Halfway there

 22 Jan 2024

Halfway there…

There is an oxymoron of sorts between the safari/visitor experience outside the airport and the visitor experience within the airport.  Anything in the airport makes me never want to travel again.  Landing is always a nightmare with immigration (although this time I totally won the lottery and breezed through) but leaving…ugh.

I got the Four Points shuttle from my hotel to the terminal.  I have Sky Priority, so I got to use that entrance, but it was still about 20 minutes to get in the building because of the suitcase scan.  And no one respects queues.  Or personal space.  No one.

Then passport control.  There was a Sky Priority line that had easily 150 people in it. That is somewhat odd because there were 3 Sky partners flights going out last night, Kenyan, Air France and KLM.  Business Class has about 25 seats, so where do all those people come from?  And the people who think they can just breeze past everyone waiting in line….argh.

Then a second security check.  Yes you just had to take off your shoes, remove your laptop and have your bag scanned to enter the terminal.  Now you’re doing it again as you enter the airside section of the airport.

I went to the Sky Lounge which was jam packed and no seats available.  I finally found one and sat long enough to drink a Sprite but that was it.

I avoided the worst of the boarding area pandemonium (another sore spot of traveling out of that airport) by having Sky boarding priority, so I was settled into my seat and sipping champagne with my seat mate while everyone else was herding on.  I cannot get used to that.

My seat mate was Julius from Uganda, now living and working in Kenya.  We talked a lot about his work and moving to Kenya and why I go to Kenya so often.  We then both slept for about 7 hours of the 9 hour flight and picked up our conversation where we left off on the flight and in the Sky Lounge.  He’s off to L.A. for work, so I gave him a list of things to do for fun there.  We also exchanged details in case I decide to go to Uganda next year or meet up in Kenya when I go back.

The re-entry to reality is more turbulent than landing at Schipohl in 60 mph winds.  I’m trying to hold on to that safari feeling but man, humanity doesn’t make it easy.

About an hour to kill until I have to go through pre-screening to re-enter the US and get ready to board.  In the lounge drinking them out of cappuccino and orange juice.  Not long now until I’m back with my own big cats.