Thursday, November 1 — Part 2
It is already obvious that I will never be able to fly economy class again (happily anyway). Finances may require that I do so but already the memory of this experience may have ruined me forever.
I left the Delta lounge and grabbed two bottle of water and some gum. I have the nonsense fear that I will become dehydrated. As if they don’t have water here in J-class.
Mine was the first group to board this plane, of course, and I was the second person in. The seating configuration is 2-2-2 and in this case window seats may not be the best seat since they’re the ones without unfettered access to the aisle and the loo if the person on the aisle has their bed extended.
Yes, I said it. There be beds. Sitting in upright chair position with legs extended, I can’t reach the cabinet with my tv and carry on storage in front of me. Cannot. Reach. It. I haven’t yet fully extended my legs, but I am using the foot rest and am sitting cross-legged. Who can do that on a flight?
After taking a bunch of photos of my spacious seating area, I sat down and was served a glass of lemonade. Then my seat mate started chatting me up.
My window-seat neighbor is some sort of political celebrity in Nairobi. Ferdinand is currently a governor of a province next to Nairobi and has been a member of Parliament twice. He knows everyone in Business Class it seems, where Kenyans outnumber non-Kenyans 26-4. I appear to be his sociological experiment of the flight, because he cannot comprehend why a woman of my age and quality (his words, not mine) does not want a husband and children. And a vegetarian to boot? Tsk tsk tsk (again, his words, not mine). He maintains I just haven’t been loved well enough. He cannot believe that I truly love my life of work, travel, gym and otherwise enjoying myself...without children. He is of a family where father had two wives and each wife had 7 children. It’s just different worlds. It’s the eye-opening part of why I travel, in this case I open his eyes.
There is also a gentleman on here whom everyone on the flight crew is taking photos of and with. It seems he’s deserving of a fair amount of respect. I know not who he is but can only wonder. It does not seem that my window-mate is interested in the least though.
In the midst of chatting away to my seat mate, the flight took off at about 1:20. We’re already 90 minutes in and now that seat mate is dozing, I finished a book and am contemplating the leather-bound menu I was handed. I’d pre-ordered a vegetarian meal, but would eat the fish that is one of three mains offered. The flight attendant said that may not be possible unless there is fish left, since I pre-ordered the meal. Drat. Fingers crossed no one wants the Maine snapper.
90 minutes in and I’m feeling sleepy and am a bit unsure of what I want to do next. I have movies, tv shows and 13 books to choose from. Maybe after lunch I’ll have a better idea.
Coming up on 4 hours into this and I have to say it’s flown by so far. Seat mate has been asleep since before lunch. Lunch ended up being quite good even though I ended up with the vegetarian meal I ordered. To start there was sauvignon blanc with an eggplant canapé. My main was some sort of spicy black and kidney beans over white rice with a spicy cauliflower side. It was a huge portion, I couldn’t finish it. The wine is bottomless. They keep pouring until you stop them. For dessert there was a mango tart and I had a Bailey’s. It’s now 5 p.m. EST and midnight Kenya time and I’m contemplating sleep. I watched Big Cat Tales on my phone and think I could drift off. I explored the movies and tv on the inflight entertainment and wasn’t impressed. There’s a lot there but nothing interesting. Ok, maybe a nap.
11 hours in. Well I popped an Ambien and started a British crime drama on my iPhone and next thing I know we are just under two hours out from Nairobi. I won’t say it was solid, restful sleep but enough to pass the time and make me feel as if I got some sleep. I also don’t feel all pretzel twisted as I might if I attempted this type of sleep in Economy. The breakfast cart is coming. I must make my first decisions of the new day.
I decided on the banana crepe with chocolate sauce, cereal, yogurt and a blueberry muffin. All were mini-sized so that’s not as formidable a breakfast as it sounds.
We landed at 9:30 and had to wait for a gate to open, we were so unexpected. I was second off the plane and first through the “other passports” line (as opposed to the visa line, since I already had one) and was out waiting for my ride by 9:45. We were game driving in Nairobi National Park by 10:30! Heaven!
Oh and my seat mate stayed to meet the pilot, but passed me as I was waiting for my ride, totally surrounded by armed body guards! An unknown brush with greatness.
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