Back in Kona

I had intended to do another posting on the blog from Paris, but could not get online for some reason. And here it is a couple of days later and we are both back safe and sound in Kona. I would like to share the last day with everyone though.

We went to the home of the Ambassodor to Benin from India, and had a lovely dinner. We were there for a couple of hours and enjoyed wonderful food and drink.

I knew that the trip home would be a challenge, however I was not quite prepared for what happened at the Benin Airport. We arrived there at 8:00, the time that Air France was to open their ticketing office. After loading our luggage onto a cart, we stood in line to get to the ticket counter. And waited. And waited. In the 85 degree heat, with 90% humidity, with no water to drink, and no place to buy water. Despite having two dedicated ticket counters for our group, the line moved very slowly. It took three hours to get through to the ticket counter and then through security - finally getting into the air conditioned waiting area about an hour before the plane was to leave. It was almost as challenging as the immunization day.

The plane did leave on time, and we arrived at the Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris at 6:00 am - not having slept much on the flight. Coming off of the plane, we had to show our passports - that is the first time I have been asked to show my passport leaving a plane. It appeared that the police were looking for someone specific.

The airport was all lit up with Christmas lights, and I was reminded that Christmas is just around the corner. I had not given it a single thought on the trip. Certainly there were no reminders of the season in Benin. We had several hours to wait in the airport, and the first thing we did was find a restaurant to have breakfast. We found a cafe, and I had a small piece of quiche and a small serving of fruit salad - it cost $20.00! Good thing I wasn't really hungry...

Most of the shops were open, despite it being only 6:30am. I wish that we would have had time to tour the city - who knows when I will ever get there again.

The rest of the way home was uneventful. The flight from Paris to San Francisco was long - and we were both very happy to be back in the United States. An overnight stay in San Francisco, and we returned to Kona the next day. shortly after lunch.
I definetly felt the jet lag, and I'm sure that it will take a few days to get back to a normal routine.

Judy and I hope you enjoyed reading about our adventure. There are still plenty of stories to tell, and I'm sure there will be for some time. As I look back over the past two weeks, it still seem surreal. I know that I will look at the world now in a different way, and am very grateful for all the blessings in my life.

I regret that I can't share with you where all the school supplies went that we took with us at this point. As soon as I have all of the contact information for the rest of the group, I will find out. One of the groups did go to visit the schools, and I too am interested in hearing some of their stories.

For Dave Bateman, owner of Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee, thank you for providing the coffee to take as a gift. One of the packages went to the President of the Rotary Club of Cotonou, who said he was looking forward to sharing it with the club. (The coffee in Benin leaves much to be desired). The other package went to Ashook, the Ambassador from India. He had read all about Kona Coffee and was looking forward to sharing it with his family.

A special thanks also to Ray Woods for inspiring me to take the trip, and for being there at the airport to greet us when we arrived back in Kona. And a very special thanks to both Mike and Buzz, for supporting Judy and I in our endeavors, and allowing us to go on this adventure of a lifetime.

The trip may be over, but the stories will continue. As they come to mind, I may post them on this site from time to time. Stay tuned! There are also more pictures to be put on the picasa website.

Aloha from Bev and Judy