The plane to Johannesburg was a small one, as you would expect from a budget airline. But it had AC. The airport didn’t so this was a nice change. And I had a window seat so yay. 🙂
Why are clouds white if water is clear? I remember thinking I’d google it when I’m online but I never did. I was mesmerised by clouds. I’m not really sure if these were in any way special but I somehow got lost staring into them.
I barely had time to finish my sandwich before the plane started to descend. 8 hours to the next flight. Not ideal but as long as I can find a power outlet, it’ll be ok.
I found one with water pouring out of it, so maybe not that one. 🙂
I found a dry one but it required a bit of a special touch to get it to work. Sand to the rescue!
There were plenty of sockets around but they have a different standard. I only had a british converter and european plugs so the british outlet was a rare treasure.
I heard a croatian or possibly bosnian person curse loudly in our native language somewere in the mid distance. Jebo oca svoga! (may he fuck his father). You’d think that I would be happy to run into a member of my own tribe so far away from home but it just made me feel like I hadn’t gone far enough. And I was vaguely embarrassed by the fact that cursing is what our people are famous for.
The area where I found the barely functional outlet was not for my flight so I had to move when people started gathering. I couldn’t find another socket I could use so I went to a restaurant. Since I was there, I figured dinner would be nice. The prices were in rand. I had no internet so I aproximated a conversion to metical based on what I remembered about prices in Punta, then I aproximated a conversion to kuna from that. So dinner cost somewhere between free and a used car. But it kinda seemed fine. Later, I checked my bank statement and it was pretty reasonable. I have a photo but photos of food are lame so I’ll skip it.
When boarding the next flight, I was served with the old “This is problem, sir, we can not accept you on the flight” again. Because of no onward ticket. Of course they were going to let me on, I was still 2 flights away from Mauritius. Finally, they had me sign a waiver and let me through.
This guys socks made me forget about the hassle.
Ordering a whiskey on the plane got me a very generous serving.
I took a million photos of dawn above Kenya but none of them do it justice.
At the security check before my last flight, they took away my sand. It is dangerous. You could put it in someones eyes. Really, guys? Really? But they were determined and I had to let it go.
I was tired and in no mood to get into it with Mauritian officials so I bought an onward ticket before I boarded the last flight.
A guy dressed as an optical illusion made me smile. 🙂
A flight attendant saw my “I can’t adult today” t-shirt and said : me cant also! 🙂 She was so cute.
I landed and met some very zealous customs officers. They went through all of my meticulously packed stuff and made me take an x-ray because “they suspect I am carrying drugs”. Good thing I bought my ticket, they checked it, along with any other document they could think of, and seemed very keen on making my life difficult. But everything was in order and they finally let me through.
An ad at the airport tickled my curiosity but I set the thoughts aside for later.
Taxi seemed quite expensive so I went looking for a bus. The station was empty, it was Sunday. I wasn’t sure whether it even was the station or just a parking lot. I asked the one guy I met, he said the buses I need go from further down but that he wasn’t sure if there were any today. He was the driver of the only bus I saw in the station but he wasn’t going my way. I walked to the end of the station, I couldn’t find a timetable or any other information on any buses.
The guy with the bus pulled up next to me. I will take you to *insert random noise*. I had no idea where he was offering to take me but it sounded like progress so I got in. He said usually I’d go directly to Pot Looee. I later understood he was pronouncing Port Louis, that’s not what it sounded like in my head when I read the name on the map. 🙂 It was a nice small bus with ac, the ride was relaxing.
We got to where we were going, I paid him 200 money and got off to wait for the bus he instructed me to get on. The bus came but they told me it was not the one I wanted, I should wait for the #162 direct. The conductor on the 162 was a very friendly lady. She shared her nuts with me and gave me some for later. Her english made it a little hard to talk to her but I didn’t mind putting in the effort, she was very sweet. We got to the last station, everybody got off but she told me to stay on and they let me off at an intersection so I would have less to walk to my next station. They were very kind to me for no particular reason, it was so sweet. I followed their instructions to the Port Louis bus station.
First impressions of Port Louis were not really something to write home about.
I asked for the bus I needed and got on. It was a terrible bus but I loved it for it, it was an experience.
The ticket was 34 money. A cup of coffee is 90.
I got to Grand Baie. It took much longer than anticipated. I couldn’t buy a local sim, everything was closed on Sunday. I had no internet and no idea how to get in touch with my landlord or find the apartment. I walked into a bar, ordered a beer and asked for help. A man, likely the owner, let me use his phone, then talked to the landlord so that he could give me directions. Once more, kindness for the sake of being kind. The landlord had left Grand Baie and left the key under the mat.
For a second I had a strange feeling I was in a spy movie parody and a spy van disguised as an ice cream truck had followed me from Louis. But no. Also, different truck. 🙂
I found the place, found the key, got in. It was a really nice place. It had everything I could want. I guess the price really should have been higher, I actually got lucky.
Now that I got that sorted, it was time to find food. I was hungry but also completely worn out so my will to explore was nonexistent. There was a McDonalds right across the parking lot. It’s been years since I’ve eaten at one so I was actually happy to go. And the best part was they had a screen where you can order and pay without talking to anybody.
The next day I rented a scooter and went for a little drive. I was 3 hours ahead of my colleagues so I didn’t have to start work until noon. There are some really nice beaches and there are people cleaning them all the time so they are tidy.
I bought a local sim and an internet package at a local store.
I found that not all gas stations accept cards.
There was a large supermarket near my building. Proper european style, with fridges and proper shelves and AC and all. I had not been in one like it in a long time and I appreciated it.
I was almost tempted to get the colored prawn crackers, they looked like the opposite of food. I didn’t.
Next morning I went for a drive in a different direction. I got caught in a bit of rain, enough to get the front of my tee wet. The back was still dry so I turned it around. I looked like an idiot but my front was dry and that’s where the wind is so I was happy with myself. 🙂
I went inland a bit and it I felt like I was in one of the FarCry video games. Luckily, there were no hostiles. 🙂
A road sign tried to warn me about something. I’m not sure what. Ents, maybe?
I waited out a quick shower under a balcony by the side of the road. They do not want you to sit in the windows.
They disguise their radio towers as palm trees for some reason. Noone could ever tell…
Skydiving has been on my todo list for as long as I can remember. When I saw the ad for it at the airport I basically knew right away that I was going to do it. This seemed like the perfect place for it. I went online and booked it.
A couple of days into my stay, I got a message on Whatsapp from the ministry of health. I thought it would be about covid tests but it was about malaria. They wanted me to go in and give a blood sample. I asked if it was mandatory, they said it was advised. I asked again, it wasn’t mandatory so I said I wouldn’t do it. They said to get in touch if I exhibit any symptoms. To this day I have doubts about the legitimacy of that conversation but I never bothered to check the number.
I went to Port Louis one afternoon to get something and there was a traffic jam. I wiggled between lanes, pass the stopped cars, to an intersection. There was a police officer there and I thought I might get in trouble for driving between lanes. Instead, the police officer waved me on to cross the intersection and continue pass the cars stopped in the lane oposite. I loved the relaxed attitude!
I managed to snap this gem while driving. I don’t even care it’s a terrible photo, I ‘m happy I got it at all.
I met my landlord when he came by with some guys to fix the washing machine. We didn’t get to talk much because I had meetings for work.
I was excited about the jump. On Friday I went out and got a GoPro to record it. I couldn’t let that go undocumented! I also got a waterproof lamp so I can go snorkeling at night.
I went out to test both that night. I was impressed by how cool the underwater footage looked so I spammed all my friends with it. 🙂
I was so happy with my new toy and I couldn’t wait to take it on the jump. I even got a chest strap for it. But when I got there, they told me I couldn’t take it with me because it “wasn’t safe”. It was perfectly safe. The real reason I couldn’t bring it is that they offer videos and photos at a ridiculously high price and they want to twist your arm into paying for them. Such a dick move. But an effective one. I tried reasoning with them, I tried talking to the instructor directly about sneaking it onboard but finally I had to give in and grudgingly get the video from them. 100€ for a video. It’s also 100 if you want photos (still frames from a video). 150 if you get both. Such a ripoff.
When I met my instructor, he asked where I was from. I said Croatia, he said “o, dobar dan, dobro došao”. That was definitely a surprise! He was from Slovenia. A nice guy. We chatted for a bit, he said the island gets really small after a while.
There was a bit of rain and we had to wait for the clouds to clear. They did and we went up.
There were still dark clouds in the distance and I thought about how it’s all about perspective, even the darkest clouds are shiny from above.
The plane was like a Renault 4 with wings, all rickety and not at all what a plane should look like. It was repaired with duct tape in places. But it got us into the air, we were slowly gaining altitude.
The island is quite something. We were nearing the jump zone. I was calmer than I expected. They opened the door and it flew open, a strong smell of fuel filled the plane. We sat on the edge, legs out.
And then there was nothing holding us up any more, we were plummeting towards the ground. I started yelling with excitement! It was the most amazing feeling I ever experienced, exhilarating, scary, fun, all at once! And all too soon it ended. It was around 30 seconds but it felt like 3.
Surprisingly, the parachute part was not boring. And they even let you steer for a bit. First they just let you believe you’re steering when in reality they grab hold of the commands above your hands, where you can’t see. You can tell when they let go and actually give you control for a bit. He knocked us around a little, made it feel like a decent rollercoaster ride.
The instructor talked to the guys and got them to throw in the photos for free with my video. That was really nice of him! He took my number, said he’d call me to go out for a beer but he never followed up.
I was still shaking after we landed, overloaded with adrenaline. I got a beer at their bar and wanted a cigarette more than I had in a long time. But it’s been 5 years, I’m not falling into that trap again. There’s no such thing as just the one.
The day was still young so I went south.
There’s a mountain hike trail, leads to a nice viewpoint. The metal cross overlooking the underground waterfall. I figured it’d be a light walk and I’d be fine without water. Oh how wrong I was! The second half of the climb was quite demanding and by the time I reached the top I was parched.
Luckily, a friendly german guy shared his water with me. He was a lifesaver! We chatted on the way down, he was in IT too.
The view of the waterfall from the mountain is nice but to truly appreciate it, you must get an aereal view from the sea. Photos of it look really cool. But it costs a lot to get a helicopter or plane to see it live so I figured the mountain view would do.
I found a couple of interesting plants. One was eaten into looking like crochet and the other looked photoshoped into reality.
On my way back I tried to capture the beauty of the sky at sunset with varying success.
It was night by the time I got back. I sat down for a surprisingly mediocre steak dinner. But the staff were nice. And the cook had cool blue hair.
On Sunday I went exploring, south again.
I stopped at a local food place, it didn’t look like much but curry in flat bread cost 25 money and it was as so good I had another.
It started to rain a little. Then a lot. Then it got biblical. I hid in a cave by the road, that helped for a while but then a lake formed in front and each passing car would cover me in water.
It no longer made sense to stay there so I carried on in the rain.
Some local people having a beer in front of a store saw me driving in the pouring rain and waved me over to take cover. I did.
I got beers for everybody. They got a cable for me to charge my gopro. The damn thing has a battery life of 6 seconds. They said they had never seen that much rain. They offered me another beer, I refused, driving. They said get a small so finally I caved. Well, it didn’t take all that much to talk me into it. 🙂
All my clothes were drenched so they found a large plastic bag for me, I put it under my jacket so it protects me from the wind. Still, it wasn’t comfortable.
The rain caused landslides, brought trees down onto the road and created lakes along the road.
Near the Chamarel waterfall and the 7 earths I found a restaurant and a gift shop. I went into the gift shop hoping they might have t-shirts. They had some clothes on the top floor so I bought a dry shirt. I went into the restaurant bathroom to change. It didn’t exactly fit and it wasn’t going to win me any beauty competitioms but it was dry and that was all that mattered!
I stayed for lunch. Before I could even look at the menu, the waiter asked whether I wanted fish or meat. I went with fish. Do you like spicy food? Want to try the octopus curry? – is it good? Yes! – ok.
He brought various spicy sauces with bread as an appetiser. I ate it in big, hungry bytes and then died, they were very hot. Then ate it again.
The curry was ok but overpriced. I enjoyed sitting in a dry shirt more than I did the lunch itself.
I went to check out the sights. The waterfall was nice.
A guard pointed out another viewpoint to see it better, I would have missed it. I started laughing at myself as soon as I reached the 7 earths, I immediately realized my mistake. It was wet and it all looked the same!
A random guy at the parking lot warned me to avoid Port Louis because it was flooded.
I was making my way back over the mountain when it started to rain again. Not as much as before but enough to get me soaking wet again. The chill mountain air did not feel good. I reached a town, fueled up. The gas station didn’t sell clothes. It was Sunday afternoon, all the stores were closed. I found a small grocery store that was open. I knew there was no way to get clothes here but I was freezing and desperate so I went in to ask. I squeezed my needs through the language barrier and got a tee and a track suit! It was a hideous thing, it looked like it was from the late 80’s, but at that moment it was the most glorious apparel ever! I put the top part on immediately and snuck into an alley just outside of town to put on the bottom after I changed my boxers, those were soaking wet too.
I made it home. I wasn’t sure what to think of my day. On one hand, it was a terrible ordeal, but on the other it was also an adventure and I was almost glad that interesting things happened. But either way, I was glad it was over.
Work days were all the same. A walk, a swim, get back before my colleagues are even up, work, go for another walk in the evening. It’s actually a dream routine, you get your exercise and you get to soak up the beauty of the island.
Thursday was my birthday. I got the best present EVER! A friend came to visit me from halfway across the world! I rented a car to go pick her up from the airport. She landed early so we had plenty of time before I had to start work.
We went to Rochester falls. There was a guy there who led us down a path to the base of the waterfall, offered us bananas, chopped down some sugar cane and squeezed it into our hands to drink. It’s actually quite delicious. I tried it once before, in Zanzibar, but it was in a glass and with lime. This was a more interesting way to drink it! And there were fruit bats. I had never seen one before but wanted to ever since I read about Kona having one in a book I can’t remember by Christopher Moore (I couldn’t remember him either but I googled him). The guide asked for a tip, we gave him a hundred.
We went to the volcano next. There was a guide there too, told us about how we missed things like the tree of life and some wood filled with oils that give out a pleasant smell and repel bugs. He picked a couple of branches for us. He also asked for a tip and got a hundred. We joked about having payed 2 euros for a handful of juice and another 2 for a couple of branches.
The car I rented was terrible to drive. It had a weak engine and automatic transmission so uphill it would scream and shout and barely move. But hey, it got us everywhere.
My ex called in the afternoon. I’m ashamed to admit it but I watched the phone ring and didn’t feel strong enough to pick up.
She sent me a photo. She baked a cake for my birthday and she, her parents and my parents celebrated it in my absence. Our parents have known each other forever so I guess it’s not as weird as it sounds.
I thanked her later. She said to let her know when I can talk, I said I’d rather not. I said we could talk when I came back. She still made my stomach cramp, I was just not ready for her yet. But I thought about that cake a lot. It was adorable.
The weather was iffy so we rented a car again for the weekend. This time we got one in terrible condition but at least it had proper transmission.
I wanted to check that tree of life thing, about how you can drink from it. I found one, poked a hole and there was water! It tasted good, a little like cucumber. And it was a fun thing to do 🙂
The Chamarel waterfall was much smaller this time and it was white. It was much more impressive with all the flood water. The 7 earths were much better though, you could actually see the colors.
We stopped at a restaurant and they asked if we had a reservation and then made it sound like a special favor to us that they would seat us even though we don’t. The place was empty. And it stayed half empty the whole time.
I got fish in a banana leaf and it was great. She ordered a tuna salad and got a plate with a couple of slices of raw tuna. She was not happy!
The Port Louis sunday market was annoying, they push hard and saying no doesn’t make them stop. The vegetables look nice and washed but the buckets they wash them in are filled with disgusting looking brown water. We did get a couple of souvenirs so not all bad.
The botanical garden was nice, getting a guide was a good decision. He showed us various nice smelling leaves and real cinnamon. It smells sooo nice! At the end of the tour he pointed us to where we can see the toy-toys. Sorry, see what? Toy-toy, animal. Ooh, tortoise.
We had dinner at the waterfront. I ordered a medium steak but it came still alive, I had to send it back. I hate doing that but it was really too raw to eat. And then to the ice cream place for desert. It was delicious and it looked great too, if you’re going to treat yourself, that’s how to do it! 🙂
When I went to return the car on Monday, there was nobody there. I called, they said to just leave the keys under the mat.
Going back I ran into a police bike patrol. I don’t think I’ve seen that before.
The work week was pretty much the same but her being there made it so much better! Morning swims, sunset, everything was a shade brighter with her there.
I took a billion photos of the bay. Each time I’d see something new that I just had to have.
The huge store next to our apartment doesn’t sell cold beer. They sell beer, they have tons of fridges, they just choose not to put beer in them. I wonder why.
They tried to short us on change at a food truck. That’s about it for story-worthy events that week. 🙂
The weekend was more touristy. There was a McDonalds right next to the apartment so we got the app and got a coupon for 1+1 free coffee. It opens at 9, we got there at 9:20 and claimed the coupon in the app. We were about to enter it into the self-service terminal when a girl came and told us they would open a little later, 20 minutes. She didn’t offer an explanation. But we used a coupon. What did you want? 2 coffees. Ok. We waited for a bit and finally got hot chocolate instead of coffee. Not their proudest moment.
They have an interesting sign so at least I got that out of the experience.
Speaking of dogs, there’s a bunch of them roaming the town and the beaches but they all look well fed and happy.
The island really is beautiful. But not as many beaches as you’d expect. Most of them are private and walled off.
In Flacq market a guy came out of nowhere and started bugging my friend, offering to buy her a gift, offering her money. He wouldn’t let up so we walked away. He followed us so I turned around and pushed him away, told him to leave us alone with the meanest expression I could muster. He got the point and walked away.
One of the merchants saw the exchange and came up to me saying “you should do like this, you have a right to go wherever you want in peace”. I was glad for the support.
And it looks like there are children for sale here. 🙂
The sunset that day was special. Not in the west but in the east! The island is flat enough for the light to color the sky in the east with the gentlest shades of pink and other colors I don’t know the names of. Like lilac or magenta or, you know, different pink. The sky looked like it was drawn in dry pastel.
And there was a camo crab.
I looked at my phone Sunday morning. The message said “I love you”. The next one said “sorry, it was a dare”. And I thought fuck you! But then I thought that couldn’t have been it. Hitler would stop shy of sending an empty “I love you” just because. There must have been something to it. And I wasn’t sure what to do with that. I said I’d ask her if she still meant it when I come back. Her reply was “I told you it was a dare”. So, there was no more to it. She was now officially the worst person I knew. I had wondered what it would take for me to snap out of it with her. Apparently, “love you lol jk” would do it. I still loved her but I no longer liked her.
I was sad enough that my friend was leaving. I had a wonderful time with her. Even when she annoys the life out of me, she still makes me happy. And now this. I was overloaded and it showed. At lunch I just couldn’t hold it together. I thought that maybe my tears might go unnoticed if I didn’t draw attention to them by wiping them. They didn’t. It took a minute for the mood to pick up. But I thought this had to have been the last time I cried because of her. If I ever do again, it’s on me.
We found an interesting spot by the sea with unusual rock formations, waves playing with the cliffs, many photo ops.
We had a nice dinner and then she was gone. I felt more alone than ever. One star, would not recommend.
Work was a welcome distraction. It helped the week go by.
This guy helped too, I found him chilling in front of my front door and he made my day. 🙂
The parking lot and the road to the beach were good for an occasional distraction too. Most notably, how the meticulously airbrushed car was fixed with scotch tape. 🙂
And I was finally able to take a shot of this pretty guy. He teased me for days, I’d see him, he’d stand there until my camera was almost out and then he’d fly away, as if he knew.
There’s another photo of a bird that I almost got right. Too bad about the framing, the timing was perfect.
One evening I took a photo of an old trailer at the beach. It looked like reality hadn’t finished rendering yet. I took it in regular and night mode and the next morning I took it again in the daylight.
My flight to Madagascar was on Saturday.
On Friday it wouldn’t stop raining. I got soaked while getting my PCR. I took care of all the preparations. Madagascar had a mandatory quarantine upon arrival so I booked an approved hotel and postponed my reservation at the guesthouse I had booked before I found out about the quarantine. The hotel sent me all the documents I needed and we arranged an airport transfer.
I dried my clothes in the oven and packed. I arranged for a ride to the airport early in the morning. I was set to go.
I got to the airport in time. I was told my flight was yesterday. I explained that I got an updated ticket from Kiwi and that it was for today. They sent me to ticketing. Ticketing sent me to the flight supervisor. The flight supervisor sent me back to ticketing. Ticketing sent me back to the flight supervisor. I couldn’t board, this was not a commercial flight. They don’t know when the next commercial flight is.
So now what do I do? I have nowhere to go. The flight super told me to wait, she made a call. She said to wait until the end of checkin to see if we can manage something. I went to customs to get my tax return sorted for the gopro. I was greeted by a note saying back in 15. I waited, a lady came, did my paprework. Where’s your camera? It’s deep in my bag. It’s ok, no need to take out.
I got coffee. First she charged me 240 because she accidentally put two on the bill. Then she gave back 180 in cash. So I have no idea how much the coffee was supposed to cost.
At the end of checkin the flight super told me there was nothing she could do for this flight but she will make sure I’m on the list for the next flight, in 4 days.
I found a place to stay in the nearest city. I went to the bus stop. Once again, on a Sunday. Not a bus in sight. A taxi driver pulled up next to me. Said he’d take me for 600, usually it’s 700. I had spent all my rupees, I had the change from the coffee and a little bit left over, 300 all together. So I offered him that. He protested, talked about atms and euros. I said take it or leave it and he grudgingly took it.
I went for lunch and got charged tax on top of the menu price. A bit of a dick move.
A long time ago, in Sicily, I reached out of the car window to pick an orange straight from the tree. I remember it to this day, it was so good. Ever since, I wanted to try picking a banana straight from the tree. I finally got to do it. Unfortunately, it was green and completely inedible. But still, it felt kinda special to do it.
It looked even more like FarCry here. Can you tell which game I played earlier that year? 🙂
There werer some pretty sites.
But you should not look too closely. It gets a little less pretty when you do.
And then there are things that are just interesting, like the worlds least comfortable bench. Or the way they tile the floor. Or the tree growing from a tree in a river. Or the bunch of signs with uplifting messages scattered around the town. Also, note how the “united we stand” message on the wall goes great with the concertina wire on top of the wal…
I went to the market one day to buy fruit and came across something interesting. I asked what it was, the guy said grapes. It looked a little like grapes but not exactly what I’m used to. I’m not really a huge fan of grapes but the guy saw my interest and offered me one to taste. He knew what he was doing, as soon as I tasted one I had to have more! The taste is perfect and there are no pips, which are a big part of why I’m not a fan in the first place.
I got in touch with the approved quarantine hotel, explained the flight situation, canceled the booking and said I would re-book once I’m sure of the dates. I got in touch with the next accomodation and told them I would let them know when I was coming. They asked me if I could go to a pharmacy and look for a food supplement they needed, it was no longer available in Madagascar. I was able to get it for them.
I called Air Mauritius on Monday to confirm I was on the list to fly. They said they would call me back. They didn’t. On Tuesday they didn’t pick up until late in the afternoon. Again they said they would call back, again they didn’t. I emailed them. They replied that there were no flights on Thursday. But the flight manager had said that there would be and that I would be on the list to board it. So, do I do the PCR tomorrow? Is the flight just not in the system yet? Will it be? If I do it and the email was right I wasted money. If I don’t do it and the email is wrong, I can’t fly and I may even lose my ticket because I missed the first available flight. I decided to do it and call them again.
On wednesday I got an email saying there was a flight on Thursday. I went online to ckeck in. I found my booking but checkin didn’t work. Later, I couldn’t even find the booking, I got an error message saying it was canceled. I emailed, no reply. I called, no reply. I figured I’d just go there in the morning.
The bus dropped us off at the roundabout near the airport. I exped the bus stop but hey, close enough. I got to ticketing, i was not booked for this flight. They fixed it. I can fly. A load has been lifted. I sat down and had coffee. Madagascar lifted the quarantine rule while I was waiting for my new flight so I didn’t have to re-book the approved hotel, I could go straight to the place I originally booked. I let them know I was coming and they confirmed airport pickup. I worked for an hour. I was there as soon as checkin opened. I got my boarding pass. Until I held it in my hand I was not completely at ease, a part of me was still worried that something was still wrong.
I went to get my tax refund for my camera. They charge a hefty commission. I only got roughly half of the money I paid. I tried protesting for a bit but quickly realised there was no point. Institutionalised theft. No fighting it.
I went to a lounge and worked until my flight. No, I didn’t pay for a lounge, my bank offers it for free to holders of their credit cards.
I had a meeting for work just as boarding was starting, I joined it from my phone. I stayed back until the last minute and then muted myself while I was boarding. Luckily, boarding required no interaction other than handing my boarding pass. I was in my seat by the time the call ended. I hung up and looked out the window. I was on the plane. A calm washed over me. I was moving forward.
And I even got my areal view of the waterfal.
Adventure Imminent 