Finally the string of tomorrows that have dictated my life over the last few weeks have become today! Goodbyes were hard, really hard. Suddenly its not just words - rattling off an itinerary that has become something of a mantra during the most difficult times. It has taken so much to get here and now that I am, there are tears. So many emotions its hard to catch hold of them as I stand in no man's land, one foot in the fast fading past and the other in the approaching and unknown future.
Overall the flight was a pretty bumpy one. If, for any reason, you find yourself flying over Tammenserrat and you have any say in the flight path - DIVERT! Whilst I normally find a bit of turbulence quite soothing, almost like being rocked to sleep, this seemed intent on shaking our dinner down, apart from the nervous fliers who may have suffered the opposit effect. It is an involuntary and collective gasp that escapes when the plane suddenly drops an interminable milli-second. But there is no sense in panicking - there is absolutely nothing one can do. If your number is up, its up whether you are on land, at sea or mid-air. I closed my eyes and reminded the powers that be - I had not come through so much to get here only to be dropped out of the sky en-route! Besides which, I have promised a lot of people a travel blog...!
Its not long gone 5am, the sun is shining through my window and breakfast is about to be served. Below the clouds are obscuring my first view of southern African terrain. Last night whilst flying over the northern Sahara, brightly-lit settlements of varying size and shape dotted the landscape and made me reflect on how man can live just about anywhere.
We are slightly ahead of schedule and now my thoughts are drifting towards how I will feel when we arrive. I feel somewhat distant from any emotion at the moment. Africa has her own beat, will I remember it? This part of Africa has never really been home, but then again Africa has always disregarded the demarcations so carefully mapped out by man. I will arrive weaing my English personna but I suspect in time I will be dancing barefoot as the memories deep inside are allowed to find their rhythm once again.
And so begins this, my solo journey. From my days of travelling with suitcase, hotels and heels to a backpack, hostels and hiking boots! From scribbles in a notebook, to this my first attempt at a blog. Bear with me, I'm learning!
