Friday August 27, 1982 – Abu
Simbal
I’m just
completing this at 29,000 feet over Egypt at 02.30 and we’re told, Abu
Simbal is below us.
Poor old Rab
developed toothache during the course of last evening so neither of us slept
too well last night and she is still feeling under the weather. Despite the
lack of sleep I was still up at sparrow
and when the other two finally emerged we got on with the last of the packing.
I really don’t know how I managed to get it all in, but I did and we were only
9 kg overweight in the end. Mind you that excluded six pieces of hand luggage,
one of which contained the wallpaper rolls.
We went up
The Strand for a last bity of shopping before having a cheese roll and a beer
back at the flat. Our radio cab turned up promptly and was driven by a very pleasant
Nigerian suffering badly from rhinitis. At least I assume that it was this that
caused him to sniff regularly all the way to Heathrow. The taxi was an old
Cortina and the ride, laden down as we were was not the most comfortable.
We got to
the airport with plenty of time to spare and after a look around the duty free
we boarded our Swissair DC9 for Geneva.
Lovely flight – so quiet and smooth – with very good food and wine. It was
drizzling as we came in but we had a good view of the lake. Having had such a
good flight until then we were given the news on checking in at the transit
desk that our flight was delayed “indefinitely”. We were given meal vouchers
and we hung around until about 20.15 because one of the ground hostesses had
said that the delay would be at least three hours i.e. 22.30.
Of course no
sooner had we sat down to eat than the announcement was made that we would be taking
off at 21.30. The meal – we all had schnitzel – was very good but we barely had
time to bolt it down before the flight was called. Once we were off and on our
way, dinner came around and although I managed a little, I couldn’t eat much,
to my regret because it was delicious.
We landed in
Athens at about
midnight and took off again just before 01.00. The plane was not full, so Rab
was able to lie down in the three seats in front of us and Matt could stretch
out a little in the two seats next to me. I didn’t get much sleep until Rab
woke at about 04.30 and very generously offered to trade places with me. I
slept like a log until about 06.00 when we got our breakfast ahead of landing
in Harare at
09.00
It has been
a lovely trip and we have all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, the odd squabble
notwithstanding. Last time we had a vote on the best bits, Switzerland
came out tops so no doubt we will be back there again – tentatively the plan is
for January 1985.
In fact we were able to get back in December 1983 and were able to go on
to the USA
for our first white Christmas. That story will follow in due course.
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