Away we go... finally

I am writing this from a Delta plane about 33,000 feet above the Eastern Caribbean, not yet even close to the Western Cape of Africa, let alone Jo-burg and Lusaka to follow. The computer tells me that we still have nearly 13 hours of flight before we touch down in Jo-burg, meaning that making our connection to Lusaka tonight is a bit of a longshot. We’ll see what happens. I should really turn off this flight tracker since it doesn’t seem to move, which is very disheartening.
The saving grace is that on a very full flight, Derek and Kristin got their own row, and there is an empty seat between me and my neighbor. We also have fairly well stocked personal video systems, and selected sleep aids to help us along the rough night and day ahead. Delta has really stepped it up with these video systems. I still don’t think they’re up to the standards of Emirates or Korean Air, but you can start and end movies as you wish, and there are quite a few to choose from, which is quite an improvement from the single projected movie (usually some unbearable Disney flick featuring the zany antics of too-cute-for-buttons kids who outsmart the adults and teach us all a valuable lesson about morality and innocence in this harsh world) that used to be the favorite of US-based airlines on long haul flights.
It’s valium time for me so I can get some Zs. Will get this posted when I’m able.
Update from much later that night: It is now August 13 at about 11pm and I am writing this update from a guesthouse in Johannesburg, South Africa. The good news: we’re done with the worst of the journey. The bad news: Because our incoming flight was late and packed to the gills, we were not allowed to board our flight to Lusaka, even though it was still listed as “boarding” on all the monitors. Over the three hours that followed, we were directed to Delta staff who stared at us blankly, refusing to take any responsibility for arriving late, and to dozens of South African Airways staff who, although well meaning, do not place high importance on customer service. After paying about $100 extra, we are all now booked on a flight to Lusaka tomorrow morning. We have no idea where our checked baggage is, and neither does anyone at South African Airways. We can only hope that it will turn up in Lusaka eventually. So, tonight, here we sit in a guesthouse in Jo-burg, hoping for the best tomorrow morning. Thanks to a very nice man at the tourist information booth at the Jo-burg airport, I was able to contact Sandy on the phone. She is off to Zimbabwe tomorrow, so we won’t see her, but she says she will leave some cash, a cell phone, and an itinerary with Sr. Nama, who will be meeting us at the airport tomorrow. Here’s to smoother journeys ahead!
We’re now back at the Jo-burg airport awaiting the departure of our flight to Lusaka. It’s looking hopeful that the next time you hear from us it actually will be from Zambia, where things will be looking up!
-Matt