Tanzania: Day One. Travel To Zanzibar. September 28 2019
I love to travel. Once again I am blessed to be writing about, and sharing, another adventure. But I know as well as anyone that no one is guaranteed a day of the precious gift we call life. I write these words in Terminal B at the Newark International Airport. The stress and anxiety of my everyday life back home has disappeared like a late April snowfall. Freedom and adventure await, and I truly love it. Once again I am returning to the Dark Continent, Africa. First to Zanzibar, than onward to safari in the Serengeti. Did I mention I love to travel?
It it was a nice ride here from my home in Hazle Township to the Newark Airport about 2 hours away by car. There was very little traffic and I was soon at the airport taking the airtrain to Terminal B where I would fly Emirates Air to Zanzibar.
Anyone who has followed my previous trips on my blog knows I love airports. Did I say I love to travel? The hustle and bustle of people from all over our small planet, interacting , laughing, crying, communicating always gives me hope that the hate so prevalent in our times can give way to a mutual love and respect for all our fellow human beings regardless of race, color, culture or religion. Hope springs eternal they say.
Well enough of that, more on my trip. I arrived at the Terminal and was very surprised found it to be empty. Like no lines at all anywhere. I quickly proceeded to check my luggage and made my way to security.
I was shocked to find no one in line. Not a soul. I had a pleasant chat with the TSA workers about football and my Philadelphia Eagles awesome victory over Green Bay on Thursday.
After clearing security I found myself in a small gate area which was also empty. Maybe a half-dozen folks were waiting for the two scheduled flight in the morning. I have learned it is wise to fly international on Saturday mornings here in Newark. I explored the gate area for a bit, reading the U.S. Fish and Wild Life Service exhibit about endangered species.
And reading the many posters adorning the walls.
I was very early so I sat down and was able to start this blog. However, time passed, and it was time to board my Emirates flight at 11;55. So I finished my blog in the last paragraph above. I write this in the crowded gate F3 in the Dubai Airport. Yesterday it got busy in the Newark airport too. Our full flight took awhile to board but I was eventually in my window seat.
There was about a half hour delay but we eventually was able to get into the air. Unfortunately, I discovered my window seat was above a the wing and large engine so my view was obstructed once we took off. I was able to get this photograph of the Hudson River as we took off and banked out of the Newark airspace.
It was a 14 1/2 hour flight to Dubai . For some reason I thought it was only 7 hours. I have become accustomed to long flight and spent my time watching the airplanes flight data and a movie.The movie was vary moving. It was about the life of my favorite author J.R.R. Tolkien. It was a very good movie and helped pass the time. I tried to sleep but, thanks to a very loud three-year old whose parents had no idea how to control no one in her vicinity got much sleep. Such are the misfortunes of air travel.
The service and food on the flight were good. I followed the navigation on the video screen and saw we flew over Paris, the Alps, Istanbul and the Black Sea . As I mentioned I couldn’t see much from my window but was able to watch the sunrise as we flew over Baghdad.
Breakfast was soon served and we landed in Dubai on time at 8;15 local time. Well just to keep you informed, I write this paragraph of my blog from my room in the beautiful La Gemma resort in Zanzibar. It is raining outside.
I soon learned I wasn’t flying Emirates Air to Zanzibar but had to transfer to another airline, and terminal to catch my Fly Dubai flight to the Spice Island. It was hectic, and hot outside. Temperatures were near 100 degrees.
I had an hour to explore the small terminal, and roamed the isles of the duty free shop.
As always I loved hearing the many different languages spoken as people from so many nations tried to communicate as they purchased foods as drink waiting for the flights
Unlike the Newark airport this terminal was crowded. I worked on this blog and soon boarded my flight to Zanzibar around noon local time, 5 a.m. my time.
Well this is enough information for this leg of the trip. I will continue in another posts. Hopefully soon. But you can never tell once you set out on an adventure.
You may not hear from me until I am back home. I will try to continue to share photographs with my Facebook, Instagram and Pinrest followers. While you wait feel free to explore the archives of my blog for photos of my pasts adventures. Here is a link to some more photographs from the first part of my journey. Tanzania Day One Travel to Dubai. September 28 2019.
There is truly no other place bearing so much love as airports. Ioana Cristina Casapu
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