Long Flight(s)

On Emirates
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I am sitting on Emirates flight 33, surrounded by empty seats. Frequently, a disembodied hand reaches from behind me and taps on my scalp. It is not a dream, it is the first leg of our trip to Johannesburg. The sand colored interiors are appealing and the lack of passengers really does make it feel like a desert. Magda and I fled our assigned seats as the doors closed and the crew rather cheerfully told us we were free to spread into the emptiness like bedouins. Currently I have the whole of row 39 to myself with Magda just behind me in row 40. She finds creative ways of getting my attention, mostly to ask which of the 150 offered movies I think she should watch. There is no right answer to this question of course, but I make helpful suggestion such as 'Mr. Bean's Holiday' which she will no doubt detest as any right thinking person would.

At the Dubai Airport
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We lifted off from London where the weather was absolutely fantastic, as was our very short stay with friends Matt and Nazir. They showed us typical British hospitality which is to say we were made to feel right at home in their spacious, historic 19th century apartment. It was almost as if London was putting on its best to convince us to stay in its familiar arms. As tempting as it was to spend the morning sightseeing, we had some final purchases we needed to make. So while the Imperial War Museum solomnly displayed the best of Britain's resistance to German invasion and the Tower of London warmed its stones in the morning sun, sitting by the Thames as it has done for a thousand years, we bought sandwich fixings at Sainsbury's.

Joburg from the air
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I leave you now to enjoy the world's most extensive in-flight entertainment system in the privacy of my very own row. Such are the pleasures of flying on the first day of Ramadan on Emirates Air.

I am currently writing from Johannesburg where we landed several hours after the writing of this entry on the plane. More from Joburg to come!