ON THE WAY
The first morning was full of ups and downs. After waking at 6AM I had a rare panic attack because I couldn't find the medication I had packed the day before - the medication which guaranteed I would stay alive through the 100 days ahead. I knew I had packed it. But even though I went through both duffles and the multi-pocketed vest I would wear I could not find it. It was a classic pre-departure panic. Finally, I remembered that the new and well-designed shoulder bag Emma bought for me had a small end pocket on the outside, perfectly sized for small medication containers  - and there they were!

Second, we assumed it would be easy to get a taxi at 8 AM and we also forgot how cold it would be dressed in our semi-tropical clothing. So we had another ten-minutes of misery on the street until a taxi fortuitously let off a passenger near us. The early suffering was balanced by a smooth, fast ride to JFK airport, using the Williamsburg Bridge route suggested by the driver rather than the Midtown Tunnel route we suggested.

The final pre-flight stress was continued by a complex series of events at the airport. Emma's boarding pass did not show her United Mileage number although mine did. She certainly did not want to take the chance she would not get credit for the whopping number of miles we would rack up on this trip. We did not have Emma's Mileage Account Number. The clerk at check in suggested we go through security, call United, get the number and then have it inserted at the boarding gate. This would have worked well if I had not realized after going through security that I had left my phone in one of those trays. I am happy to say that when I returned to security, they directed me to a desk where a TSA employee opened a safe and handed me my phone. This proves that one of the benefits of a totalitarian society with total surveillance is that lost things are more likely to be returned. I was reminded of the time I left binoculars on a beach chair in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt and a few hours later a security officer opened a drawer in his office at the hotel and handed them to me. In any event, after retrieving my cell phone and getting ready to call United, Emma gave me a card with all sorts of information and telephone numbers she had prepared and, lo and behold, our United Mileage numbers were on there also! So Emma was able to insert the number at the boarding gate. But that wasn't quite the end of it. I found my printout of the entire round-the world itinerary (managed by Lufthansa for Star Alliance) and it clearly showed that both of our United Mileage Accounts were indicated. This means that we cannot count on the coordination of all the airline segments on different airlines and must check on each flight whether they have our numbers. After it was over Emma said "OK, I've had enough, let's go back home."  Moral of this tale: Serious traveling is hard work, not relaxation. I hope you are feeling sorry for us.

After we were seated on the plane, a flight attendant handed me two small pieces of paper stuck together. I examined them, but had no idea what they were and gave them to Emma who put them in the same little bag as the No-Jet-Lag pills we were planning to take every two hours on the flight. Later, Emma realized that we had no tickets for our checked luggage because, in the confusion about her Mileage the clerk never gave them to us. Then I realized they must be the two pieces of paper given to me, apparently brought to the plane by the same clerk, who also helps in the boarding.

All anxieties and stress symptoms dissolved when we were in our seats experiencing the high level of service provided on South African Airways. The behavior of the flight attendants is noticeably more congenial than even the best of what we have flown - such as Singapore Airlines. At this point certain South African white wines contributed to our therapy. I mention particularly a Stellenrust Chenin Blanc 2013 and a Simonsig Chardonnay 2012. These wines gave us an early indication that we would not lack for excellent intoxication in South Africa.