That's Life! Chapter one: Travel Journal South Africa - Entry #1 From Heathrow to Johannesburg March 2010

Wednesday, 7 April 2010

Travel Journal South Africa - Entry #1 From Heathrow to Johannesburg March 2010

Oh how I wish the one month long (short) trip to South Africa could be summed up in a flash, in a brief paragraph: but there are way way too many treasured memories for that! So this is the start of a record of some of those personal memories. As I look back, it is quite obvious, that though not crisis-free, our God is just so faithful, so full of surprises and blessings! Undoubtedly, the times of joy and fun outweighed the challenges by miles. There were even a few miracles!

Gordon had a meeting in London the day before I left for SA: we met at our "Michael's pub" in Bond Street - which never ceases to overwhelm us with memories and love of our son who now is beholding God's glory. The two of us walked slowly through Green and St James' Park. The South African flags (on spears) and the British flags (on a crown) were beautifully draped and paraded down the Pall Mall - fitting symbols in the light of the trip from UK to South Africa. The real reason, of course, was the early March state visit of Jacob Zuma to the Queen in Bucks Palace. The newspapers and other media went to town with the most unusual comparisons between a polygamous President being hosted with one of his three (present) wives by the Queen whose gran, at times "was not amused". We wonder what the Queen REALLY thought.

The SA flag draped around a spear.

Gordon is 6'5" and still dwarfed by the royal gates

And so Gordon and I said our slow goodbyes to each other in the parks, at palatial Bucks gates and next to a golden palace (thanks to the sunset!).
Today I am wearing a coat, a jacket - etc - the next month would consist of two slightly cool days!

At lunch-time, next day, my love kindly took me to catch the bus to Heathrow - we did not want to leave each other. After all the packing and weighing, weighing and packing, preparations, long stretches on airport walkalators, etc etc - I find myself for the first time, able to relax in the Heathrow lounge watching a fab sunset - God the original Artist painting the sky and the sky replying with praises to Him!

An interesting fellow passenger, a SCOTTISH lecturer in languages at a Paris university, laughingly said that there are now many French that pronounce frog as frrroooooooooooog! Once at De Gaulle airport (I think it is called that) about 50 or so of us passengers, had to be chased hard to get onto the connecting flight to Johannesburg, in time. It turned out to be a taste of the Babel confusion as none of us could understand E53 in French - but body language and the herd-style helped. We could not comprehend why, after the drill and searches and the strictest and most stringent rules at Heathrow customs, and having been nowhere else but in the plane and the lounge, we once again had to take off our shoes, take out the laptops, before rushing on to the airbus. It is not the time to wonder too much - just accept and co-operate and be thankful for a straightforward life - and no worries about carting no-no's.
As the plane ascended and banked over a romantic, twinkling Paris, I remembered Izo saying she has seen the Eiffel tower from the air. There and then I peered out of the window, hoping against hope. And would you believe it - there is was in all its lit up glory!! After a minute or two I reached for the camera at my feet and snapped the shakey pic of an Eiffel Tower that grew out of the city - what a bonus!

I settled down as much as it is possible in the economy seat for the night, listening to really great sermons on the ipod and with thoughts of joy that the time has come to see our very loved ones soon, soon: 26 hours from door to door - how worthwhile is that!

Two quick impressions:

Heathrow is busiest (not the biggest) airport in the world. These trails always remind us of loved ones who live far apart - God's amazing, deep and wide grace is also enough for this trial.