overlay

[as i masochistically writing this on my phone while the wait for the last leg of my return comes to an end, i have no internet access and so may repeat sentiments]

primary thought for the last couple of days: when i return to cape town, it's not a holiday, it's keeping things warm. i may have based myself in israel and it may be home, but the mother city will never stop being home as well and my relationships there are at least as important to me as they are in the holy land.

i awoke late, with barely enough time to drink coffee and pack before leaving the apartment. of course ukko would give me a nasty pre-flight turn: after ripping a couple of cd's and loading them on, my ipod reported a total of 0 songs - fortunately, reconnecting and disconnecting sorted that out, but not without adding extra stress to a morning that began with the abandoning cape town blues...

we stopped at the police station to get something stamped, and went straight from there to the airport to pick up ozdoc's mum. we had lunch at the spur - a major improvement over the mugg and bean - and said our goodbyes. i made sure to remind my mother that the light at the end of the tunnel is usually an oncoming train, and i'm praying that she'll find the right excuse (this is me being unnecessarily cryptic) to visit me before autumn comes around.

i was once again robbed of my deodorant at security, and reminded that my passport's almost expired... at least i remembered before leaving to pick up biltong! expensive as it is at the duty free :(

once seated, i had plenty of time to dwell on the now-traditional sense of loss that accompanies leaving behind such a wondrous place filled with magnificently strong and naive people to return to being a stranger in my own land.

i took some increasingly arbitrary photos out the window, pondered the possibility of my becoming an alcoholic*, enjoyed the empty seat next to mine and didn't let the screaming baby get to me.

* i've decided it's not going to happen, and those thoughts led me down a very interesting path that i'll post about later

during boarding in johannesburg the seat next to mine was filled... soon after that, an extra-large woman in the row behind began whining that she couldn't handle the window seat. unable to find her neighbour's sympathetic ear, she sought mine - to no avail. there's not a chance in hell of my volunteering to be locked in and squished!
i guess she got sorted out eventually, because she disappeared - along with *my* neighbour, which was a wonderful surprise!

during both flights, my cracked heel caused me quite a bit of grief - luckily i found places to grind it against and the pain has subsided.

i was worried that my dairy-free meal hadn't been registered. when the steward arrived and asked if i'd ordered a special meal, i gratefully answered in the affirmative, only to discover that it was my ex-neighbour's seafood. i disappointedly requested the chicken (with cheese, as was the case with all the side-dishes), but was rescued from my picky fate by a stewardess prior to removing the tinfoil with my demands met in a most satisfactory manner :)

[here i recall an irritating incident from the night before when an israeli tourist began flirting with springer while we were talking]

the night was rough - i kept switching books, and two seats contain just enough wrong angles to keep me uncomfortable. at least the infant slept.

i finally got a decent half-hour's rest just prior to landing - i passed out while doubled over stretching my legs. they were still fast asleep when i woke up :P

i'd forgotten it was winter! a quick change and hurriedly finding my beanie and gloves, and i was good to go. after transit's security check (and standing in line with lots of people who don't identify with my need for personal space) i had no energy to consider the possibility of visiting turkey for the day. i'm not overly fond of the people, and definitely didn't want to take any chances.

none of the lounges admit travellers for money, and even if the hotel hadn't been fully booked the rates are stupidly expensive. i began the day exhausted, neither hungry nor interested in anything, and i found a bench that served me well for most of my wait. i slept a little, read a lot, heard great music (i'm not familiar with all the trance on my ipod, in particular i was blown away by a couple of tracks from reefer decree), had a not-bad lunch (chicken and mushroom), struggled with turkish lira, rested some more, and then it was time to board.

i've never seen a pre-boarding security check before, and the woman working the line laughed as i emptied my pockets (i have a lot of them, all filled). i've also never seen so many suspicious looking characters on one flight before.

[window seat, small plane]

the last leg was okay, the food alright, the turkish music annoying, and i'm back.