Life is a journey
I’m finally in Iran! Somehow I figured that being here would be the beginning of all insights, adventures and strangely melodramatic mishaps but I was sorely mistaken. It seems that the most eventful part of this escapade lay in getting here.
There have been several changes to flight dates, lots of red tape to negotiate and numerous farewells to plan and more commonly cancel…..
Finally however I found myself on board a flight to Dubai – tired, relieved and mindful of the imp lurking inside me rubbing its hands in glee at being on the verge of something greater than a run of the mill adventure. I was on the brink of finally beginning a grand ESCAPADE!
The problem however was that any escapade worth embarking requires a store of energy, which I (due to several late nights) was in short supply of. So in an uncharacteristic Lee on a plane fashion I nodded off before the doors even closed for 3 hours!
I awoke expecting to see nothing except the glimmer of moonlight on the edge of the clouds as we cruised several thousand feet in the air. Instead, as I looked out my window at 01h40 am – roughly 3 hours after boarding we were still firmly on the ground at O R Tambo!!! Immediately I assumed my 3 hour nap was probably just a 3 minute cat nap, and that’s when I heard the announcement.
‘Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Unfortunately we cannot seem to adequately troubleshoot a technical error and I am now cancelling this flight. Please disembark and we will re book you on the next flight tomorrow afternoon’.
A general murmur of disdain erupted across the aisles, but I however, in true crazy lady style, could not suppress a fit of laughter. I had just been on my longest flight to nowhere and after the rigmarole of getting and keeping a flight date, finally saying goodbye, checking in luggage and boarding a plane here I was – still not gone!!!
After collecting my luggage, I was whisked off to a hotel and assured that I would be on a flight the next afternoon. The next morning I rushed off a shuttle, quickly found my colleagues and proceeded to wait in line for a new boarding pass….it was then that I realized that my journey from shuttle to line striding to the sounds of Pink from my iPOD was only that easy as I had forgotten to take my bags with me!
In an effort to maintain composure and a sense of pimped out diva coolness I mumbled something to my colleagues and strode off mid-pace until out of sight where after I bolted at high speed to the drop off point to find my luggage. The shuttle of course had left, but a quick phone call to the hotel resulted in my bags being returned to me in under five minutes.
This time though, I did leave – and the further I got from home the more I became aware of sense of nostalgia, anticipation, introspection and excitement.
Through extensive on board entertainment I was transported through a plethora of memories and emotions as I listened to everything from Wamdue Project’s ‘King of my Castle’ to Alesha Dixon’s ‘Breathe Slow’. I felt like I was in the process of synchronizing a large portion of my life with who I am now and realigning goals, dreams and resolutions long forgotten with this new journey.
I also discovered from two different passengers on both the flight to Dubai as well as the flight to Iran that warm towels for some reason remain a source of confusion for many as it was used to wipe faces, feet, licked, smelled and even to wipe the personal television screen on seat backs.
Filled with a sense of peace and satisfaction, a wry smile on my face and the last glass of wine for a long time in my hand I toasted the ensuing madness, growth and experiences that would no doubt arise and accompany me on this new escapade
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Hey Boo-Boo!
I think your blog is off-the-hook! Loving it!
P.S. The bit on the confusion with what to do with the warm towels…very funny!
Mwah! Mwah!