On To London

We survived Addis Ababa!  We sure enjoyed having an actual hotel room last night. After a week sharing 12X12 huts with four other people, a spacious, air conditioned room with a king size bed and a shower and bath tub with hot water and water pressure was like being in heaven. Ranie took a shower and a bath and we both too showers before going to bed and again when we awoke. Even though it was only about  five hours later. We went to sleep about 12:30am and were back up at 4:30am. 

The hotel clerk recommended we catch the 6:00am shuttle to the airport so we would be to the airport two hours before our boarding time. Of course we were right on schedule so we breezed through immigration and security. So we had three fun filled hours in Addis Ababa's Bole airport. Actually closer to four if you count the 35 minute delay in boarding. The bright side to all of this is they switched our flight from a stop in Rome to a direct flight. That got us to London about 90 minutes earlier. 

Ranie didn't waste that time. She continued to make friends in airports. She renewed conversations with people she met on our flight yesterday,had a nice conversation with a young man from Ethiopia now studying in London and saw a western couple with what looked like a new born African baby.  she navigated over and found out they were a couple from Ireland, he's Irish, she's Spanish, who had just pick up their baby. The end of an eight year process for them. As we were boarding Ranie noticed a woman sleeping through the boarding call. She was a good Samaritan and tried to wake her with a gentle shake. After several attempts the woman didn't awake. I was beginning to think she was dead! By now several people were watching and encouraging Ranie to give the woman a good shake. So she did. The woman awoke with a start and was totally disoriented. It took her several seconds to realize she was in the airport. She was looking blanking at Ranie so Ranie asked, "Are going to London?" The woman said "yes", thanked Ranie and took off running for the gate. Everyone had a good laugh!

The fun didn't stop there. On the plan the woman across the aisle from Ranie was traveling with her two young boys. Ranie ended up holding the youngest on her lap for the first hour of the flight. I had a picture for you but I had a big brain fart and deleted the entire post.  this is a rewrite. I think it's from the brain damage I have from hitting my head so many times the upper bunk in the Malawi hut!

We are less than an hour from London so I think I can safely say I didn't get sick in Africa. Over half the team had at least one bout with "Zulu's revenge". I am shocked. I figured I'd be sick the first day and I'm such a baby I would have been sure I was dying of Malaria or some other dread disease. Of course I've probably just jinxed myself and I'll be sick the whole time we're in London. I hope not. 

I am very excited about this next phase of our adventure. I don't think it will be nearly as emotional as the Africa phase but as a history buff I can't wait to see places I've read so much about. I'll keep blogging and hopefully won't bore you. 

Landed in London at 2:50pm. Man that was a long fight! Screaming babies, flying very bumpy circles around Heathrow and a very old dirty airplane. I've had enough flying for a while. We took the train and the underground, London's subway, to Westminster bridge and walked across the bridge over the Thames, past Big Ben and the Eye to our hotel. Once we checked in, it took us a long to get to our room as it did to get here from the airport. I'm sure we walked several kilometers (notice the clever switch to metric?)from registration to our room. Nice room overlooking the Eye, Jubilee Garden, the Thames and Paliment. 

We are dead tired so no sight seeing today. We'll rest up and get started tomorrow. Since I don't have any photos from today I'll share a few more Africa pics.