Hoi!
It took a while, but we are back again! Against all odds we arrived safely on Dutch ground past Tuesday the 20th just 2 minutes before 9 PM. In fact, we were the last flight arriving on Schiphol Airport that Tuesday. I have never seen Schiphol that quiet before.
Since our pretty Icelandic Volcano (which name I refuse to pronounce!) messed up the flight plans we were forced to stay in Casablanca for three days. Since we spend those few days at the Atlas Airport Hotel in Casablanca, “forced” might be a bit of an overstatement. We were pampered with a Swimming pool, Hammam, all-you-can-eat Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. The make matters “worse”, the weather was great, people were nice and all costs for accommodation were paid for by the airline company. We’ve become big fans of Royal Air Maroc. Big up Yourself Mohammed VI!
We even took the time to spend a day in the city centre of Casablanca. We acted like true tourists, sightseeing all major touristic places. We strolled around a local market, visited the Hassan II Mosque and drank super sweetened Moroccan coffee near the beach. We were guided by our hotel taxi driver who acted as our personal tour guide.
The Hassan II Mosque. You can't really capture the cheer size of the thing on a photo. But believe me, it's huge!
"A cheesy pose always does the trick!"
After spending two nights at the hotel we decided to try our luck at the airport. As we arrived at the airport we decided to visit the Royal Air Maroc office to check for any flights with destination Amsterdam or Brussels. Within several minutes we returned with bad news: “No flights today. No flights to Amsterdam or Brussels. Maybe next week, on a saturday or tuesday…”
People queuing at the Royal Air Maroc Office. Hard times for the Royal Air Maroc employees.
In discontent of the news we just received we decided to perform one last effort at the Check-In counter of Royal Air Maroc. While queuing at the office we heard there might be people with better news there. So, we split up to maximize our chances of getting some results fast. Unfortunately, after standing in line for half an hour, we got the same answer: “No flights today sir. Maybe tomorrow…”
With a sense of desperation we decided to get our stuff and head back to the Airport Hotel. Better luck next time…
As we were getting our stuff ready a woman from behind the Check-In counter walked in our direction, saying: “Any passengers leaving for Brussels?” In a hurry I answered: “Not Brussels, but Amsterdam. Is that fine as well?”. Woman: “Yes, Amsterdam as well.”
In under a minute I was standing in line to get our Boarding Passes for a flight with the destination saying: Schiphol Amsterdam Airport!
However, one problem struck up to mind: “The girls!” The girls had decided to stay at the Airport Hotel to await our results. They were expecting us to get some sort of reservation at max. for a flight to Amsterdam any day soon.
As luggage trolleys behind me were trying to push their way through I phoned the girls to inform them on the fact that they had to come NOW! The woman at the Check-In counter told me that Boarding Passes might be out in a matter of minutes, so any hurry might be appropriate. Moreover, we had to take the risk of obtaining our own Boarding Passes while having to leave girls behind, since no Boarding Passes might be left.
We decided to stretch time a bit by fiddling with our luggage check-in. (Acting as if we were in search of papers and passports, while in fact, they were still in the back of my pocket.) As time run out, we were told to please check in the remaining luggage. However, the girls still didn’t arrive. We begged the woman at the counter to please wait as the girl could arrive any minute now. Luckily, within 5 minutes, the girls came running at the check-in counter and the process of luggage check-in could continue. We all received our Boarding Passes on time and, against all odds, within three hours we were on a flight back to Amsterdam.
Actually seeing the airplane made all the waiting worth it!
Looking back at that day, I’m still amazed of the fact that we were able to leave the country on time. It seems as if sometimes, luck is just on your side!
Now that we are back in Holland we appreciate all everyday luxuries you normally took for granted. Doing groceries at the Albert Heijn, Highspeed Internet and nice Dutch recipes like “Gehaktballen” and “Kroket”.
Furthermore, we are slowly but surely starting to continue our project. To be honest, we all have problems with getting back on track. It is a true challenge to work according to the quick Dutch pace again. Now that we’ve experienced Cameroon, we are starting to appreciate the easy way of living in Cameroon. And the Cameroonian weather of course! It is 13 degrees out here, very cold!
Well, this is all for now…
For the upcoming weeks, we will continue our project by finally starting our design phase! Merely all research results are properly documented. The challenge is now to make decisions and start designing again. Thanks to our elaborate research efforts we are confident that all puzzle pieces will quickly fall together just as we had expected.
So please, keep checking our Flickr Photostream, if you are curious to see some of our first design results!
For now, de groetjes!
Casper van Huisstede
