Day 0

Day zero
Thursday 16th January 2020

Current position
Birmingham Airport
Trident Road
B37 7HE Solihull
N 52° 27.169', W 1° 44.126'

Well we're on the starting blocks waiting at Birmingham Airport for our flight to Dubai. The house was closed down and bags packed with the usual efficiency. It seems to get easier as every year passes.

Mollie and Martyn again kindly drove us to the airport a favour which is very much appreciated thank you both.

Whilst waiting for the flight apprehension was in the air as we wondered what South Africa would hold for us. Friends and other people we have met say that it's a beautiful Country BUT please be careful as it can be a very dangerous place.

Still this may be as is but it will be interesting to get first hand knowledge as we have been to what we thought were dangerous places. Nicaragua for one where even McDonalds was guarded by a security guard with a sawn off shot gun and the car park attendants brandished baseball bats. Belize City too was a bad place with no eye contact when passing people in the street and all the shops had iron bars at their facias with small serving hatches and even the servers at the café we visited were behind bars and passed our coffees through a small hole in the wire grill. So will South Africa be the same. Time will tell.

With these thoughts behind us we made our way to board at gate 44.

We left on time with just under seven hours to Dubai.

'When travelling some of the best things happen by chance not design'