The Beira Airport

My parents are arriving tomorrow. It seems a little surreal that my parents are on a plane flying over the great continent of Africa and will be arriving in less than 24 hours here in Beira. I'm getting excited to see them. I am trying to figure out things to do while I wait but end up taking advantage of the MCC office's high speed internet and catching up with friends blogs.

About two weeks ago, I was waiting for the same flight from Johannesburg. Only this time instead of waiting for someone I've known a long time, I waited for someone I had never met -- a new MCCer. And as things happen here, her plane was late and there are no monitors in the Beira airport to let you know what is happening with the flight. So there on the breezy balcony facing the tarmac , were all of us waiting for someone to arrive on the plane from Johannesburg. After a while most of us made our way over to the cafe to wait, accompanied by a Coke. Finally, an hour late, the plane landed and we once again all leaned over the railing to see the passengers. Then we descended the stairs to greet our people who had arrived. I tried to guess who my new co-worker was and eventually caught sight of her just as she came out the door, but without her luggage. The only things that made it on the plane was her guitar and her carry on. We filled out the paperwork and then spent the next 24 hours waiting until the next flight from Johannesburg arrived. Fortunately, both of her bags arrived and we were able to leave that afternoon for Gondola.

The interesting thing about living in a country like Mozambique that is somewhat remote, is how frequently flights arrive from international locations. I'm sure that there are daily flights into Maputo, the capital, which is about an hour away from South Africa. But here in Beira, the second largest city in the country, there are 3-4 flights a week in and out of country and they always arrive at the same time - 12:40 PM. The airport is so small - one gate, one turnstile for luggage, one restaurant, two airlines and lots of vacant space. When one boards or disembarks from a plane, all the passengers walk directly out on the tarmac. The little kiosks shut down between the hours of 12-2 each day like stores in the city. Between flights the airport is empty of people except the employees. It's so different than the airports I flew in and out of for my previous job that were filled with people all hours of the day, brightly lit restaurants and boutiques, computer monitors broadcasting the status of flights all over the country and 24 hour CNN giving the breaking news of the minute. But then again, those airports don't charge 10 meticais for parking ($.40 USD) or empty out on a road lined with palm trees, rice patties, and people on the bikes. It seems like there should be a huge "Welcome to Mozambique" sign as one exists the airport. There isn't one but it's definitely obvious.