It's good to be back in familiar surrounds. Even if it is sweltering hot. You gotta love Durban in February!!
There are a few peculiarities that make being home pleasant; or at least they're gentle reminders that you are in fact HOME.
Don't take for granted the softness of our 2-ply toilet paper! The luxury stuff in India is something of a hybrid between thin wax wrap and crinkle paper. Allow me to not comment on its effectiveness here ...
Secondly, it's good to get back onto the squash court AND beat myregular squash partener too!! (thanks buddy, I needed that morale boost!!)
My airport pick-up upon arrival at Durban airport was a little less confusing than the TWO different cars that awaited me at Mumbai airport when I arrived there! I was quite happy to be ushered to the Hotel's sleek black E240 Mercedes Benz Courtesy Pick-up ... only to discover they had come on the wrong day and I was supposed to be in another taxi. I was swiftly down-graded to a Tata sedan. Glad that that car switch happened out of the public eye else I'd have felt a little more humbled than I already was!!
South Africa knows how to advertise big public events. Like the recent Soccer World Cup. I was a little (ok, actually VERY) surprised to see only 2 posters - yes, TWO posters - advertising the upcoming Cricket World Cup to be co-hosted with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. TWO?? Why so little advertising in this cricket-sick nation? One explanation was that EVERYONE watches cricket so there's no need to notify the public of the inevitable. Hmmm ... I wonder! With 7 days to go to kick-off (or is that bat-off?) I was just a little surprised!
Then there's the fun of bumping into people that you know at the airport. As I stood in the security check queue at Joburg Airport to get through to domestic departures I happened to glance over my shoulder and see an old friend of mine, Brenden, a few places behind me. Blow me down if he'd not just flown in from Dubai on the same flight as me. Then one coincidence led to the next. He'd been sitting 2 rows behind me on that same flight but we'd been separated by a galley so never got to see one another; I was in seat 7A and he in 9A!
As we made our way up to the Business Lounge in Joburg we then discovered that he was on a flight home to PE that was departing 5mins after my flight to Durban. And - wait for it - we had the exact same seat number for our homeward journeys; 3A. Ok ... maybe I was a little tired, but this was just too bizarre. What are the chances??
Good to see you in Joburg, Brenden!! Glad I could hear a bit about Sri Lanka and you about India.
I now prepare for my next Business trip at the end of this week. But - with not just a little relief - it looks like this one might be hanging in the balance. ALGERIA looks like it's declining into civil unrest hot on the heels of Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen. Hurrah; I might be off the hook ... for a short while anyway!!
Watch this space ...
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