Was it really something to do with me, or not?
CATHERINE of South Africa Airways said it had something to do with me. When I got off the South Africa Airways flight 160 at Entebbe, she was waiting to welcome passengers from a weird voyage.<br>
Confessions of a Tourist
By Kalungi Kabuye
CATHERINE of South Africa Airways said it had something to do with me. When I got off the South Africa Airways flight 160 at Entebbe, she was waiting to welcome passengers from a weird voyage.
Weird because the last time I saw her was again at Entebbe, assuring us Flight SA 162 out of Johannesburg was delayed. This time, she was apologising because this flight had also been delayed.
I travelled on August 10, for the 2005 Nokia Cape Town Fashion Week, where Ugandan designer Sylvia Owori took part, but I almost never even made it to the airport, let alone to the plane. Due to late confirmations, I delivered my visa application to the South African High Commission late.
But I was assured I would get it on the morning of the 10th, in good time to make the 4pm flight. Then some government minister declares that the 10th will be a Public Holiday, so I rushed to the High Commission on the 9th, hoping to convince them to give it to me a day earlier.
But it turned out that the 9th was a South African holiday, and the High Commission was closed. And the next day was to be a Uganda holiday. What about my visa? But they did open for two hours on Wednesday, and I finally got my visa.
Here was I at the airport ready to board and Catherine was telling us the flight was delayed in Kigali. It finally got to Entebbe and we took off at 6:00pm, two hours late.
As soon as we were airborne, the pilot told us we were popping over to Kigali to pick up some passengers. Apparently, the aircraft was too heavy and could not take on more passengers. A decision was taken to leave the Kigali passengers proceed to Entebbe, offload passengers and cargo, and then return and pick passengers and cargo left in Kigali. It was a smooth flight, only we got to Johannesburg at about 11:00 o’clock.
I spent that night at the airport, although the sound of drilling, and the fact that all the restaurants and pubs were closed, made for a very uncomfortable night. But I got to Cape Town and witnessed Sylvia showing her stuff. The August 14 flight out of Cape Town, was fine, only we got to Johannesburg to find hundreds of people at the departure gates.
By the time I went through customs and immigration, Flight SA160 to Entebbe was boarding and I just ran to the boarding gate, without buying anything from Africa’s biggest Duty Free shop.
Anyway, we were strapped in, ready to take off, when the captain told us the baggage handlers could not find our ‘suitcases’.
For two hours we were stuck on the runway, till they found them. So we got to Entebbe three hours late, and found Catherine apologising about the delay. I told her it certainly wasn’t me. When I got outside, the driver was not there. When I called he said sorry, he forgot, but he was coming.
So here I was at the airport, sitting for another hour and 15 minutes, waiting, and wondering if it really had something to do with me.
Send your Tourist Confessions to rokello@newvision.co.ug
By Kalungi Kabuye
CATHERINE of South Africa Airways said it had something to do with me. When I got off the South Africa Airways flight 160 at Entebbe, she was waiting to welcome passengers from a weird voyage.
Weird because the last time I saw her was again at Entebbe, assuring us Flight SA 162 out of Johannesburg was delayed. This time, she was apologising because this flight had also been delayed.
I travelled on August 10, for the 2005 Nokia Cape Town Fashion Week, where Ugandan designer Sylvia Owori took part, but I almost never even made it to the airport, let alone to the plane. Due to late confirmations, I delivered my visa application to the South African High Commission late.
But I was assured I would get it on the morning of the 10th, in good time to make the 4pm flight. Then some government minister declares that the 10th will be a Public Holiday, so I rushed to the High Commission on the 9th, hoping to convince them to give it to me a day earlier.
But it turned out that the 9th was a South African holiday, and the High Commission was closed. And the next day was to be a Uganda holiday. What about my visa? But they did open for two hours on Wednesday, and I finally got my visa.
Here was I at the airport ready to board and Catherine was telling us the flight was delayed in Kigali. It finally got to Entebbe and we took off at 6:00pm, two hours late.
As soon as we were airborne, the pilot told us we were popping over to Kigali to pick up some passengers. Apparently, the aircraft was too heavy and could not take on more passengers. A decision was taken to leave the Kigali passengers proceed to Entebbe, offload passengers and cargo, and then return and pick passengers and cargo left in Kigali. It was a smooth flight, only we got to Johannesburg at about 11:00 o’clock.
I spent that night at the airport, although the sound of drilling, and the fact that all the restaurants and pubs were closed, made for a very uncomfortable night. But I got to Cape Town and witnessed Sylvia showing her stuff. The August 14 flight out of Cape Town, was fine, only we got to Johannesburg to find hundreds of people at the departure gates.
By the time I went through customs and immigration, Flight SA160 to Entebbe was boarding and I just ran to the boarding gate, without buying anything from Africa’s biggest Duty Free shop.
Anyway, we were strapped in, ready to take off, when the captain told us the baggage handlers could not find our ‘suitcases’.
For two hours we were stuck on the runway, till they found them. So we got to Entebbe three hours late, and found Catherine apologising about the delay. I told her it certainly wasn’t me. When I got outside, the driver was not there. When I called he said sorry, he forgot, but he was coming.
So here I was at the airport, sitting for another hour and 15 minutes, waiting, and wondering if it really had something to do with me.
Send your Tourist Confessions to rokello@newvision.co.ug