Sandstorms Sans Luggage

We left Salt Lake City and flew four-and-a-half hours to Atlanta. We had a three-hour layover and then we flew twelve-and-a-half hours to Accra Ghana. Our final destination was Monrovia, Liberia. In Accra, we sat on the plane, on the Tarmac, refueling. Waiting.

Waiting.

The Captain informed us that sandstorms off the Sahara desert had reduced visibility in Liberia. We would be delayed.

An hour later, he announced our flight was cancelled. We would be spending the night in Accra.

No, they were not going to give us our luggage.

No, there was not a flight the next day. Come back on Friday.

That’s four days without clean underwear.

Friday—the flight was delayed by two hours. Sandstorms had reduced visibility below tolerance. Five hours after checking in, we boarded the aircraft. Two passengers nearly got in a fistfight over a wrong seat number. The flight attendants threatened to throw them off the plane.

The Captain informed us the Satellite Communications were out. If they could fix it we might take off.

Another hour.

Sat Coms were fixed. Visibility was at the minimum. More fuel required. Another hour, on the plane. No AC.

Accra is right on the Equator.

The Captain said we would take off. Everyone cheered. Visibility was still bad, he said. We may not be able to make it.

The flight to Monrovia, Liberia, is just under two hours. We began our descent, down, into the sand cloud. We could feel the Captain applying power. We were climbing.

Visibility in the sand was below minimum. The Captain flew us back, two hours, to Accra. Another night in Ghana.

5 days without clean underwear.

We checked in at the Accra airport at 7:00 am. The airport is small, chaotic and pungent. People were angry. They said we would board at 9:00 and takeoff at 10:00. Visibility was good today. We were going to fly.

At 10:00 they announced the flight was delayed because the crew was not there yet. People started yelling.

At 12:30 the crew arrived. The passengers were angry, booing and screaming at the crew. The flight attendants announced that they would not enter a hostile environment. Unless this stopped, they would cancel the flight. The crowd quieted.

We boarded the plane at 1:00 pm. The Captain informed us Sat Coms were out again. They’d try and fix it. Another hour. No AC.

When we took off for Liberia, people cheered. When we landed in Liberia, people cheered.

Welcome to West Africa.

When we got off the airplane, people nearly trampled each other to get out. The baggage claim was a mob scene. It took three hours to get our bags.

We did get them.

Clean underwear. Clean clothes. Ten thousand miles from home.

Miracles never cease.