It has been a year since we last were in Livingstone together, tired of travelling and ready to stay at the same spot for longer than a week. In the meantime we have worked a lot, to create a little extra budget and some new energy for the return with our beloved car, Gigi.
Our preparations were not as extensive as the first time. We were still working a few days before our flight and we only packed the day before we were set to leave. Such a difference compared to our first trip leaving from Nairobi. It made sense though. The first time we had to prepare a lot of things that are still in - or part of - our car. This time we had the experiences from our first trip and we knew what to expect. Packed with this experience, we were (almost) sure that we would be able to manage everything we would find on our path.
In Edwin we again found someone willing to take us to Schiphol Airport. We arrived well in time. Already checked in, all we had to do was drop off our luggage. This took us around 5 minutes and 10 minutes later, we were through security and immigration. This was such a huge difference compared to earlier (more stressful) trips via Schiphol. We counted our blessings and quickly went towards our gate. With over 3 hours to kill, we started with doing Sudokus, one of our favorite pastimes during our prior trip and some Duolingo.
The strange thing was that although our trip was at hand, we did not feel the same vibe as we did last time. At all.
The first flight was from Amsterdam to Paris, Charles de Gaulle. Although the flight was not very exciting or stressful, we were quite stressed. We were already stressing about what was to follow. Our layover time was already very short, and it was even more stressful due to our delayed departure from Amsterdam and the earlier rescheduled departure time from Paris to Johannesburg. We had already made screenshots of the route we had to take from our arrival gate to the departure date at CdG. Our emotions were like a rollercoaster, going from 'We're never going to make it' to 'Let's do this' and back. We were up and ready for action as soon as the plane doors would open.
As soon as the plane doors opened, we made a run for it. With a backpack and a camera bag (totaling about 20-25 kgs), running is quite tough. We had no option though, so we kept running past all halls and signs we recognized from the screenshots. We kept running and running until we arrived at the passport control line. The line was waaaaay too long for us to make it. We had downloaded a pass from AirFrance to skip the line, helping us to make the transfer more feasible, but to no avail. The official looked at the pass and kindly pointed us towards the line. We knew we were doomed.
We didn't want the running to be in vain, and just made our way through the line. We found other people who also had to make a run for it in order to hopefully reach the plane to Jo'burg in time, so with a group of 5, we just tried to push through, saying sorry to everyone we passed. Some were more reluctant to let us pass than others, but everyone let us through as soon as we mentioned that our plane was already boarding. When we arrived at passport control, we were greeting with a 'You're late'.
Yeah, no sh*t. Not like that was what we wanted.
After passport control did their work meticulously, we made a run for it again. It felt like the running was never going to end but finally, we reached the gate. Boarding was almost finished, but we were able to join the line. WE MADE IT!
The flight from Paris to Johannesburg was quite nice. We were still happy that we made the flight at all. Slightly disappointed by the available films on the entertainment system, Jeroen chose a few of them to watch. Then suddenly Emma exclaimed with enthusiasm. The films (at least the ones we hadn't already seen) might not be the most exciting, we were able to watch full seasons 1 and 2 of House of the Dragon! Being huge Game of Thrones lovers, all films were abandoned and we went straight for House of the Dragon. The flight was an 11-hour combination of eating, dozing off, and watching House of the Dragon. Mostly House of the Dragon.
After the flight to Johannesburg, we made another run from gate to gate. This time the run was shorter and not as necessary as in Paris. We waited at our departure gate before being brought to the plane by shuttle bus. The last stretch of the long trip was just a 2 hour flight. Emma listened to some music and Jeroen took some naps in between solving his Sudokus. When we arrived at Livingstone International Airport, we unfortunately saw the bad news that Emma's bag was (again) left at Johannesburg Airport. Somehow it's always Emma's stuff getting lost at Jo'burg. We were very fortunate that it was this bag, though. Emma's bag contained the airtag, so we could clearly see its location. Jeroen's bag did not have an airtag, so if his bag was lost, we would have no idea if it was still in Paris or in Johannesburg.
Fortunately, after leaving the terminal, we were greeted by the amazing Russel and his wife. The legend who saved our first trip, had taken care of Gigi for over a year and was kind enough to pick us up from the airport. He brought us to our favourite places in Livingstone, Jollyboys and Kubu. After a late lunch/early dinner we went to bed at 8 and slept until 8 the next day, tired after a 24-hour journey.
WE ARE BACK IN AFRICA.
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