NA, DA IST DOCH DER WURM DRIN…

16. Oktober

Seit einer Woche leidet der Dietmar an starken Husten und Erkaeltung etc und jetzt liege ich auch danieder..

Wir sagen alles ab, Arrangements mit Freunden, unserem Baufreund, den zweiten Testflug, die Kaffeestunde mit meinem Bruder. 

Alles. 

Wir stehen mit unserem Arzt in Verbindung, wir nehmen schoen brav unsere Medezin und bei diesem miserigen Wetter faellt es uns auch gar nicht schwer im Haus zu bleiben und uns auszukurieren.

Unsere Mitflieger werden (verstaendlicherweise) nervoes….wird das etwas am Dienstag? Koennen wir fliegen?

Die Frage koennen wir nicht beantworten: wir wissen es nicht. Wir glauben (oder ist es hoffen?) das wir am Dienstag fliegen koennen, aber wir wissen es nicht. Wir können keine verbindliche Auskunft geben.

Das ist jetzt auch etwas Neues fuer uns, auf der Weltreise hatten wir uns und die Verantwortung fuer uns…dieses Mal ist es anders. 

Unsere Mitflieger wollen eine Antwort, am liebsten eine positive Antwort. 

Die wollen wir auch.

Wir warten im Moment darauf das wir gesund werden.

Das Wetter ist auch so mies, es regnet, tiefe Wolken

English version will follow asap

DER ERSTE TESTFLUG NACH EGELSBACH

Sonday, 11. October 2015

We left early, with departure at 08h00, the fuel caps of the aircraft are frozen and we melt the ice with Jet Fuel....it smells and reminds me of the Gummiwurst in the Back in 2013.

We fuel the aircraft and off we go.

The purpose of this trip is mainly to test the aircraft, to have possible snags sorted before departure in 9 days time.

Also, we wanted Juergen and Silke to see the aircraft, to sit on the seats, decide where they wanted to sit and try out this and that. Also we needed to make sure they know how very little space there is for luggage.

The opportunity to take a photo was given but not utilized in an optimal way.

The picture will have to be exchanged once more…there will be ample opportunities on the way.

We walked towards the terminal building and who should step out of the building?

JAN BRILL, Editor and Owner of PILOT UND FLUGZEUG. The organizer of our 2013 Around the World Flight. What a wonderful surprise, we spoke and than we promised to meet in Kilimanjaro/ Tanzania in March next year, we flying in from SA, him coming from Europe.

Next we meet our dear Schwalben Friends Claudia and Gebhard and Felix. Unfortunately the photo also did not come out except the one from Felix.

.. and the shot I took of Dietmars Flight bag (it should never have a lemon or anything on top that he did not place there)

This flight bag is HOLY. It is not to be touched.

Silke and Juergen: NEVER touch that flight bag, never ever. You might think you will help Dietmar in carrieng or caring for it? Forget it.

We do not touch his bag, we do not carry it, and we do not put any lemons on top of it.

Gebhard knows now.

We spend a few very pleasant hours with the Gieser's in their home and enjoyed their immensely generous Gastfreundschaft and left Egelsbach to arrive in EDVM-Hildesheim after an uneventful return flight just before sunset.

ON OUR WAY TO EUROPE

07. October 2015

Right now we are on a commercial flight to Germany.

We left Heidi in charge of our darlings, die Samtpfoetchen "Paetschy" and "Mikesch", and the property. In that order. Thanks very much Heidi, we appreciate you very much.

 My heel is okay, not perfect but I cope. I have a walking pole with me just in case.

That makes me think of RWANDA and UGANDA. Both countries offer Gorilla Trekking. Rwanda offers to "slot" people into different "fitness ability groups", the fit people will have to walk greater distances and more challenging path to allow and offer people who are not able to hike long or more challenging ways the opportunity to watch Gorillas closer to Camp or in easier terrain.

We thought that is good for us, in that way Dietmar will join one group who will take it more easy and I will  join the other group freeing the space in the easier group for someone else.

Well, I might have news for you in a couple of weeks.

We just arrived in FRA and what comes our Way? Jaegermeister in Plastic Tot cups, we have it all. Thank you. 

Jetzt haben wir eine Fahne.

Next we are on a flight to HAJ (Hannover) and we are welcomed by our good friends Heinz and Sigrid who always drop our car at the airport for us to use 

PLANTAR FASCIITIS, what is that?

 Cape Town, 2nd October 2015

On Thursday early evening I am walking at the V&A with Dietmar to look for a new Ipad cover as mine is disintegrating.

As we are walking I am mentioning to him, how peculiar, I have a sore heel.

One hour later returning from the centre I am saying, this is very odd, I have bad pains in my heel now.

During the night I wake up with excruciating pain in my heel and I can not walk or put any weight onto my foot, I jump to the bathroom on one leg trying very hard to keep upright.

At just after 05h30 in the morning my heel has not improved, I had to now use my hiking pole to walk and my thoughts are just somersaulting, what? how ? And what now?

The pain is not improving, in actual fact it is worse.

My pilates teacher saw me for a foot massage later that morning and she voiced the suspicion PLANTAR FASCIITES.

What can one do? Icing Anti Inflammatory Stretching Orthodontics's

  

During the Massage Lize stretched my calf, massaged very hard to the point of bruising the tissue, applied Foot Reflexology and Anica Icing Gel for Horses and anti inflammatory pads and the treatment made a difference to the degree

Going on the Flight to Europe

or

Not Going On The Flight To Europe.

Very simple. We left a few days later.

ALL THE PLANNING AND PREPARATIONS

September 2015

Cape Town

Days of researching, planning and applications followed. The route was decided on and changed and changed and changed again. We are on Version seven right now.

Along go all the contacts, the booking of hotels, the timing, the plans, the sightseeing etc

In one case THE HILTON in Luxor refused to refund a booking  made thru www.booking.com .

Letters, complaints and threats to disclose that shocking malpractice to the world  eventually led them to refund us one night for two rooms.

Unbelievable as the booking was for three and a half weeks ahead…..

Visas is a subject on its own.

On this trip we do not need to apply for a visa for any country ahead of arrival. Iam very suspicious, it is too good to be true and somehow I think we will not get away with it….

….I asked our Mitflieger JUERGEN to check and re-check, make calls in Germany, double check….the answer:

Alles gut, wir brauchen keine Visa im Vorfeld fuer irgend ein Land in welches wir einreisen.

All good, we do not need any visas for any country beforehand.

We will enter 12 countries, RSA is number 13.

No visas prior arrival?  Alright, we will see.

Internet Information varies. Whatever, our time has run out and we will have to see what comes our way.

OUR MITFLIEGER/ PASSENGERS

One week later we knew, Number One, our very much appreciated and valued friends would not join us.

Number Two surprised us immensely…we hardly know them… they have no idea what the plane looks and feels like and guess what…they want to join us.

Sie sind so mutig!!!

Questions started to fly. How does this work, How does "the toilet" work? What can they/ we take? How about visas?  Clothing? How long at the time do we spend in the air? What must the luggage look like? What hotels? What if the pilot becomes ill? What if the passenger becomes ill?

IS IT SAFE?

 Questions we tried to answer and yet we ourselves were not sure of the one or other issue coming up.

But one thing we knew at that time and, nothing has changed, we know right now:

THE COMMITMENT

Dietmar will make it as safe and committed and easy to the body as possible, we are planning to offer our Mitflieger and Passengers  their best time ever.

The pictures I have from them do not do them justice, I must find something better and I will post them as soon as possible.
Fortsetzung folgt.

THE DECISION

2015 September

The decision was quick and easy.

And impulsive, that’s the way we both work. We are impulsive and quick and easy with things we WANT TO DO!

Six weeks ago we are sitting on our balcony with Gin and Tonic -that’s the best way to become quick and easy and impulsive- and SHE is saying to HIM:

"This year on my special birthday I have nothing adventurous planned",

...the hike in Peru 2016 was cancelled

...subsequently the MTB Trip on the highest passable road in the Himalayan Mountains postponed due to my broken wrist earlier in the year.

..."10 years ago we climbed Kilimanjaro

...5 years ago we went on a trekking tour to Base Camp Mount Everest", this year nothing?!!

The timing was really good to talk about this subject. After the second Gin and Tonic, the wonderful suggestion came from HIM:

"How about us fetching the Silver Eagle from Europe and fly it back to Cape Town"

The decision was made in 30 Seconds, we are going to fly the Silver Eagle right across Europe over Africa to Cape Town.

What an adventure. What a privilege. And what a man. Thank You for that.

It did not take us long to get going with the planning and scheming. Ipads  Maps Books all came out.

And the question of timing was also solved very fast, we did not want to go over the  Alps in the middle of winter and we did not want to enter Africa in the highest of summer and we did not want to wait until middle of next year.

Therefore we needed to leave right away so to speak or as soon as possible.

Whow, that is quite short notice even for us.

And the question, will we be able to take passengers, was also answered soon…yes, if we can leave our Gummiwurst full of Jet Fuel behind, yes, we could take two passengers.

The question of "who that might be?" never arose.

Since flying around the world we were asked by numerous people, people we know well, and people we do not know very well, if they could join us on any  future flying adventures and would we contact them once we were planning to go on pad.

We always wrote every ones name down and we  dated and numbered them, we knew exactly who contacted us first and who we had and would ask first……

Der Erste Kommt  Zuerst. The German Way.

We sat long time on that balcony, and we had  a wonderful time planning and talking and making decisions, and celebrating and appreciating our life in all its glory.

We are very grateful for all the opportunities we have, for all the choices we have and we thank God for our good life.