RE: Day 12 - Team Beck heads home to South Africa, and Kiligirl reveals a second alter ego
Well, I'm heartened if the reader finds it interesting!
Africa is plagued by night flights and the fallacy that you can work all day, take a night flight, sit in economy, arrive, have a shower and be useful the next day. I've been doing this close to 30 years and all I can say is it's too bad there aren't day flights UP to Europe from Joburg! You'd be amazed at the circuitous routes they have us take if we want an affordable flight. We can go via Dubai, or Istanbul, or Cairo (often with Nairobi as a stop in between) so a more affordable trip can take up to two days and involve as many as four flights. We bite the bullet and fly SAA, Air France, Lufthansa, KLM...at least here they don't charge us extra for window seats! I'm such a fanatic for an aisle seat near the front that I wouldn't be a good candidate for their marketing strategies anyway. Travelling with Tim and Emma this last time, it was a no-brainer: Emma had to have the window seat so she could see for the first time the continent she comes from.
Yes, I remember that it took my friend something like 30 hours to get from South Africa to Finland. I think it is a bit silly to charge extra for window seats, but maybe that is how some airlines can keep there flight tickets more affordable. I guess it is a good thing in that case. I have to remember taking a day flight and a window seat when I fly to Africa for the first time! I would not want to miss that scenery :)
Don't worry, they don't charge extra for window seats - I think they're happy to get people coming on these routes!