South Africa 18th of February 2011

Gegevens

Gemaakt op vrijdag 18 februari 2011 05:18

Geschreven door Linda Ameye

Yeaha Friday today! Our plane leaves tonight for yet another visit to South Africa. It is my 15th trip in 14 years and still I am not able to figure out certain tradition.  We make a promise to ourselves that each time we visit the country we are going to learn something new.
I am finishing up at work and we rush to the airport. Our seats are  booked on the new A380 Boeing from Frankfurt to Tambo international. First things first getting in Frankfurt from Brussels…
I am still running on adrenaline, scared that the plane would leave without us we rush through customs on our way to security…shit a large queue to pass the security control. Of course I am impatient ... Needless to say i am doing ‘the deaf man trick’, I am wondering  around next to the queue moving outside of the queue to the front. Ok ok i know it is not really fair, and I even bet that the lady of security saw it.
Putting my stuff on the scanner, unpacking  the laptop, cellphone , shoes and belt out, I am still wondering if i should take my metal braced bra out as I pass  the metal detector, realizing that i should watch the ins to the machine i return back ..BIEP BIEP the alarm goes off.
Ok no worries it can happen, I have no crimes on my report  so what?....NoNo not for this security butch : " Take your stuff here. You shouldn’t have gone back!!!! " she insults me.
“Sorry” i say “i was not aware of it"
" pff” she  ironically replies "sure?!...Let me guess: first time on a plane? ".
Now here is the moment i proved my hubby that i can keep my mouth shut.
In my head the words go around: " first time?!? Bitch! I probably pop up more on a plane a year then you hop on a stallion.”
Of course trying to get rid of her i smiled apologized and still this bitch keeps on insulting me:
”Open your legs” she says
Honestly! You tell me when are the two occasions we, women, concur? Exactly! At the gynecologist and if duty calls… nevertheless I obey and she starts to scan
“Turn around” she said and i try hard ... really hard.. to focus and for once fart on comment to prove her wrong when she searches my pants.  As she finishes searching me for the 3th time I feel violated but we have no time to worry about it, time flies and we have a plane to catch. ( I later hear that Brussels airport received some complains on the rough body scans from security, so I was not the only one!)
“You are so lucky” everyone says “flying in a new A380 the biggest passenger plane in the world!”   Somehow I am not impressed. Inside nothing shows that it is huge and hosts more than 500 passengers. The plane is divided into compartments.. The seats are as tiny as usual; the leg space is none existing also just as usual and the service? Well the plane is operated by Lufthansa, reputed for their excellent service; they lost a star from the star alliance program on this plane. It takes ages before we get our first drink, just to be sure I ask for 2 drinks and Puma totally irritated by the cold blowing air-conditioning asks for a hot Choco. “Sorry sir, we only serve hot drinks after dinner” the stewardess respond.  A clearly irritated Puma: “Well give me than a fucking blanket and heat  it up here!” Eventually it is 1AM in the morning when we get our”Pasta or beef” food tray.  (Yep yep “the Chicken or Beef” is out, these days it is a vegetarian platter or a beef one that you can chose from)
The plane can be new, but the service is clearly not adjusted to his size. 15 stewards cannot serve 500 passengers at once!