Amsterdam to Nairobi - My Pampered Sky Life

In what could possibly be the greatest decision of my life, I upgraded to business class for the 2nd leg of my trip to Nairobi. This allowed me access to KLM's Crown Lounge in Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. This meant a quiet escape from great masses of backpackers, tourists, and value travelers that sprawl across 4 or 5 seats in lounges scattered about the airport. After a warm welcome from a veteran flight attendant in a baby blue uniform, I found a comfortable chair, an open bar, plenty of snacks, and spotty wi-fi. Sadly, my body clock was so confused from the bright sunshine and lack of sleep, that the thought of drinking heavily with strangers was highly unappealing. After a few emails and a few hours, I headed down to the assigned gate and found yet another 747 waiting. This one was named simply "Nairobi". Again, it was comforting, as though the plane knew where it was going.



The boarding chaos at Toronto was nothing like the disaster that was boarding at Amsterdam. An announcement was made for business class to board and there was an orderly gathering at the gate. Another announcement was made a few minutes later indicating that the first was made in error and that no boarding was taking place. This seemed to confuse the crowd and a surge toward the gate occurred. It ended with yet another call to board that had flight attendants at the gate asking those in and caught up in the surge whether or not they had a business class ticket. Those that did were allowed to pass and those that did not were looked upon with disdain and cast aside.

Once safely ensconced in the the upper level of the 747 with my business class peers, champagne was offered and taken and taken and, uh, taken. Shortly after, we took to the air and when offered dining options, I felt the best course of action was to nap. Upon waking a few hours later, my friendly and caring flight attendant informed me that they had kept each of the entree choices warm for me until I was ready to dine. The rest of the flight was uneventful (as they all should be), with the time filled by occasional glances out the window, some light reading, and attempts at watching movies I had no interest in.

8+ hours of flying later, the large aluminum tube with wings began its descent into Nairobi and I had arrived on the African continent. I was greeted at the gate by a handler with my name on a sign (about time!!!) and whisked through immigration, baggage claim and customs to the welcoming arms of my sister Sue and niece Kaila. They jumped into my arms and I carried them both through the airport much to the amusement of those gathered at the arrivals concourse. The jet lag, lack of sleep, high blood-alcohol level, and darkness that had set in made for a surreal and distant feeling despite the recognizable faces. After a short drive through the dark streets of outer Nairobi, we arrived at Sue's place and a time to sleep and recover.