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Setting off is always a good feeling. Today was no exception, but like all
expeditions it started with a slight snag. The Girls of KLM UK wouldn't
allow me to take my backpack on the aircraft (it is tiny).
"Hang on do you mean I can take no hand luggage at all"
"Yes, London is very secure" She replied strongly.
"Ok well can you guarantee the safety of $3000 of camera equipment and $5000
in travellers cheques?" Expeditions can be reasonably cheap, but this wadge
was my back up."
"Ahh" relented the check in Lady. "perhaps you could take the camera stuff
and money out, and maybe use that aluminuim suitcase instead" She pointed at
my empty camera box. And so I re-packed everything into an alu box, and
pulled out my zip infested video bag.
" Its the zips you see" she explained sheepishly. We're banning all
Backpacks because of the zips"
"I see" I replied politely, seeing nothing really.
The benefit of this was that the girl allowed me onto the plane with 45
extra Kilos of baggage. A stove, cold weather gear, an EPIRB beacon, and two
ridiculously big galvanised sand ladders went sliding down into the hold of
the aircraft.
My next job was to claim my tax back from Customs and Excise. All of the
rules and regulations had just changed in the light of the September
bombings.
"Excuse me, but half of my stuff has gone through into the aircraft. And I'm
carrying the other half, this whole situation is a nightmare." I confessed.
Luckily the customs officer was a lapsed diver and terrible sympathetic. We
talked about diving, and traveling,. or as much as anyone can at five am
and he duly stamped my documents and took me to get my money back. This man
was a shining example of British common sense. The Officer was within his
rights to have all of my equipment brought back up to him to be
re-inspected. Instead he scrutinised me and made his judgement. This man was
a credit to his service, even if he did come from Essex.
And that brought day one to a close. Is pent long hours on a plane,, through
foul European weather to Amsterdam. Then south to the sahara. I looked down
on Egypt and her shifting red dunes. My mind wandered, I imagined that a few
months hence, we would be at the edge of that great Morass. My last thought
before I fell asleep?
"Better get the Navigation right then!"
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