Here and there

Kasane has treated me very kindly and it’s been one of my more enjoyable weeks of work for a while. The Chobe River views don’t fail to soothe and impress, and over in the distance is Namibia, which I’ve still never been to.

Kasane airport may be the only place in the world where the pilot informs passengers that the reason for the sharp diversion after takeoff is to not disturb a colony of vultures close to the end of the runway.

I had a long transit in Johannesburg. My Tanzanian government counterpart Rose put it well when I asked how she would pass the time: ‘moving here and there waiting for time.’

So I too moved here and there. I engaged in one of my favourite pursuits, browsing the travel guides. I also indulged at the coffee shop in the form of a slab of lemon meringue pie, which are still being sold in pieces as large as a person’s head.

We boarded late at night and I tried to get some sleep. Contorting one’s body around an aeroplane seat is less easy with the passing years. Eventually I emerged from Dar es Salaam airport at around 3am, and headed home.