Durban

Another business trip last Monday, this time to Durban and just for the day. Since the flight itself is only 40 minutes it's do-able in one day.
Taking the 06h20 flight is much easier now that I've discovered valet parking (plus they clean your car if you ask them) and you don't have to take pictures of where you've parked to find your car again. Park right outside the departures terminal, hand over your keys and swan inside as if you're important.



This was my first visit to Durban's King Shaka International Airport, finished in time for the 2010 World Cup after about 100 years of planning. Set in the midst of Natal's sugarcane fields it must have taken an awful lot of engineering to create a flat bit for the runways out of all those hilly bits - and is hardly more disaster-friendly than the previous airport in my opinion.

Picture from KSIA site

It is user-friendly from a passenger perspective (girl tip: there's a hairdresser, so if you arrive early you can have a quick wash and dry before making your way to your appointments) Easy enough to find the car rental, pick up the car, plug in the TomTom and be on my way to the office before 8am.
I'm pleased to report that the TomTom behaved in KZN (it didn't try the trick of sending me to a dodgy hi-jack hot spot as it did when I asked to be directed to the 12 Apostles Hotel in Cape Town and it deposited me in Belville at 9pm one night last month)

The fun came with the return flight - half way through a presentation I noticed it was an hour later than I thought; leaving me with exactly 30 minutes to finish up, get to the airport, return the car and make it to the boarding gate before it closed. In rush hour. Note to self: I really must get a watch. And a camera.

There's a good chance I'll be getting a speeding fine from the car hire company, and thank you British Airways for the delay that allowed me to make it to the boarding gate on time. I apologise to all the users of the airport for the disturbing sight of the wild-haired middle-aged woman running in heels through the airport waving my handbag at all and sundry and swearing profusely at the computer-wheelie thingy that wasn't co-operating.

Oh, and I sat next to Fanie de Villiers on the way back - he was very entertaining.