Packing for the trip was an interesting experience to say the least. When you prepare 3 weeks (plus spares) worth of medication, catheters, etc., you realize how much stuff you need. It really puts it into perspective. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had requested an additional carry-on bag allowance for medical supplies. When I finally packed, I realized I completely filled an under-seat sized suitcase. I still had to put quite a bit in my checked-baggage.
The next challenge was how to pack the car. I needed to leave room to pick my mum and her luggage up on the way to the airport. I am so glad I had the forethought to play around with this when the cases were still mostly empty.
At the airport
I’d spoken to Gatwick airport customer services as part of the preparation. They were really helpful with advice about special assistance. They suggested I book valet parking because it was the closest option. As it turned out, with my Blue Light card discount, it was cheaper than other on-site car parks. It was also more economical than many of the park and ride options. Emirates had arranged to get me from check-in to the plane, presuming my chair would be taken at check-in. It was only when it came to thinking about the parking that I realised getting our suitcases and the ramps to check-in wasn’t doable between Mum and Ruth. I was assured that I just needed to call customer assistance and they would come and sort everything. Sure enough a couple of guys turned up with trolleys and saw us right through check-in to the gate. When I booked the parking I asked about the security fast-track service. Customer services advised me to save my money. They said the special assistance people wouldn’t want to hang around and would fast track us by default. Nice of them not to up-sell unnecessarily. 🙂
When we checked in, they asked many questions about the chair. They wanted to know what type of batteries it used. Could they be removed? How powerful are they? Can the chair be lifted? They weren’t sure about taking the ramps. I showed them the email, and they took the ramps off to the oversize baggage area. I was to remain in my chair to the gate. The flight was at 21:45, so the airport was already quiet when we arrived. I’m sure that made things easier for us. It also helped the special assistance guys. I had expected a bit of a palaver at security. As it was, they made no fuss when I said I couldn’t be scanned because of the device. They wheeled me around it and gave me a pat-down check. Funny how things go through your mind at times like that. Questions like “when did I last pee? Have I peed since I last emptied my bag? Does the 100ml liquids limit apply to catheter bags?” 😯
All was going smoothly until we got to the gate, when they asked more questions about the batteries. They have clear guidelines for lithium, dry-cell and wet-cell. Apparently gel/AGM batteries (which are very common in mobility scooters and power-chairs now) are not so clearly defined. Needless to say there were things I hadn’t included in my comprehensive set of documentation. The gate team called the goods handling team who came to inspect the batteries. The look on their faces was priceless. They tried to casually lift what they thought was a typical car battery out from under the seat. Little did they know (although I did try to warn them) that each battery is 40Kg! After much head-scratching, they referred to safety advice. They concluded that the chair should be handled as if it had wet-cell batteries. It should be stored as if it had dry-cell batteries. Or maybe it was the other way round. Perhaps I should’ve taken note for future reference. The question is bound to come up again.
We eventually were given clearance to proceed to the plane. A member of the ground handling crew followed me to the door of the plane. I showed them how to put it into free-wheel mode. This allowed them to wheel it to the hold. I also showed them how to apply the brake once stowed. I took the control unit with me, partly to ensure it didn’t get damaged. This also acts as a means of ensuring the chair can’t be accidentally powered up during the flight. The cabin crew were brilliant. They helped me to my seat with my sticks. They also sorted the cabin baggage with Ruth and Mum. So far so good.
Transit in Dubai
On landing in Dubai we waited for everyone else to get off the plane before leaving. We were met at the door by a couple of people with wheelchairs. One was for me, and we’d arranged one for Mum. We had to get to another terminal for the next leg of the journey. The two guys were not exactly racing each other, but they definitely moved quickly. Poor Ruth was left following along with my rucksack on her back and one of the carry-on cases. The others were stashed on the wheelchairs. Apart from a very brief stop to go through security, we were taken straight through to the gate and on to the next plane. All very efficient.
Arrival in Zambia
As with the stop in Dubai, we waited to be the last to leave the plane. We were again met with a couple of wheelchairs and taken through to baggage reclaim. The suitcases arrived, and the ramps were tracked down. Where was my chair? I have a tracker on it. However, these trackers are known not to show up straight away when devices have been put into Airplane mode. From what I could see it was still in Dubai. Then again, so were some of the cases according to the app. Then one of the assistance team came over. They said they had found the chair. However, they couldn’t work out how to move it. He looked confused when I tried to explain. I then suggested he take me to the chair. It was better than bringing it to me. Once everything was accounted for, we went through customs. We headed out to arrivals. Ruth’s eldest brother Pieter and his family were waiting there. They gave us the most amazing welcome we could wish for after a knackering journey.
Our Zambian adventure begins …
… Well almost! Whilst I was saying hello to the family, the porters and the driver who had come with the car started to pack the luggage into the car. The porters and the driver who had come with the car began placing the luggage in the vehicle. Unfortunately they hadn’t accounted for getting the chair in, and had to unpack everything again. They looked on, somewhat bewildered, as I tried to explain that the chair would have to go in first. To do that they would need to unpack the ramps (which had been cellophane wrapped prior to the flight) to get the chair in the back. The porters tried to insist they would just lift it in. They seemed to presume I meant fifteen kilos when I said 150. One went to grab hold, and soon realised I really meant 150kg! 🙂 We eventually got the chair in. We packed the cases on and around it. We packed what we couldn’t into Pieter’s car. This included items on the kids’ laps. Off we set for the hotel. Now our Zambian adventure could begin.