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“The postings on this site are my own and don't represent Maersk Group's position, strategies or opinions. All views are my own”
  Thursday 4th of June 2015 and as soon as we reached the end of the jetty we discovered that the driver had not drove the car all the way down. He had parked outside the gate and we had to walk  through sand to the gate. Well, my new luggage are destroyed by sand.
And it didn't make it better that we were going to the airport in a pick-up truck with our luggage in the back. But we were on our way and that is the most important so we were in a glorious mood. First stop. Mauritania Airline. Our driver was back after a few seconds and we drove off with smoking and screaming tyres. We passed the airport,  well, at least we thought it was the airport as there were something looking like a traffic tower.
We ended up in a housing area. Our driver got out and he went in to a house and we thought he went for lunch. Of course, we took the opportunity to explore the area. It was, well, just sand and dust and a lot of
There were some fences in the desert and they were full of garbage that had got caught on the fences when blowing around. I called our Chief Engineer. - Look, it is easy to understand that we're heading for a disaster with all this plastic. In NW Europe we recycle, for what. Seriously, billions of people just throw the garbage where ever they stand or sit. If they were serious with “trying” to save they should forbid plastic.  A donkey come along
   The pick-up truck
 The housing area is mostly gravel and sand
 Goats walking around in the rubbish
We saw goats all over town eating paper and other rubbish laying around
Our driver was soon back and we took off again, passing the airport for the second time and we were wondering what was going on. Well, we were soon back at the Mauritania Airlines office. Turned out that our driver had been in the house to get cash so he could pay for the tickets. OK, we got the tickets and we were finally on our way to the airport.
So on top of the Nouakchott to Bangkok ticket I had another ticket to keep track of.
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------------------------------------------------------------------ We arrived to the airport (third time passing the traffic tower) around 5 o'clock, still 2 and a half hour until departure. Our driver went up to what was turning out to be the terminal and he was  soon back. We had to wait in the car as the terminal wasn't open yet. Charterer's representative told us that they could just cancel the flight without any information.
Well, we were soon joined by 2 off signers from a Green Reefer ship. Otherwise there was no sign of any other passengers. We were parked across the street and they were building a stage behind us so there is about to be a concert of something.  Well, a shame that we will miss that excitements.
Time passed kind of quick, well, I was mostly thinking about how lucky I had been. My reliever had to cry and beg to board the flight in Bombay. He had even threaten them to commit suicide right there in front of the check-in desk. So they had let him on board. Well, don't get me started about what I think about failing to provide the right documents THREE TIMES! But I was off the ship and I will soon be on my Polar Bear Quest and 30,000 US Dollars will come to a good use. I would not have been happy if they had been turning out to be a waste.   Nouadhibou Domestic Airport
 Nouadhibou Domestic Airport
 Nouadhibou Domestic Airport
 Playing soccer across the street from Nouadhibou Domestic Airport
 Playing soccer across the street from Nouadhibou Domestic Airport
We saw some action at the terminal building and we crossed the street. We scanned our luggage  and we put our luggage in front of the check in counter. No sign off any check in staff. 2 hours until departure and there wasn't any sight of anything to kill the time with. Nothing, a few benches.
I walked around taking pictures, this was absolutely forbidden according to our driver. Well, of course I wanted pictures and I  asked the security if I could take pictures. Something was allowed and something was not possible to get on picture.
 And I really wanted a picture of the Tenadi Tours logo. I liked the camels and the palm tree. Security came running waving their guns but it was OK to take the picture.
     Not much exciting going on at Nouadhibou Domestic Airport
Walking around, well, there wasn't much space to walk around. I was thirsty and I saw a cupboard  in a corner. There were some chocolate bars that looked to have been there for quite a while. There were also some soda cans and a few bottles of water.
Is this the snack bar? I was thirsty and I asked someone of this was the snack bar. They called a guy and I asked him if it was OK to pay with Dollars. I asked our Chief Engineer if he wanted water. I bought 2 bottles and I handed the guy 2 Dollars. He took of and he  was obviously thinking it was a Dollar millionaire visiting town throwing dollars around because he was soon back.
He was carrying a bowl and he opened the lid. Inside was a lot of smaller  bowls
- Madame - What? - Madame - I don't understand what you mean! Took me some time to understand that he wanted to sell the bowl to me and I should give it to my girlfriend. I told him that I was single. Now all the people in the terminal got involved. They could not believe that I was single. A guy with so much dollars single, impossible. Our driver was soon asking us to follow him and we went to a small room that turned out to be the immigration. We got a visa to Mauritania, another page wasted in my passport. We went back to  the departure hall and we passed the Police and security check.
There was a bar in the departure hall. Well, a bar is too much to call it. They had coffee. Time passed by and it was soon 19 thirty, departure time.  Nouadhibou Domestic Airport
 Nouadhibou Domestic Airport
8 o'clock and still no sign of the plane. 8 thirty and the passengers started to pray but no sign of the plane. Where is the plane? They have one departure per day to Nouakchott. Our  relievers arrived with the plane from Nouakchott. Then the plane go to another town and stop at Nouadhibou on the way back to Nouakchott.
The plane arrived and as soon as they let us on board I was the first one to leave the terminal. I tried to take some pictures of the plane walking across the tarmac, but they turned out to be nothing but shit. Plane had some passengers on board, but the row at the emergency exit was empty and I took a seat holding the row for me and the Chief Engineer. We were on board around 21 thirty. Now they had to hurry up if we were going to make it with the Air France AF 727 to Paris. We had the safety show, everything in Arabic and French. Not a word of English was mentioned during the flight. I have been on some Scooby Doo flights in my days, but there had always been information in English, even on domestic flights.  Safety information
 On our way to Nouakchott
 On our way to Nouakchott
 Landing in Nouakchott and we can see the Air France plane
 Walking to the luggage claim at Nouakchott International
Arriving to Nouakchott International Airport almost 2 hours late and we were in ahurry if we wanted to make it on Air France's flight to Paris. The Agent was waiting for us and we ran to the luggage claim area where we had to wait for a few minutes before our luggage came. 
Running to the check in with our Agent saying GO GO GO all the time. We were soon annoyed with him and his GO GO GO and hurry up all the time. - Can I please have a aisle seat? - I will look, the girl said - Do you check my luggage all the way to Bangkok? - Yes She took my bags and moved them to the other check-in counter. Well, maybe because they were going to Bangkok. Chief Engineer's bag ended up there as well. Turned out that we were on stand-  by. The plane was full and no seats available for us. Boarding completed and monkey class was full. There was a guy at the business check in trying to get a BIZ seat. I asked a guy how much is was to upgrade.
- 350€ I had my Amex in front of him before he had finished his sentence. He screamed to the guy at the business check-in. - We have 2 business passenger here! In the nick of foocking time, the 2 last seats on board and the other guys trying to upgrade had to take another flight. Don't blame me, if they had just upgraded without all the haggle they had been on the flight. Now it was me and the Chief Engineer going on the flight, in style. They sent away our bags. The Agent was running around and by now our Chief Engineer and I was very annoyed with him. - We have flied millions of time and you have never been flying. - GO GO GO - We're not foocking dogs! - Oh, sorry. Flying and there was a few things happening as soon as I put my Amex in front of the check-in guy. He screamed 2 upgrades and we got our seats. Our bag left the terminal for the flight. Now it  was never mind how much the Agent was running around GO GO GO. Our bags are on board and they will need to unload them before departure if we're not on board.
So then they are of course waiting a few extra minutes for us to be ready. I told the Agent that we would get out of here. And we must get out of here, yellow port regarding the security. But this was not of our concern. But the malaria is. We had planned to start eat malaria medicine yesterday, but as there was no need to  stay at hotel in Nouakchott (only God knows how many hardships we would have to experience here in Nouakchott waiting for the next available flight) we had just greased us up in mosquito repellent.
Nouakchott have plenty malaria, but there are no mosquitos in Nouadhibou and thus we had to pay 10 US per bottle for the mosquito repellent. We walked to the air plane and there was a last security check before we were allowed to board.  Maybe Air France doesn’t trust the X-ray machines here in Mauritania. Or the attitude towards safety and security in general.
Well, I would not have trusted them as it looked like they were a wee bit lenient towards security. We had 2 ladies walking through security in Nouadhibou talking on the phone holding their hand bags. Of  course, the machine gave of alarm, but no one seemed to care. Never mind, we were on board and we will soon be on our way to Paris on board Air France flight AF  727. Hasta La Vista, let's get us out of here in double hurry. I'm hungry, we have not had anything to eat since lunch.
So the quicker we're air borne the quicker we can get some food.   Now, where is the food?
 Champagne
 Champagne
 I had a bottle of water
 Finally food - My starter
  I have always heard that the food on Air France is excellent. And it was excellent, well, maybe because I was very hungry. But we had a starter and then I had beef, very good beef. I finished my meal, I advanced my wrist watch by 2 hours and I was on Paris time and suddenly it was the 5th of June and I tried to get some sleep. +++++++++++++++
Friday 5th of June 2015 and I woke up after an hour or so. Soon time for breakfast, as I told our Chief Engineer: We're not doing anything but eating on this flight. But I was very tired, this is what I don't like with this short flights during the night, not possible to take a sleeping pill and it is hard to sleep. Nut it could have been worse, we could have been sitting in the back.
 Some people can sleep
 We're over Europe
 Still sleeping
 I get his tooth brush and tooth paste
 Crack of dawn when we reach Paris
    
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two (a little bigger) paper cups.
Terminal 1. But there was a bus waiting when I came down and I was soon on the bus sitting in the front as I had no clue where to go. But the driver would tell me where to get off.
back in the 50's or something like that.
security area.
for a restaurant in the information. They, seriously, recommended 
Mc Donalds. IN FRANCE! I had expected more, much more. 
counter. I asked the girl for a window seat if they had single seating. She told me that they had a 3-4-3 configuration.
that I always look at the tickets and boarding passes.
was impossible to use my mouse.
Stewards during the flight.
cart. They served something that looked like sponge cake in honey. It was not honey, it was actually so good I had to 
call the Stewardess to ask what it was.
as the Stroh Rum, but I suspect it was mixed with something. Thank 
God I'm on a diet, imagine Charisma Man after 15 of those 
desserts. Charisma Man would have turned in to the Obnoxious Man 
before very soon, nothing we want to expose Thai Airways staff with and the embarrassment is something we want to avoid.
some kind of potato as it is in French and everything should have some fancy name. It is a darn potato. And croque-monsieur, why don't they just call it a grilled ham and cheese sandwich because that is what it is.
to airline standards. And as I said to the Stewardess, the tea mugs are the reason I fly with Thai Airways. I have never seen them on any other airline.
the only thing you're thinking about is to get off the plane. 
to have an empty cup, top service as usual on board Thai Airways flights.
next to you with a hinge to fold it down. And the hinge is right on your leg if you're a bit on the lage side.
from Europe and it is a pandemonium at the immigration. Exit immigration at luggage belt #18, I looked at the monitor.
coming up. I grabbed my bag and I went through the custom and straight to 
AOT Limousine service desk. I was provided with a porter and he took charge of my luggage cart. The girl at AOT saw my camera and she wanted me to take a picture of 
her before I left.
some Pepsi Max.
had to do it barefoot as I could not walk wearing any shoes. But I have to wear shoes when going to MBK Center to buy my new camera and I'm not looking forward 
to limping around MBK Center like I have shat my pants.
went to the 5th floor to check out Fotofile. I limped in to the shop and they looked at 
me, yeah, like I had shat my pants. I explained that my shoes were too small. I gave them my list and the price came to 225,000 Baht.
to bed was the only thing I was thinking about when leaving.
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