PRINCE AND PRINCESS PETAL
- 1/5/2005 <--Prev : Next-->
PRINCE AND PRINCESS PETAL
THIS FINE WINTER SUNDAY MORNING HEEHOO AND I HAD OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE
OF WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE ONE'S OWN PRIVAE AEROPLANE AT ONE'S VERY
OWN DISPOSAL !!
EAT YOUR HEART OUT GEORGE BUSH.... WE HAD AN ENTIRE TOTALLY EMPTY
BOEING 737 (APART FROM THE ROYAL COUPLE) ALL TO OURSELVES COMING BACK
FROM HARARE....
MIND YOU IT WAS SIX AM AND NO ONE ELSE WAS DAFT ENOUGH TO BE UP AT THAT
TIME ON A WINTERS SUNDAY MORNING ..... CONSIDERING WE HAD TO WAKE UP AT
4.30 TO CATCH THIS PARTICULAR FLIGHT.... AND ALSO CONSIDERING WE HAD
MISSED OUR FLIGHT THE PREVIOUS EVENING BECAUSE WE WERE FAR TOO MERRY TO
LEAVE DEBBIE AND JOHNS BEAUTIFUL WEDDING ON TIME !!
THE AIR ZIMBABWE DOMESTIC TERMINAL IN HARARE IS NOT MY FAVOURITE PLACE
AND HEHOO HAS SPENT COUNTLESS WASTED HOURS THERE WAITING FOR DELAYED
FLIGHTS OVER THE YEARS. IT IS PROBABLY THE MOST UNATTRACTIVE PLACE IN
THE WHOLE WORLD, A VAST CONVERTED HANGER THAT HAS BEEN THE "TEMPORARY"
DOMESTIC TERMINAL ACCOMMODATION FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER....
FREEZING COLD IN WINTER, BOILING HOT IN SUMMER, THE TILES ARE LIFTING,
THE SEATS ARE TORN, THE LOOS ARE UNSPEAKABLY AWFUL AND THE COFFEE (?)
NON EXISTENT AT 6 A.M.
IMAGINE OUR DISCONSOLATE HUNG OVER DISPOSITIONS WHEN WE WALKED INTO THE
PRETTY PLACE AT 5.30 A.M. ONLY TO BE TOLD, NO SORRY THE FLIGHT ONLY
GOES AT 9.A.M. ON SUNDAYS..... BUT WAIT... IN WALKS A PRETTY AIZ
ZIMBABWE EMPLOYEE WITH THE GOOD NEWS THAT A SPECIAL FLIGHT HAD BEEN
LAID ON TO BRING FOLK BACK FROM THE ZIMBABWE INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR
IN BULAWAYO !!
INDEED NOBODY CRAZY ENOUGH TO WISH TO GO TO BULAWAYO AT 6 A.M. ON A
SUNDAY MORNING, BUT QUITE ENOUGH OF THEM WISHING TO GET THE HECK OUT OF
THE PLACE, TO WARRANT AN EXTRA FLIGHT.
AND SO WE WERE USHERED WITH GREAT DIGNITY INTO THE EMPTY 150 SEATER
PLANE - PRINCE AND PRINCESS PETAL - IN ALL THEIR BLEARY EYED SOLITARY
GLORY. WE HAD THREE AIRCREW EACH TO LOOK AFTER OUR EVERY NEED !! A
RATIO OF FOUR TO ONE !!
THE AIRCREW WERE WONDERFUL... THEY WELCOMED US PERSONALLY OVER THE
INTERCOM, WE WERE SHOWERED WITH FRESH CUCUMBER SANDWICHES AND QUITE
PASSABLE COFFEE. THE PILOT GAVE US A SPECIAL ARIEL VIEW OF THE
REVELLERS STILL LEFT AT THE WEDDING PARTY AND WE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED OUR
THIRTY MINUTE SOJOURN IN OUR OWN PRIVATE PLANE !!
AND OF COURSE, WHEN WE LANDED AND WERE GREETED BY THE SIGHT OF A FIFTY
PERSON PEOPLE CARRIER WAITING JUST FOR THE TWO OF US ... I HAD TO GIVE
THE 'ROYAL WAVE" FROM THE TOP OF THE GANGPLANK ...
NOBODY SAW OF COUSRE... NO ONE ELSE WAS DAFT ENOUGH TO BE AROUND AT THAT
TIME ON A SUNDAY MORNING !!
