This is the first trip ever where I have started packing the weekend before we left. Dave and I will be sharing a suitcase for Scotland and that was ready to go on Saturday. On Tuesday night I finished packing everything else, closed the suitcases and weighed them, only to discover I had left a bottle of wine out of the bag. I did a little bit of rearranging and left the hand luggage open for the last few things. On-line check in was a breeze and luggage drop off went smoothly. Our cases have been checked in directly to London.
We had a snack in the business class lounge before boarding. For some reason my meal was preselected as a diabetic meal. This is a hangover from the last time we flew to London on SAA. We could not change it and I’m hoping it’s not the same for the next flight. The steward agreed not even she would eat the rice cake I was given and have me a chicken and cheese roll from the standard selection. We had a good flight, landed early and made it through security and passport control with ease. We decided to try the SAA lounge for a change. It’s really good with much better WiFi than the Diners Club lounge. I went for a 20 minute complimentary back, neck and arm massage. If you find yourself in international departures at OR Tambo ask for Sheila at the Spa. I could not put the tip on my credit card so came back to the lounge to get R20 from Dave as I don’t have Rands on me. She was most grateful for the tip which made me pleased.
We boarded without a queue and the flight was really empty. Some people have a row of 4 or 3 to themselves. Dave and I had a row of 2 each. Our choice for dinner was beef stew, hake or vegetarian pasta. We both went for the pasta with Lourensford River Garden Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon blend. I went straight to my own ‘bed’ and managed to get a fair bit of sleep. Dave also got some rest. We were awake by 5:30 SA time. Breakfast was scrambled edges with chicken sausage. The flight and the staff were excellent and I can only hope the airline gets sold off to keep the staff employed. Everything they did was with a smile. Had a smooth landing despite the turbulence. Welcome to day 1 of our holiday.
England And Scotland 