Travel and Arrival

24hrs after our original departure time, we found ourselves at the airport looking at the board for our flight. Flight time was pushed again but thankfully only by an hour. There were only two flights leaving at this time of night. Ours and one to Istanbul. As time went on it became easier to spot who was on our flight as we all gathered round the departures board waiting to find out which desk to check in at. James found a spot on the floor to sit and as I knew I had a lot of sitting in front of me, I chose to stand and walk around a bit. As I was checking the board for the umpeenth time, a little boy walked over to me and immediately began to talk to me. He can’t have been more than 5 or 6 years old. He told me he was going to St. Helena, and I said that’s where I was going too. He became very excited and we continued to chat about Jurassic Park, and Tom and Jerry. His mum, dad, nanny, and pop weren’t far away and couldn’t help but laugh as he chewed my ear off. I honestly loved it. If there was ever a sign from God, this felt like one. This little kid was sent to remind me this was the right path. I didn’t catch his name in all this but I have no doubt I’ll see him again at some point. 

After waiting in line to check in for what felt like forever, we finally got our bags weighed (19.8kgs each PHEW), and then we were off to the lounge to wait. We were probably two of the last people to arrive. Everyone else had settled in, charging their various devices for the flight (as there was no on board entertainment system), and getting snacks from the machine. We stocked up on a few treats, rearranged our hand carry, and had a good look at the plane. An older 737 with Titan Air livery. When we finally got on board I was VERY pleased to see nice wide padded seats. So many of the new plans skimp on comfy seating and I end up with horrible back ache (I’m looking at you KLM). The flight to Accra was quite bumpy and I found my hand searching for James’s arm several times. I don’t like flying much and turbulence just makes it worse. Thankfully the second half of the flight, from Accra to St. Helena was pretty smooth. We were delayed in Accra for a little longer than expected as there was a low cloud bank over the island obscuring the runway for landing. We didn’t find this out until we spoke to a friend later in the evening. The cloud bank was still clearing when we arrived so we circled the island a few times. Sadly, being on the left of the plane we didn’t get to see the amazing views of the island. I got a few photos of it peeking out from the cloud bank as we neared but it wasn’t until we were coming in to land that we got to see any of the island proper. The landing was a tiny bit bumpy, and when we turned at the end of the runway to see a sheer drop, James remarked that he was very glad the pilot slammed on the breaks so hard. Having only ever been to the island on the old RMS it was a new experience for him too. 

The greetings from people at the airport were warm and friendly. Getting through immigration, PCR testing, Customs, and Bio Security didn’t take long, but we ended up waiting for 2hrs for the bus to take us to our house. We were again two of the last people to leave, along with a cantankerous old lady (I adored her) who was really pissed off about not being sent home immediately. Frankly if I was her age I would be too! We finally got in a rickety old van with bench seats and off we went up and down the valleys, across the island to our home in Half Tree Hollow. 

It is important to note at this point that it really is impossible to know what a place will be like until you’re there. I did lots of research online, joined lots of FB groups, and followed the island news. James says he knew I wouldn’t be prepared even after all that. And he was right. I’m not sure I’ve ever said WOW that many times in a row before. The landscape here is so completely not at all what I expected. The roads remind me so much of the mountain road on Yangmingshan in Taiwan. Narrow and windy, with plenty of sheer drops. The centre of the island is so luscious and green it’s like being in a rainforest. Half Tree Hollow, where we are, reminds me a lot of Cyprus with prickly pears, low shrubs and dry dusty soil. My words don’t do any of it justice. You’ll just have to come and see for yourself. 

Our house is as cute as I hoped it would be. We’ve got a little fenced in garden area with a patio which will be perfect for growing some veggies. We appear to get a good amount of sunshine, and a lot of wind, so I’m thankful for the fence so we can sit outside and not be blown away. We’ve got two HUGE bedrooms on the top floor, perfect for us to have room each of all our stuff. We’ve got little nooks and crannies everywhere (one in James’s bathroom that is like Harry Potter’s under stair bedroom. It’s weird and wonderful. The kitchen is huge and opens right onto the dining/living room. There are windows everywhere, and a spectacular view from every single one. When I look out the kitchen window, all I can see is the sea for hundreds of miles. It’s incredible.