International Limbo : All's well that ends well

The alarm was set for 3AM, so that we could check in at 4AM for our flight at 7 AM. At 3:01AM there was a heavy feeling in the pit of our stomachs. Sarah had read the alert on her phone that our flight from Christchurch to Sydney had been delayed in the middle of the night by six hours, and we would miss our connection in Sydney to Johannesburg South Africa.  Our Namibian adventure would be delayed by a full day. 

    Qantas had already rebooked us on a flight the next day and arranged a hotel in Sydney with meals included, but it was cold comfort when our imaginations were already running wild with zebras, giraffes, and elephants. It also meant another five hours in the Christchurch airport.  

    We whiled away the time with Sarah napping in my lap as I gave directions to international travelers who seemed to think I was the airport departure level concierge.  A divinely assigned profession, I have come to accept in my travels across the globe.  My father had the same fate.  It is something in our faces that seems to invite complete strangers to approach us anywhere on the globe to seek assistance in their journey.  The surprising thing is just how often we are able to help, even if we have only just arrived ourselves a few moments before them. 

I updated hotels reservations, connecting flights, and dates for park permits in between conversations with disoriented travelers seeking gate 12 or a restroom. Eventually our flight to Sydney boarded on time. Our unintended layover was uneventful, our flight to Johannesburg was smooth and on time.

The next morning our flight to Windhoek, ended up being delayed by fog, and our spirits took a dip.  Boarding began thirty minutes behind schedule.  As Sarah and I had our boarding passes scanned both lit up red instead of the green of every other passenger.  At this point we were resigned to disappointment, but instead were surprised to learn that somehow the universe had arranged for us to be upgraded to business class.  Biting my tongue, I took the boarding pass and dragged Sarah down the jetway, before someone came to their senses. Our pilot made good time and we landed on schedule.

    After our travails in New Zealand, it seemed our fortunes were changing!