On Christmas day while lying in my bed, trying to decide whether I should get up sooner or later I watched CNN to have my daily dose of the latest news. As I watched, the ticker tape headlines indicated that someone had tried to detonate an explosive device on a flight from Holland to the US and as a person whose life is fairly dependent on extensive travel, I was obviously interested in the story. So I waited while the CNN presenter to get to this story for more in depth coverage on exactly what happened. Now you may ask why I was so interested in this story.
Firstly as a 3rd world country passport holder, travelling anywhere these days is an absolute head screw, it takes you ages and massive effort to apply and obtain a visa to any meaningful country. Secondly, even if you have a valid visa issued by the country of visit, this does not guarantee you entry at the border post and you are likely to be asked a barrage of questions in an attempt by the authorities to establish your intentions in their country.
Therefore I was quite annoyed when I discovered that the perpetrator of this attempted bombing was from an African country. Not that I would have wished for the person to be from another continent, but this is the last thing that genuine African travelers need. As I lay in bed, I thought to myself that my flight back from Johannesburg to Grand Cayman via London in mid January will not be pleasant at all, given the extra security precautions that would obviously be implemented as a result of this particular terrorist attack. And believe me they will search all Africans extensively no matter if the official word is that they search everyone just the same.
It also left me wondering how anyone can smuggle explosive materials on board a plane these days, I have found it impossible to even carry my precious body lotion in my hand luggage without some official reminding me that I cannot take it with me on the plane. Anyway, I am sure that the authorities will get to the bottom of this, but from my perspective, this idiot has just made my future travels much less fun…
Filed under: Travel | Tagged: african, christmas, CNN, Johannesburg, london, terrorist
