaga flight and at least knew the Chicago airport (pretty well by now), and they promised I’d arrive only 2 hours later, so I agreed. Then I found out I got a voucher for a free round-trip within the USA for doing it, and they put me in first class for the flight to Chicago (only difference from economy on this short domestic flight was continuous free drinks instead of the one, and slightly more space).
I watched from the window as Charlotte had the first fine weather for days until I saw my luggage arrive at the Chicago flight - cardboard box still intact in the seat behind the driver and bags held on the front of the tractor bonnet with one hand. I’d overheard the desk attendant tell them to change “the luggage for OUA - don’t even try to pronounce the name”.
I had a good connection in Chicago with a front row seat as we left of queues of planes on the tarmac in 4 directions taking off. The man in the window seat vacated it to take place in an empty center row so I had plenty of room, and relaxed but didn’t sleep as we flew to Paris.
7 May 2007
Since I still had several hours in Paris I did get out a bit, but with damp weather and my carryons too heavy to walk much I took a few bus rides past famous places, before meeting Ariane in the Ouagadougou departure area. We felt like we were on a “mystery tour” as a bus that had loaded us passengers kept going farther and farther around the airport.
7 May 2007
Since I still had several hours in Paris I did get out a bit, but with damp weather and my carryons too heavy to walk much I took a few bus rides past famous places, before meeting Ariane in the Ouagadougou departure area. We felt like we were on a “mystery tour” as a bus that had loaded us passengers kept going farther and farther around the airport.
