Hi all!
Right, the excitement of the week is over. Cape Town and back in two days! But flying SAA is not all what it was. Both ways with Airbus A320 aircraft. And I hate their seats. It looks like camping seats and not the ones I am used to. You can’t even set the recline function on the seats! I was sure to book the extra seat on our way back. No big fat Annie condensing me into the middle seat like on the flight out to CT! No, Sir! I made sure I had all three seats booked. The Red Head got the window seat, and I took the aisle seat, sticking my legs under the middle seat in front of me. Yes, I even got in a little snooze.
I wish the SAA brings back the Boeing aircraft. At least the seats were better than this stupid Airbus plastic camping chairs! Grrrrrr!
The pilot in command was a woman, and she had no illusion about flying. She took off on time and when I thought she was still climbing to FL320, she announced, “Cabin Crew, Flight level 20000.” And there she sat until descending to runway 3L at ORT, landing us 20 minutes early! I thought: “Okay Sweetness... you are burning fuel, but who cares...” Maybe she wanted to get home too...
The flight out was just that. A flight. No problem. But the flight back I had a scrap with the airport security. I had my pipe, scraper, Zippo lighter and a standby cheap gas lighter with me. No, I can’t take my Zippo or my scraper. HELL! What is the difference between a Gas lighter and a Zippo lighter? And how the hell am I going to hi-jack an aircraft with a pipe tobacco scraper?
I used just four words: “Where’s your supervisor? Now!” (I did not add: “Idiot”...)
Needless to say, three minutes later I was boarding flight SA372 to Johannesburg WITH my Zippo and scraper! I think the Supervisor did manage to realize through the fog in his 3 Brain Cell brain that I came to CT with the lighters and scraper and that if I was allowed to bring it, I was allowed to leave with it. Afterwords I realized that lucky this was not TWA in the USA. LOL!!!! (I believe they, TWA, are several levels below “Idiots”.)
Here is Chapter 12 of “Playing Solitaire.” Enjoy!
All the best and God bless!
Bye 4 now!
Jody.
(2026-09-28, 06:48 SAST) (04:48 ZULU)