Day 23/24

We did not have to get up early, but were awake anyway due to a combination of our altered biorhythm and 6 helicopters hovering over us at any one time. We had plenty of time to have a calm breakfast and pack our stuff. When we were having a final drink before leaving, we were called back to the truck to say goodbye to our guide. The plan was for both our guide and cook to take us to the airport, and both of them thought they had a few days before their next trip would start. They had however just received a phone call, their next group would arrive that day and they were even expected to landing earlier than the scheduled time. As they would land in Zambia and border procedures were not always easy there, our guide had to leave already. I know that I complain about my job regularly, including about poor ways things are sometimes organized, but after seeing this I decided to stop complaining about that for at least a few weeks.
Another guide with another truck came to pick us up and take us to the airport together with our cook. Given the state of my luggage (laundry-wise), I took a perfume shower in one of the tax-free shops, out of sympathy for the person sitting next to me in the plane, however if I had known what kind of asshole would be sitting in front of me from Johannesburg to London I might have reconsidered it. This French guy, probably relieved to be on an airplane that is actually flying because the rest of the world does work instead of strike, decided to push his chair back. When it hit my knees he got frustrated, because he wanted to recline further, but as I was in some discomfort, in a reflex I pushed the chair back from my side. Displeased he continued to push his chair back into my knees and I would push back when it got painful. I tapped on his shoulder to ask him to stop, but not having mastered the English language he did not understand what I was saying, he kept pointing to the chair in front of him, that reclined into his personal space and kept pushing the chair back into my knees. Then he got up and launched himself back into the chair, with all the force he had in his tiny little French body. That was enough for me to wiggle my legs out of harms way and try to not sleep in an even more uncomfortable position.
We did not have much transfer time in London, but despite some delay on our way there and despite a security officer in London that took his time making sure that all procedures were followed to the letter, we all made it on the flight for the short hop back to Amsterdam. Unfortunately not all of our group members got their luggage, but Willem and I did, so after our goodbyes we took the train back to Leiden.
After a long and exhausting trip and a night flight with very little sleep, I took a nap on the couch that afternoon. I still vividly remember waking up from that nap, it was probably the best wakeup ever. I realized that it was very quiet. I figured I would have to be quiet as well, not to disturb others, and then slowly it came all back to me. I was not in a tent, but at home and best of all, ALONE in peace and quiet!