African Tour:Going Home

Flying from Taipei to Johannesburg took 44 hours. There were long delays in Bangkok and Doha. Flying from Mombasa to Taipei took half the time. Every plane took off on time and there were only two to three hour waits in between flights.

Moi International Airport
Mombasa, Kenya

A hotel shuttle took me and a dozen other people the 40km north to Moi International Airport in Mombasa.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Nairobi, Kenya

Hamad International Airport
Doha, Qatar

Eight hours later, I was back in Doha. Every other time I have been to Hamad Airport, I had to wait for several hours in the early morning when the airport was mostly closed. This time, I only waited three hours in the early morning when the airport was mostly closed. For whatever reason, every flight I have ever taken to Doha gets in after midnight. I have never seen Hamad fully awake.

Suvarnabhumi Airport
Bangkok, Thailand

I was in Bangkok in time for lunch. Suvarnabhumi Airport is not the worst place to eat, and infinitely better than airplane food.

Taoyuan International Airport
Taipei, Taiwan

I landed in Taipei at night, but not too late to catch the gaotie back to Kaohsiung. For whatever reason, the last train out of Taipei is just before midnight. If your flight lands after that, you get to spend the night in Taipei. The buses do not run that late and no sane taxi driver would ever take you from Taipei to Kaohsiung.

I walked into my apartment about a half hour after midnight. It was the first time I felt like I was home in a while. I stayed in some nice hotels and even nicer apartments, but I always felt like a visitor. No matter how exotic or interesting any given location is, there truly is no place like home. Plus, my bed at home is outstanding.