Travel Tracks: The Adventure Begins ...........almost ~ by Dave Heron

After a night in an airport hotel room marginally more sizeable than my sports car, we were ready to wrestle the 10 hour flight from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro en route to the long awaited African Safari.
Passing through Pentagon style security at 8:00, 8:30, 9:10 and again at 10:05am for good measure, we board the great silver bird and wedge ourselves into seats I'm sure were designed for the afore-mentioned hotel.
At 10:15 engine number 1 of 3 fires up with the comforting sound General Electrics are known for.
10:17 signals the start of engine number 2.
At 10:19, I could swear I heard my old jeep trying to fire up on a minus 40 degree morning.
Click, Click, Click, Aruugh.
Again.
And again.
Sounding less like General Electric and more like Major Problem as each minute goes by.
And after about 8 attempts to spark life into a fairly necessary component of the aircraft, comes the announcement from the flight deck.
"Uh ladies and gentlemen - it appears we have a problem with our number 3 and so we'll be going back to the gate to see if we can get the repairs done and will keep you updated".
At which point we see 4 guys in clogs running alongside with hammers, picks, screwdrivers and a faded copy of Aerospace Mechanics For Dummies.
To make a long story short, the airline decides to err on the side of caution, declare the aircraft to be somewhat less than airworthy and request that another plane be sent to haul us to destination.
Off we go back into the terminal, endure 3 more cups of kickapoo joy juice style Dutch coffee, 4 more security checks and re-board the new aircraft.
It's now pushing 1 pm.
Engine 1 is a go.
Engine 2 fires up like a banshee.
The lead flight attendant is giving 3 to 1 odds to 6 of us on the probability of engine 3 and loses $20 when lo and behold it comes to life.
Push back from the gate at 1:20pm while watching bits and pieces of snow hit the ground.
As the snow begins to fall at greater velocity than the Greek economy, the captain announces that we'll take a slight delay to de-ice.
At that point I decide to nap for a bit.
At 3:15 I emerge from the nap to marvel at how smooth the flight is until I look out to see............. we're still on the ground.
I apparently slept through the 2pm announcement that Amsterdam Airport is now CLOSED due to snow accumulation.
"They are attempting to clear one of the runways and we may be able to depart shortly" explained the captain at 3:20.
Note to Airline Crew:
I've been sitting wedged in an airline seat resembling 20 lbs of potatoes in a 5 lb bag for close to 6 hours - The use of the word *attempt* is not particularly comforting.
Neither is the sight of Hans and his 3 pals sliding along the tarmac in their clogs carrying a couple of brooms in the direction of the runway.
But to the credit of human spirit vs the elements, we slip the surly bonds of terra firma some 15 minutes later, climbing to 30,000 ft en route to Kilimanjaro.
Almost.
About 30 minutes prior to our eagerly anticipated arrival, albeit now some 6 hours later than planned, comes yet another announcement from Captain Kangaroo.
"Ah - Ladies and Gentlemen, we've just been advised that we cannot land as scheduled in Kilimanjaro and will instead be diverting to Dar-es-Salaam where we will (and here it is again folks) ATTEMPT to secure onward transportation for those of you destined for Kilimanjaro."
Unlike say, Calgary to Edmonton where transportation options are a breeze, there are essentially two ways of getting from Dar to Kilimanjaro.
Unless of course you factor in stranded as a 3rd option.
A 12 to 15 hour drive on roads that resemble a lunar landscape.
A 70 minute flight brings up the preferred option.
Here's the thing.
We're about to land 335 pieces of self loading freight at 4 o'clock in the morning into an airport not generally known for handling surprises all that well.
On landing I can see a grand collection of 8-12 passenger turbo props gathered around the terminal building.
And one lonely 120 passenger Boeing 737.
"Are we there yet?" cries out a just awakened passenger?
Almost.

Follow part 2 next issue.

Adios until next time
Dave Heron

Dave Heron is the owner and operator of: Pace Setter Travel & Tours (1995) Inc; P.O. Box 612, 70 McRae Street, Okotoks.
Tel: 403.938.5454
Toll Free: 1.800.206.7223.
Fax: 403.938.5568
Email: pacesetter@nucleus.com