A TO Z PHOTOGRAPHY CHALLENGE
With Airplanes Across Continents to Airports Via Asia to Africa
My long journey to finally arrive at “home”
It’s been a long journey from one home to another. A long journey from Europe to Africa. A journey from my parents’ home to the one of my parents-in-law.
Follow me along this photo essay documenting three flights and many stops along the way.
Anticipation
It all started on Wednesday. While this wasn’t our first time flying across the globe to get to Namibia, we surely had our expectations and anticipated one or the other delay.
We didn’t travel light because well, we got loads of sports equipment to transport. From skydiving gear, over to a kayak and paddleboard and snorkeling equipment — we have it all.
Awaiting
After the initial delay due to a canceled train, we still made it in time to the airport (remember, I planned for this, I anticipated some sort of delays along the journey).
We checked in all four pieces of luggage without further complaints from the airline counter (only one of the pieces was overweight but just that much it wouldn’t cost us extra if they didn’t say anything).
And then it was time to sit back and relax. I opened the small bottle of gin I had in my handbag and we drank two gin&tonics while awaiting the journey ahead.
That’s my happy smile knowing all our luggage is checked in and we still have time before going through the security check.
Abroad
The journey leading us abroad had started. We won the poker game. I had booked us the window and the aisle seat and nobody was sitting in between us.
While I should sleep a little more it wasn’t fully night yet and I wasn’t tired. Only toward the end of the flight, I did fall asleep.
Awe-mazing
The night wasn’t gone yet when we stepped already into the next plane. We only had just above an hour layover in Qatar and I have no memories of it.
I just remember sitting down in my window seat and seeing the water drops on the glass. That fog will have to disappear because I can see what’s building up behind it.
An amazing sunrise left me in awe.
It was time to sleep but this morning made me speechless. This dawn, from high up in the sky, was breathtaking.
Asia or Arabia?
I don’t think I had ever seen the city of Doha, Qatar’s capital, in daylight. I’ve flown with Qatar Airways more than I can recall but my layovers were always in the middle of the night.
It was such a beautiful sight. Especially now, in the first light of the day, this city located on the Arabian Peninsula looked even more spectacular.
Does this count as Asia or Arabia? I know the Arabian Peninsula is part of the Asian continent but is it really Asia? I do see the Middle East as something on its own. Unique in its own way.
Yet I haven’t seen any of it. Just from above.
The horizon is starting to get brighter. Yellow or orange are now dominating the sky.
Airplane views
Some people don’t like to sit above the wing because it blocks their view. Others say it’s the safest seat inside an aircraft. Right above the wing.
I just like airplane views. From an airplane window looking down onto earth is just such an amazing thing to do. How do we actually manage to fly?
Airports
Since 2019 I have been every year on three different continents. Not only visiting but living and working on each of them. Yes, even throughout the pandemic years.
Being a freelancer in the tourism industry I had to make a plan to stay afloat. Therefore I did spend a lot of time in airports. Doha was the one I visited possibly the most. Only as stopovers.
My departure or arrival airports were switching between Frankfurt (Europe), Bangkok (Asia) and Windhoek (Africa).
African Touchdown
Today we had one more stop in between touching down in Africa in Johannesburg. This one was longer than the one in Doha and allowed us to freshen up and stretch our legs.
The last leg of the journey was bringing us home. To Windhoek. A small plane took us for the two-hour flight from South Africa to its neighboring country of Namibia.
Aerial awe on arrival in Africa
While I already struggled to hold back my excitement about arriving back on the African continent, my favorite one of all I have explored so far, I now was stuck with my face on the airplane window.
12 hours had passed since the sunrise over Qatar and the African Sun was putting on a display. The sunset show I hadn’t seen in a long time.
Even the pilot was left speechless announcing the spectacular view over the radio as he was doing another loop above the airport.
Aircraft
We were waiting in line behind other aircrafts that were coming in for landing in Windhoek. Never did I care less about an extra loop in the air.
The country below me was dry but happy in anticipation of the first rains arriving. I had the best view from the aircraft I was sitting in. Mountains, meandering rivers and endless horizons.
This is Africa.
Arrival
Eventually, we had to get down. The pilot said we couldn’t stay up there forever even though I wouldn’t have minded another loop in the sky.
However, as soon as we touched the ground the show was over. No more bright orange lights on the horizon. Only rain clouds left. And we could smell the fresh rain in the air. A smell you can only get in Africa.
The arrival of the first rains of the season. Coming together with my arrival in Namibia.
The immigration process was quicker than it ever had been and even though the waiting for our luggage felt like forever because we were worried about losing any of it but it actually arrived fairly soon.
Not even an hour later we sat back in the lounging chair in the backpackers of the city. We had received our car which was in storage for 20 months and after a good night’s sleep, we would head towards the coast.
This was a photo essay documenting my flights across the world and a writing response to JoAnn Ryan‘s prompt “Eating Apples and Avocados While Arranging Alligators and Autumn Leaves in Atlanta?”
An A to Z challenge: Finding interesting new ways to enjoy photography. Here are other participants and their photo essay submissions:
Adrienne Beaumont with “Andalusia is an Autonomous Community in Spain”
Stephanie Tolk with “Altitude, Ancient, Agriculture, and Art in the Andes”
Akemi Sagawa with “Anthurium and Japanese Anemone Arranged by Akemi”
Rhonda Carrier with “Awesome Autumn, Ancient Assisi, Architecture, Alleyways, Arches”
Osan Fernando with “Airport, Airplane, Autumn, Autumn Leaves, Arboretum, Anguk, Addison and Avenue Of The Stars”
Vanessa Brown with “Animals, Athletics, Amusement Parks, Analogue, and Atari”
Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles with “What Do Apples, Anklets, Alligators, and Angels have in common?”
Dr. Preeti Singh with “Americans In Autoriksha Eating Apples Enjoying Art In Amritsar”
Nella DiCarlo with “Awesome Vibes of Andalusia”
Steffany Ritchie with “I Would Walk 500 Miles (Ok a Bit More) From Aberdeen, Amsterdam, and Anna Maria Island”
Allisonn Church with “A is for Arachnid”
arun with “Action, Adventure & Adrenaline”
Jerry Dwyer with “Picking Anthuriums at Akaka Falls and Then Flying Over the Arizona Memorial and the Ala Wai Canal to Anchorage, Avila and Anaheim.”
More about my journey:
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