Day 8/9 (Kasane to Savuti)

We had to fly a 5 seater charter flight from Kasane to Savuti. It was the tiniest plane we had ever flown. I was a bit nervous. I get nervous flying period. A small plane didn’t put my mind at ease at all. But what choice do I have. So we got on. Well before we were to take off the pilot said the begging was a bit bumpy but he would climb a bit to make it smooth. After about 10 minutes I thought perhaps he forgot to do that climb after all. It was bumpy and I think partly it was because we were used to flying in small planes. Apart from the pilot and the two of us there was one local who was flying to a different hotel. She didn’t seem bothered by it at all. So I kind of assumed this must be typical for a charter although it failed to put my mind at ease. I tried to play a game to get my mind off of it but that didn’t works because of the wobble. Then I resorted to my meditation practice of watching my feelings. That was the only way I could fly the rest of the 20 minutes out of a 40 minute ride. 

Being with my emotions be it positive or negative helps quite a bit. I’ve trained myself over the years and I find that it’s more comforting than to get distracted. In fact distraction doesn’t work for me much. It’s like being told a lie when you know it’s a lie. Just doesn’t work. So I prefer the bitter truth. Even if it’s hard it’s better to be with it than tell a lie and feel worse twice over. 

Surprisingly the landing was smooth. The airstrip was a gravel one and I literally thought we were landing ahead of the runway. Well there is a first time for everything I guess. I was just happy land in one piece and happy that I didn’t get sick. But we have two more charter flights ahead of us. Perhaps it’s best to have had some experience flying in these teeny tiny planes, which get tossed about by the wind. 

It also made me think how much trust we place in others and things. I don’t think we quite realize it. If we did, some of us might freak out and some of us might feel grateful. We also have some great videos that will remind us of this for a long time time...or until the next time.