Gambia, the Guineas, Sierra Leone, Liberia and ... Juba? FT trio tour West Africa
?
Feb 8, 2016, 10:02 pm
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Feb 8, 2016, 11:22 pm
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Jan 11, 2016
Hotel: Bella Casa; Monrovia, Liberia; $121/nt
Jason was supposed to leave this afternoon but I got an early email announcing flight drama. Went by his room and he said his Kenya Airlines flight had been delayed which meant he would miss his connection in Accra. He was out the door just after 8AM to try to catch an earlier Arik Airlines flight. Which left just DanielW and I to explore the city for the day. We walked down the street to where he had seen an ebola mural.
After breakfast we left the hotel about 9:30AM and decided to walk the ~2.5 miles to central Monrovia. It wasn't too hot when we set out but I was getting pretty sweaty by the time we reached the center after passing by the UNMIL building and police headquarters. There was a 'Get the Hell out of Liberia, Ebola' mural on one wall of a building. We came across the National Museum, which was actually open. The entry fee was $5 and the guide showed us the various masks, including a very 'interesting' fertility mask.
It was getting a bit toasty so we popped into a shop for some water. Then I went looking for the post office. It didn't appear to be where the map said it was. We came across a church and a lady came up to us and asked why we were taking photos. She must have been a tour guide as she had a big group with her and she told us the history of the buildings and showed us some photos of what Monorovia looked like in the 1970s.
We walked up Broad Street hill towards the Ducor Hotel. This used to be an Intercontinental Hotel back in the 1960s and hosted various dignitaries such as Golda Meir and Idi Amin. The hotel is just a shell now. It was closed in 1989 before the civil wars and was occupied by squatters until 2007. The hotel was being renovated by Libya until the fall of Gadaffi in 2011. Noe the hotel sits bare and empty, but you can do a bit of urban exploring if you tip the guard. He wanted $10 from each of us to take us up into the hotel, a bit pricey but he wouldn't accept less. The walls and glass are all gone, just leaving bare concrete floors and walls covered with murals and graffiti. We walked up to the top floor which gave a great view out over the swimming pool below and the West Point slum which was quarantined during the recent ebola outbreak.
Ducor Hotel and West Point
Getting a bit hungry now so we walked down from the hotel. I was getting a bit hot and bought a sachet of water. We walked down past the US embassy and Masonic Hall to the Mambo Point Hotel. We ended up going the long way, a bit further of a walk than I expected and it was the middle of the day, I was getting dizzy with heat and was worried I might pass out at one point. We finally arrived at the hotel with blasting cold A/C. On the wall was a letter from George Bush praising the hotel during his visit in 2008. There was another news article saying the hotel has the best sushi in Africa! I decided to opt for a burger for lunch instead. The hotel had postcards for sale so bought one for miss hauteboy.
There didn't appear to be any taxis or tuktuks at the hotel but we saw some going around the next block. Just missed one as we reached the corner but luckily another one came up a few minutes later. The driver didn't appear to speak English though so a bit of pantomime to determine what the fare should be. He drove us back to the hotel. We went back to Golden Beach for dinner again tonight. It was a Monday and not nearly as busy as it had been last night. I said goodbye to DanielW as he was (supposedly) leaving at 3AM for his flight back to Dubai.
Hotel: Bella Casa; Monrovia, Liberia; $121/nt
Jason was supposed to leave this afternoon but I got an early email announcing flight drama. Went by his room and he said his Kenya Airlines flight had been delayed which meant he would miss his connection in Accra. He was out the door just after 8AM to try to catch an earlier Arik Airlines flight. Which left just DanielW and I to explore the city for the day. We walked down the street to where he had seen an ebola mural.
After breakfast we left the hotel about 9:30AM and decided to walk the ~2.5 miles to central Monrovia. It wasn't too hot when we set out but I was getting pretty sweaty by the time we reached the center after passing by the UNMIL building and police headquarters. There was a 'Get the Hell out of Liberia, Ebola' mural on one wall of a building. We came across the National Museum, which was actually open. The entry fee was $5 and the guide showed us the various masks, including a very 'interesting' fertility mask.
It was getting a bit toasty so we popped into a shop for some water. Then I went looking for the post office. It didn't appear to be where the map said it was. We came across a church and a lady came up to us and asked why we were taking photos. She must have been a tour guide as she had a big group with her and she told us the history of the buildings and showed us some photos of what Monorovia looked like in the 1970s.
We walked up Broad Street hill towards the Ducor Hotel. This used to be an Intercontinental Hotel back in the 1960s and hosted various dignitaries such as Golda Meir and Idi Amin. The hotel is just a shell now. It was closed in 1989 before the civil wars and was occupied by squatters until 2007. The hotel was being renovated by Libya until the fall of Gadaffi in 2011. Noe the hotel sits bare and empty, but you can do a bit of urban exploring if you tip the guard. He wanted $10 from each of us to take us up into the hotel, a bit pricey but he wouldn't accept less. The walls and glass are all gone, just leaving bare concrete floors and walls covered with murals and graffiti. We walked up to the top floor which gave a great view out over the swimming pool below and the West Point slum which was quarantined during the recent ebola outbreak.
Ducor Hotel and West Point
Getting a bit hungry now so we walked down from the hotel. I was getting a bit hot and bought a sachet of water. We walked down past the US embassy and Masonic Hall to the Mambo Point Hotel. We ended up going the long way, a bit further of a walk than I expected and it was the middle of the day, I was getting dizzy with heat and was worried I might pass out at one point. We finally arrived at the hotel with blasting cold A/C. On the wall was a letter from George Bush praising the hotel during his visit in 2008. There was another news article saying the hotel has the best sushi in Africa! I decided to opt for a burger for lunch instead. The hotel had postcards for sale so bought one for miss hauteboy.
There didn't appear to be any taxis or tuktuks at the hotel but we saw some going around the next block. Just missed one as we reached the corner but luckily another one came up a few minutes later. The driver didn't appear to speak English though so a bit of pantomime to determine what the fare should be. He drove us back to the hotel. We went back to Golden Beach for dinner again tonight. It was a Monday and not nearly as busy as it had been last night. I said goodbye to DanielW as he was (supposedly) leaving at 3AM for his flight back to Dubai.
Feb 9, 2016, 1:37 am
#34
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Jan 12, 2016
Flight: Monrovia, Liberia (ROB) to Accra, Ghana; Kenya Airways; 737 economy
Flight: Accra, Ghana (ACC) to Nairobi, Kenya (NBO); Kenya Airways; 737 economy
Now it was down to just me in Liberia.. or so I thought at the time. My flight out wasn't until this evening so I had the whole day free. I just hung out in the hotel this morning relaxing and starting to work on writing this trip report. I arranged for the tranfer to the airport at 1PM, still lots of time before my 6PM flight as I wanted to visit the Firestone plantation. Just before I was about to leave I got an email from DanielW saying his flight had been cancelled due to fog! He was at a hotel some distance out of town. I had forgotten to get some more USD$ from him for my South Sudan trip and debated stopping by the hotel on the way to the airport!
On the way out of town my driver stopped to get some gas. Though not at a gas station, but from one of the vendors selling bootleg gasoline out of gallon mayonnaise jars! I wanted to get a picture of the fueling, the 'attendant' said no, but then my driver said OK and took over filling the tank with a funnel.
The drive out to the airport was quick and we passed through the security gate to the plantation. The guards there seemed to know my driver and we were waved in. Along the side of the road were planted orderly rows of rubber trees, some with red plastic pots to catch the sap. The white latex sap is mixed with sulphur in the vulcanization process to create durable rubber. The factory town was not too much further, it is a piece of America with American school buses, post office, worker buildings, etc
.
Back to the airport terminal, the driver kept going when we passed the terminal and I found out Kenya flight actually departs from a different (smaller) terminal than where we arrived. There was no ATM here though and I was a bit short on cash.. I had expected to use ATMs in Guinea and Sierra Leone. Luckily Jason hadn't totally cleaned out the ATM yesterday morning and there was still cash left, though it was some of the rattiest $20s I've ever seen. The Kenya terminal wasn't yet open so had to sit around for a bit in the heat. I had already checked in online but hadn't been able to print out the boarding pass.
At the checkin counter, I had a scare when they asked me if I had my pre-clearance for South Sudan. What? I had my visa, that's all I need. I stand aside in line and the head agent comes out and says that they needed some sort of preclearance from South Sudan immigration department, this was a new requirement apparently. Of course I didn't have any such preclearance nor had heard of it being a requirement. Turns out the guy behind me in line was also going to Juba and they didn't ask him for it since he had a UN passport, so it sounded more like bureaucratic BS! My phone didn't work here and no wifi in the terminal so I couldn't verify if this was a real requirement or not. I asked them if I could go as far as Nairobi and sort it out there. I didn't have a Kenya visa either (supposedly you need to apply for e-visa now) so I wasn't sure what I was going to do.
The Kenya Air flight arrived on time and we boarded via bus. The flight to Accra was uneventful. They had a crew change there but we stayed onboard. Ghana is one of the countries where I have unlimited data on my cell plan, so as soon as we landed I started emailing the hotel and South Sudan tour company about the immigration clearance. Luckily the tour company responded quickly and said that Liberia was smoking crack, that there wasn't such a preclearance. The hotel said they would check as well. So I felt a little better about just getting my Juba boarding pass on landing in Nairobi....
Flight: Monrovia, Liberia (ROB) to Accra, Ghana; Kenya Airways; 737 economy
Flight: Accra, Ghana (ACC) to Nairobi, Kenya (NBO); Kenya Airways; 737 economy
Now it was down to just me in Liberia.. or so I thought at the time. My flight out wasn't until this evening so I had the whole day free. I just hung out in the hotel this morning relaxing and starting to work on writing this trip report. I arranged for the tranfer to the airport at 1PM, still lots of time before my 6PM flight as I wanted to visit the Firestone plantation. Just before I was about to leave I got an email from DanielW saying his flight had been cancelled due to fog! He was at a hotel some distance out of town. I had forgotten to get some more USD$ from him for my South Sudan trip and debated stopping by the hotel on the way to the airport!
On the way out of town my driver stopped to get some gas. Though not at a gas station, but from one of the vendors selling bootleg gasoline out of gallon mayonnaise jars! I wanted to get a picture of the fueling, the 'attendant' said no, but then my driver said OK and took over filling the tank with a funnel.
The drive out to the airport was quick and we passed through the security gate to the plantation. The guards there seemed to know my driver and we were waved in. Along the side of the road were planted orderly rows of rubber trees, some with red plastic pots to catch the sap. The white latex sap is mixed with sulphur in the vulcanization process to create durable rubber. The factory town was not too much further, it is a piece of America with American school buses, post office, worker buildings, etc
.
Back to the airport terminal, the driver kept going when we passed the terminal and I found out Kenya flight actually departs from a different (smaller) terminal than where we arrived. There was no ATM here though and I was a bit short on cash.. I had expected to use ATMs in Guinea and Sierra Leone. Luckily Jason hadn't totally cleaned out the ATM yesterday morning and there was still cash left, though it was some of the rattiest $20s I've ever seen. The Kenya terminal wasn't yet open so had to sit around for a bit in the heat. I had already checked in online but hadn't been able to print out the boarding pass.
At the checkin counter, I had a scare when they asked me if I had my pre-clearance for South Sudan. What? I had my visa, that's all I need. I stand aside in line and the head agent comes out and says that they needed some sort of preclearance from South Sudan immigration department, this was a new requirement apparently. Of course I didn't have any such preclearance nor had heard of it being a requirement. Turns out the guy behind me in line was also going to Juba and they didn't ask him for it since he had a UN passport, so it sounded more like bureaucratic BS! My phone didn't work here and no wifi in the terminal so I couldn't verify if this was a real requirement or not. I asked them if I could go as far as Nairobi and sort it out there. I didn't have a Kenya visa either (supposedly you need to apply for e-visa now) so I wasn't sure what I was going to do.
The Kenya Air flight arrived on time and we boarded via bus. The flight to Accra was uneventful. They had a crew change there but we stayed onboard. Ghana is one of the countries where I have unlimited data on my cell plan, so as soon as we landed I started emailing the hotel and South Sudan tour company about the immigration clearance. Luckily the tour company responded quickly and said that Liberia was smoking crack, that there wasn't such a preclearance. The hotel said they would check as well. So I felt a little better about just getting my Juba boarding pass on landing in Nairobi....
Feb 26, 2016, 6:33 am
#39
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: TPA
Programs: DL Diamond, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,256
^This. I travel substantially myself, ~200K miles a year, at least half of that being international. But I just can't imagine covering Africa like this all in one trip. One heck of an experience though!
Feb 26, 2016, 4:06 pm
#40
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Jan 13, 2016
Flight: Nairobi, Kenya (NBO) to Juba, South Sudan (JUB); Kenya Airways; E90 economy
Hotel: Oasis Camp Juba
The overnight flight to Nairobi passed quickly and we arrived early at 5:30AM. I watched most of Fant4stic movie on the way. I'd gotten an email from the hotel saying to go by the health clinic in Nairobi airport and get some sort of clearance check. There was an ebola station at the arrival gate but no one was manning it. I continued up to the terminal and was able to get my onward boarding pass to Juba! So at least they hadn't mucked with my reservation in Liberia. I was still worried about getting some sort of official note in case arrival in South Sudan was a problem.
I have Skyteam Gold status through a status match on Alitalia, so I went by the Kenya Airways lounge. I asked about the travel clinic and they didn't seem to know what I was talking about. They said it was $75 for a doctor to come by. So screw that, I'll just take my chances on arrival. I had a bit of breakfast of poached egg and sausage. The wifi key was one of those random generated codes. The lounge was OK and not busy. I hadn't been in the Nairobi airport since 1998, when I flew BA to the Seychlles after spending 40 days going overland from Cape Town to Nairobi. I'm guessing this was the new terminal after the old one burned down a few years ago.
No problems at boarding. Weather was gorgeous this morning and even a bit chilly. Flight to Juba itself was uneventful and they served a hot meal enroute. The E190 plane was brand new and clean. Pretty impressed with Kenya Airways so far! Arrived in hazy, hot Juba and walked to the terminal, passing by several Russian transport planes. I filled out the yellow arrival form (I put I was coming from Nairobi..) and had no problems or questions at all! So Liberia was definitely smoking crack.
Kenya Airways NBO-JUB
The terminal was pretty tiny and headed out to wait for my driver. He hadn't showed up yet so I called my hotel (surprising my phone worked). They thought I hadn't made it after my email last night but I assured them I definitely was there. Started talking with a chain-smoking South African guy, he'd been to Juba a few times before but was a little evasive about saying what he was doing there. My driver came by about 20 minutes later.
So about the tour.. in February 2015 DanielW and I were supposed to go to South Sudan at the end of my Maldives trip. We'd arranged a tour through a tour company to spend a few days in Juba and visit some tribes a few hours north. After we'd sent the money, DanielW found some reviews that weren't exactly flattering and he expected them to cancel on us for 'security reasons'. Sure enough two days before our trip there the company contacted us and said the tour was off and they'd send a refund. There were indeed problems going on on South Sudan at the time. After lots of back and forth, several months later I never did receive the refund. I think he did actually try to send the transfer but he had an account number in the wrong place. Anyway they said I could use my credit on a future trip, so I had contacted them to setup this one night stay in Juba with a city tour. Wasn't expecting much to be honest, but I was glad when the driver showed up and things appeared to be kosher.
Juba Street
The driver asked if I needed to change money, since I was there only one night I didn't expect I would need much. So I gave him $60 (and ratty Liberian $20s at that) but he said $100s would get the best rate. We stopped on a street for awhile while he disappeared to find a money changer. So I should have gotten 520 SSP (even at the bad rate) but he only showed up with 400, saying he would get the rest later.
Oasis Juba
We got to the hotel, the Oasis Camp Juba, on the banks of the Nile river. It consisted of several 'cabins' and a fixed wing where my room was located. Aircon worked and wifi was decent, so that seemed OK, though the bathroom was pretty basic. My driver said he would be back at 2:30PM for the driver around town. Meanwhile had lunch at the hotel. They had a pretty good looking buffet spread out. Juba has problems with currency and security, and despite having oil fuel has to be brought in overland from Mombasa. There were a bunch of Ukranian pilots staying at the hotel. I went down to the bar area overlooking the Nile and found an old dusty workout room.
At 2:30 my driver showed up and he took me on a whirlwind tour of the city. The tour company apparently wasn't able to get photo permits, so said to be very cautious taking photos. I have sunglasses with camera in them (definitely don't want to get caught with those...) but was able to get some video driving through the streets. We passed by the presidential house and John Garang museum but we weren't able to get close. Juba's a little light on the sights department. We drove by the 'car market' where they sell 4WDs and cars brought from Uganda. Which was an oddity as they drive on the right in South Sudan but the cars are right hand drive! Makes for interesting driving.. Palau had the same as cars there were mostly brought in from Japan.
We drove through an area where my driver said the violence last year had flared up. Luckily today at least it seemed quiet enough. We then drove to the St. Therese cathedral before crossing over the Nile Bridge. My driver said to give him my camera so he could take a photo, he said since he was black it wasn't a problem for him to take pictures! That and he had several brothers in the police department, apparently. On the other side of the bridge there was a truck that had rolled over.
St. Therese cathedral
Rolled over truck (taken by my driver)
Nile bridge (taken by my driver)
We stopped at the Juba Bridge hotel for a drink and to see the cargo boats they send all the way to Khartoum. Local boys were bathing nude in the river. After that we headed back to the Oasis Camp. I had dinner at the hotel.
Boat port
South Sudanese pounds
Flight: Nairobi, Kenya (NBO) to Juba, South Sudan (JUB); Kenya Airways; E90 economy
Hotel: Oasis Camp Juba
The overnight flight to Nairobi passed quickly and we arrived early at 5:30AM. I watched most of Fant4stic movie on the way. I'd gotten an email from the hotel saying to go by the health clinic in Nairobi airport and get some sort of clearance check. There was an ebola station at the arrival gate but no one was manning it. I continued up to the terminal and was able to get my onward boarding pass to Juba! So at least they hadn't mucked with my reservation in Liberia. I was still worried about getting some sort of official note in case arrival in South Sudan was a problem.
I have Skyteam Gold status through a status match on Alitalia, so I went by the Kenya Airways lounge. I asked about the travel clinic and they didn't seem to know what I was talking about. They said it was $75 for a doctor to come by. So screw that, I'll just take my chances on arrival. I had a bit of breakfast of poached egg and sausage. The wifi key was one of those random generated codes. The lounge was OK and not busy. I hadn't been in the Nairobi airport since 1998, when I flew BA to the Seychlles after spending 40 days going overland from Cape Town to Nairobi. I'm guessing this was the new terminal after the old one burned down a few years ago.
No problems at boarding. Weather was gorgeous this morning and even a bit chilly. Flight to Juba itself was uneventful and they served a hot meal enroute. The E190 plane was brand new and clean. Pretty impressed with Kenya Airways so far! Arrived in hazy, hot Juba and walked to the terminal, passing by several Russian transport planes. I filled out the yellow arrival form (I put I was coming from Nairobi..) and had no problems or questions at all! So Liberia was definitely smoking crack.
Kenya Airways NBO-JUB
The terminal was pretty tiny and headed out to wait for my driver. He hadn't showed up yet so I called my hotel (surprising my phone worked). They thought I hadn't made it after my email last night but I assured them I definitely was there. Started talking with a chain-smoking South African guy, he'd been to Juba a few times before but was a little evasive about saying what he was doing there. My driver came by about 20 minutes later.
So about the tour.. in February 2015 DanielW and I were supposed to go to South Sudan at the end of my Maldives trip. We'd arranged a tour through a tour company to spend a few days in Juba and visit some tribes a few hours north. After we'd sent the money, DanielW found some reviews that weren't exactly flattering and he expected them to cancel on us for 'security reasons'. Sure enough two days before our trip there the company contacted us and said the tour was off and they'd send a refund. There were indeed problems going on on South Sudan at the time. After lots of back and forth, several months later I never did receive the refund. I think he did actually try to send the transfer but he had an account number in the wrong place. Anyway they said I could use my credit on a future trip, so I had contacted them to setup this one night stay in Juba with a city tour. Wasn't expecting much to be honest, but I was glad when the driver showed up and things appeared to be kosher.
Juba Street
The driver asked if I needed to change money, since I was there only one night I didn't expect I would need much. So I gave him $60 (and ratty Liberian $20s at that) but he said $100s would get the best rate. We stopped on a street for awhile while he disappeared to find a money changer. So I should have gotten 520 SSP (even at the bad rate) but he only showed up with 400, saying he would get the rest later.
Oasis Juba
We got to the hotel, the Oasis Camp Juba, on the banks of the Nile river. It consisted of several 'cabins' and a fixed wing where my room was located. Aircon worked and wifi was decent, so that seemed OK, though the bathroom was pretty basic. My driver said he would be back at 2:30PM for the driver around town. Meanwhile had lunch at the hotel. They had a pretty good looking buffet spread out. Juba has problems with currency and security, and despite having oil fuel has to be brought in overland from Mombasa. There were a bunch of Ukranian pilots staying at the hotel. I went down to the bar area overlooking the Nile and found an old dusty workout room.
At 2:30 my driver showed up and he took me on a whirlwind tour of the city. The tour company apparently wasn't able to get photo permits, so said to be very cautious taking photos. I have sunglasses with camera in them (definitely don't want to get caught with those...) but was able to get some video driving through the streets. We passed by the presidential house and John Garang museum but we weren't able to get close. Juba's a little light on the sights department. We drove by the 'car market' where they sell 4WDs and cars brought from Uganda. Which was an oddity as they drive on the right in South Sudan but the cars are right hand drive! Makes for interesting driving.. Palau had the same as cars there were mostly brought in from Japan.
We drove through an area where my driver said the violence last year had flared up. Luckily today at least it seemed quiet enough. We then drove to the St. Therese cathedral before crossing over the Nile Bridge. My driver said to give him my camera so he could take a photo, he said since he was black it wasn't a problem for him to take pictures! That and he had several brothers in the police department, apparently. On the other side of the bridge there was a truck that had rolled over.
St. Therese cathedral
Rolled over truck (taken by my driver)
Nile bridge (taken by my driver)
We stopped at the Juba Bridge hotel for a drink and to see the cargo boats they send all the way to Khartoum. Local boys were bathing nude in the river. After that we headed back to the Oasis Camp. I had dinner at the hotel.
Boat port
South Sudanese pounds
Feb 27, 2016, 2:39 am
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Germany
Programs: Some
Posts: 11,520
We walked up Broad Street hill towards the Ducor Hotel. This used to be an Intercontinental Hotel back in the 1960s and hosted various dignitaries such as Golda Meir and Idi Amin. The hotel is just a shell now. It was closed in 1989 before the civil wars and was occupied by squatters until 2007. The hotel was being renovated by Libya until the fall of Gadaffi in 2011. Noe the hotel sits bare and empty, but you can do a bit of urban exploring if you tip the guard. He wanted $10 from each of us to take us up into the hotel, a bit pricey but he wouldn't accept less. The walls and glass are all gone, just leaving bare concrete floors and walls covered with murals and graffiti.
Pool aready Looks inviting and has some water inside
. OK, 10 $ isn´t really cheap, but a special experience
Mar 3, 2016, 12:34 pm
#42
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Austin, TX -- AA Life Platinum; QF Life Silver; UA Silver
Posts: 5,462
Ok done finally.
Jan 14-15, 2016
Flight: Juba, South Sudan (JUB) to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ADD); Ethiopian; DH8 economy
Flight: Addis Ababa (ADD) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA); Ethiopian; 787 economy
Flight: Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Houston, TX (IAH); United; 787 economy
Flight: Houston, TX (IAH) to Austin, TX (AUS); United; economy
I had the whole day free but I'd already seen most of Juba. After breakfast my driver picked me up at 9:30 and we went to the handicraft market. Most of the stuff here was from Uganda or Kenya though, but I still had $45 of local currency to get rid of. This was also my last stop as I would be heading back to the USA tonight so I went a bit wild and bought a lot of stuff for miss hauteboy. We drove around a bit more before we stopped at DaVinci restaurant for lunch. This was on the Nile as well. Looked like a nice place but absolutely no one there other than a scavenging monkey. I had the grilled fish. My driver said he'd come get me in awhile so I sat there for a bit just relaxing.
DaVinci restaurant
Back to the Oasis camp where I found that the clothes I'd laid out to wear tonight were missing! They must have taken them for laundry as some of my clothes on the floor were also gone. That's a bit odd as I never asked for laundry. Then went for a swim in the pool, though they said it was an extra charge to swim. Felt relaxing though after the hot and dusty streets.
Oasis Camp swimming pool
We headed to the airport about 3:30pm. I'd already checked in online for my Ethiopian flights. On the way there the driver asked if I had registered my visa, I said no.. he said it was necessary to register the visa (Sudan requires this too) but it was too late to go organize. He said I might have to 'pay something' at the airport instead. He suggested $40. The north Sudan registration fee was $60 but they had an actual office at the Khartoum airport for this. Ah bureaucracy.
We got to the tiny terminal and indeed there was a sign at immigration basically saying 'Registration required. Ignorance of requirement doesn't matter'. But the lady that stamped me out never said anything. The driver handed something over to the guard checking the stamps though. The 'terminal' waiting room was hot and chaotic. It reminded me a bit of the Berbera airport in Somaliland. There is a new terminal being built next door. Still had plenty of time to wait before my flight at 17:40. The area was pretty crowded as the Egyptair and Fly540 flights also depart about the same time.
Eventually it is time to board the flight, we walk out onto the tarmac past a huge IL76TD cargo plane. Takeoff was to the east and we fly over the Nile towards Addis. On landing in Addis I headed to the lounge. The airport is crazy busy compared to my first visit to Ethiopia in 2008. The lounge was near standing room only as there were lots of people waiting on the late bank of evening flights. I had several hours to wait before the flight to Frankfurt. Finally found a place to sit and enjoyed a St. George beer.
IDP camp at airport
ET JUB-ADD
ET Lounge, Addis
The flight to Frankfurt was on the 787. First time on an Ethiopian 787 and fourth time overall (had flown MEX-CDG-MEX and BLR-DEL). I slept most of the flight to Frankfurt. I had a long layover in FRA (9hrs) and debated going into town for a bit. However on arrival it was cold and rainy, and I didn't have a jacket. So I just opted to hang out in the LH lounge and have a long relaxing shower. The lounge wasn't yet too busy but filled up as the day went on. I started working on the trip report notes.
ET 787 Y ADD-FRA
The United flight to IAH was also on a 787 and relatively uneventful.. but a long flight as I was ready to be home. Global Entry was quick and I was soon on my final flight to Austin.
UA 787 Y FRA-IAH
Jan 14-15, 2016
Flight: Juba, South Sudan (JUB) to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ADD); Ethiopian; DH8 economy
Flight: Addis Ababa (ADD) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA); Ethiopian; 787 economy
Flight: Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Houston, TX (IAH); United; 787 economy
Flight: Houston, TX (IAH) to Austin, TX (AUS); United; economy
I had the whole day free but I'd already seen most of Juba. After breakfast my driver picked me up at 9:30 and we went to the handicraft market. Most of the stuff here was from Uganda or Kenya though, but I still had $45 of local currency to get rid of. This was also my last stop as I would be heading back to the USA tonight so I went a bit wild and bought a lot of stuff for miss hauteboy. We drove around a bit more before we stopped at DaVinci restaurant for lunch. This was on the Nile as well. Looked like a nice place but absolutely no one there other than a scavenging monkey. I had the grilled fish. My driver said he'd come get me in awhile so I sat there for a bit just relaxing.
DaVinci restaurant
Back to the Oasis camp where I found that the clothes I'd laid out to wear tonight were missing! They must have taken them for laundry as some of my clothes on the floor were also gone. That's a bit odd as I never asked for laundry. Then went for a swim in the pool, though they said it was an extra charge to swim. Felt relaxing though after the hot and dusty streets.
Oasis Camp swimming pool
We headed to the airport about 3:30pm. I'd already checked in online for my Ethiopian flights. On the way there the driver asked if I had registered my visa, I said no.. he said it was necessary to register the visa (Sudan requires this too) but it was too late to go organize. He said I might have to 'pay something' at the airport instead. He suggested $40. The north Sudan registration fee was $60 but they had an actual office at the Khartoum airport for this. Ah bureaucracy.
We got to the tiny terminal and indeed there was a sign at immigration basically saying 'Registration required. Ignorance of requirement doesn't matter'. But the lady that stamped me out never said anything. The driver handed something over to the guard checking the stamps though. The 'terminal' waiting room was hot and chaotic. It reminded me a bit of the Berbera airport in Somaliland. There is a new terminal being built next door. Still had plenty of time to wait before my flight at 17:40. The area was pretty crowded as the Egyptair and Fly540 flights also depart about the same time.
Eventually it is time to board the flight, we walk out onto the tarmac past a huge IL76TD cargo plane. Takeoff was to the east and we fly over the Nile towards Addis. On landing in Addis I headed to the lounge. The airport is crazy busy compared to my first visit to Ethiopia in 2008. The lounge was near standing room only as there were lots of people waiting on the late bank of evening flights. I had several hours to wait before the flight to Frankfurt. Finally found a place to sit and enjoyed a St. George beer.
IDP camp at airport
ET JUB-ADD
ET Lounge, Addis
The flight to Frankfurt was on the 787. First time on an Ethiopian 787 and fourth time overall (had flown MEX-CDG-MEX and BLR-DEL). I slept most of the flight to Frankfurt. I had a long layover in FRA (9hrs) and debated going into town for a bit. However on arrival it was cold and rainy, and I didn't have a jacket. So I just opted to hang out in the LH lounge and have a long relaxing shower. The lounge wasn't yet too busy but filled up as the day went on. I started working on the trip report notes.
ET 787 Y ADD-FRA
The United flight to IAH was also on a 787 and relatively uneventful.. but a long flight as I was ready to be home. Global Entry was quick and I was soon on my final flight to Austin.
UA 787 Y FRA-IAH