BASEL: So my journey finally starts to get to africa. Around 0900 I met up with Dan, a volunteer from group 4, at the train station in Basel (and was fortunate enough to get a lift with him down to Zurich airport). For whatever reason the Swiss check in system wanted to make my life a little more difficult and after not having let me check in online the day before continued to refuse my check in attempts at the electronic check in counter i was directed to in the airport. So I got a little blast from the past and a 20min wait in line to not just drop off my bag but to check in as well.
ZURICH: Passing through security and suprised suprised im stopped for having a slightly large carry on crammed full of photo gear and folders, and it would seem they do a fairly good job of blocking all the xrays from seeing what is actually inside my bag, however had the first of many conversation to come about what the little green sillouette of africa with a white cross on it on my shirt meant. Fairly uneventful flight but on the plus side Swiss aren't and stingy as BA yet and you still get a sandwich as a snack on your flight \o/
LONDON: Arrive in london heathrow terminal 1, a place I haven't been to in at least a couple of years since the opening of T5, its the same old dump it was then, so nothing has really changed. Unfortunately the need for meeting my team and picking up First Aid equipment to take out means I have to leave airside :-( and collect my bags. I bid Dan farewell wishing him a good onward journey and the promise that we'd meet for dinner in 2 days time as to take 2 widely different routes to exactly the same place. Arriving outside terminal 3, I realize my memory wasn't quite as good as I thought it was. I thought I had been rather clever and told all the volunteers I was meeting for the flight out to africa to meet be by THE tree outside the terminal. Fantastic plan out in the open noone can miss you...unless of course... there happen to be about 4 or 5 trees in front of the terminal over a 100m stretch!!! Realizing there wasn't a heck of alot I could do at this point I found myself a shady spot under tree and began my 5 hour vigil looking out for volunteers....
...To be continued
