“That flight does not exist anymore.” Those were the words that greeted me when I finally got through the nightmarish visa line and was relieved of $100 US cash money at Dar Es Salaam Julius Nyerere International Airport and tried to get a boarding pass for my 4:30pm flight to Arusha. Interesting I thought. My bags were checked through to Arusha by the Ethiopian Airlines agent the day before when I boarded my 12 1\/2 hour flight to Addis Ababa. But she was just going by what was on my printed itinerary….<\/p>\n
“We can fly you to Kilamanjaro. You’ll need to go back and get your checked bags. Do hurry as the flight is boarding in two minutes.” Without thinking much about it I asked the agent if I could leave my 46 1\/2 pound Think Tank Airport International roll aboard, the one with roughly $40,000 worth of Canon camera gear and my 20 pound laptop bag with my US passport and much too much US cash with her behind the counter. She said “yes” and summoned a nice young man to help me get my two checks bags. After setting off only one loud alarm we wound our way back to baggage claim only to find a total mob scene as several flights had landed at once. We ascertained rather quickly that all the bags from the Dar Es Salaam flight had been taken of the conveyor and thrown into a big pile. <\/p>\n
At first I did not see any of my bags, but finally spotted my large soft-sided Delsey bag. I figure if one made it that it was likely that the other did also. But after tossing dozens of bags about to get to the bottom of the pile my hard plastic Delsey bag, the indestructible one that has been with me on every great trip for the past 15 years, was nowhere to be seen. Then, the young man who was helping me pointed to a second smaller pile of bags on the other side of the conveyor belt. There it was. <\/p>\n
We hurried back to the counter where the very nice Precision Air lady checked me in for the Kilamanjaro flight. I gave the young man a $5 bill, grabbed my two carry-ons, and was off through security. I scarcely had time to worry if I would be busted for my 46 1\/2 pound roll-aboard–the limit is something like 17 pounds, or be busted for my vest as a third carry-on. Or whether I would be forced to gate-check my camera bag. <\/p>\n
Not to worry. A male flight attendant came down the steps and carried my Think Tank bag up the steps and placed is an an empty row. Never once mentioning the weight. And 90 minutes later, he helped me down the steps. Not to mention that a small bag of cashews was the onboard snack. My absolute favorites. <\/p>\n
But how would I get to the African Tulip Hotel? Roy’s Safari was supposed to meet me at the Arusha airport but I was at the Kilamanjaro airport. The bags came out quickly, and after a brief pit stop I exited the terminal. The first sign that I saw said “Airport Taxi-We Go Anyhere.” I figured that the hour ride would cost me a minimum of $100 US, perhaps twice that much. <\/p>\n
And then, there was Jacob, smiling when he saw me. He was holding a sign that said in big letters, “Arthur Morris” on a Roy’s Safari placard. Life is good. <\/p>\n