6:17 pm, Bangkok Airport
I was shopping till the bitter end! Impulsive. Wasteful? Not necessarily. Got a lot done today. Feeling a bit tired, but almost ready to go through security to the gate. The bus had broken down so I shared a taxi with a German woman from Stuttgart and a free-spirited French woman from Chamonix. The driver had us pay the highway toll to avoid traffic, and then drove like a bat out of hell.
Based on Air Qatar's commercials claiming 5-star service, I expected a great (though long) trio of flights. I got a window seat the whole way, just in case you can spot a herd of antelope from 40,000 feet.
Bangkok, Thailand to Doha, Qatar = 3,304 miles / 6 hours 40 minutes
11:56 pm, Doha Airport
Here I am at the Qatar airport. It's bright, busy, and my laptop can't be charged as I forgot my AC adapter!
The flight service was great. Video on demand and good food. I caught Indiana Jones IV and Meet Bill. I even got a wink or two of sleep. The empty seat next to me didn't hurt either. 6 hours lay ahead. I can read, I can listen to music, I can nod off. I can use a credit card to buy food thus avoiding the need to obtain local currency.
6:00 am, Doha Airport
Fifteen minutes from Gate 6 opening and taking a shuttle bus to the airplane. The last 6-7 hours have been dreary. I managed 1-2 hours of sleep in a contorted position around the arm rests on the seats. Checked my email a few times. My brother sent me a belated birthday present (thanks Jon!) and my friend Kai's friend emailed me back regarding a side trip to visit him in Botswana. Hopefully it will be affordable to make my way up there.
I'm hungry again, and looking forward to saying Jo'burg (short for Johannesburg) with some authority. And so grateful Warren is picking me up at the Cape Town airport.
The flight from Doha to Jo'burg goes over a ton of countries: Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
Doha, Qatar to Jo'burg, South Africa = 4,156 miles / 8 hours
12:25 pm (South African time)
Knees hurt. Full belly after decent chicken lunch (with yummy tiramisu dessert). Cold, tired, a bit unwell. It'd be best for me to get a good night's rest.
Jo'burg to Cape Town = 807 miles / 2 hours
5:50 pm, Cape Town Airport
Major snafu for me. I don't have any proof of onward travel, so no entry. I was just told I need to buy a ticket out of the country tonight. I guess this was bound to happen at some point, I was being too relaxed!
Dave is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Go Backpacking and Feastio, a food blog. He's been to 65 countries and lived in Colombia and Peru. Originally from New York, Dave now calls Austin, TX home. Read the complete story of how he became a pro travel blogger.
Planning a trip? Go Backpacking uses and recommends:
- G Adventures for small group tours
- Skyscanner for researching flights
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- Airbnb for renting rooms and homes
- Rail Europe for train passes
- World Nomads for travel insurance
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Friday 3rd of September 2010
Hey this is off topic but what is going on the gulf oil thing, is anyone paying attention anymore?
Stansted
Saturday 17th of July 2010
Some very good ideas. I put together my own article about this hassle.
Blackpool Flights
Saturday 17th of July 2010
"So many people I see check so many bags and I really have a hard time understanding why."
I think the same thing about all the people that bring their bags onto the plane then
1) some small chick (or some wimpy guy) can't even push her's high enough to put into the compartment.
2) the bag falls on some kid... funny if the kid is a dumb pre-teen boy. If the kid is little and cute, then I get pissed.
3) watching people try to pull their stuff out of the overhead can be quite comical.
4) watching people try to find a place to put it is pretty funny too.
I just check my luggage and be done with it. If it gets lost oh well I'll buy more stuff.
Shawn
Tuesday 21st of October 2008
Dave, a year ago before I departed I was looking up information for what countries allow entries on one way tickets.
I think it was travel.state.gov, although I cannot seem to find that page.
I am sure that type of information is out there someplace on the Net. I do know for sure Egypt is OK for a one way ticket, plus you can get the Visa extended for how ever long you want to stay.
Shawn
Tuesday 21st of October 2008
Dave, a year ago before I departed I was looking up information for what countries allow entries on one way tickets.
I think it was travel.state.gov, although I cannot seem to find that page.
I am sure that type of information is out there someplace on the Net. I do know for sure Egypt is OK for a one way ticket, plus you can get the Visa extended for how ever long you want to stay.