Wednesday

I had thought the layover in Amsterdam would allow me time to get on-line in the cyber café for at least a few minutes, but such was not to be.


The Dutch have been taking airline security quite seriously since long before 9/11. Their approach has generally not been the heavy-handed, one-size-fits-all, reacting-in-embarrassment-to-the last-attempted-breach way of the American TSA. Rather, or so it always seemed to me, the Dutch simply approached airline security in their typical careful, thoughtful, thorough-but-not-unreasonable manner which left room for individuals to be individuals. And one came through their security check with a sense of confidence that one actually was safer because of it.


Today, however, I had the feeling that – perhaps because of demands from the TSA – the Dutch had been forced to add a layer of Americanized bureaucratic “this-looks-like-security” to their already excellent process. The result did not add to one’s sense of security. It added only to one’s sense of frustrating-waste-of-time, especially when one was already exhausted.


We are nearly half-way to Detroit as I write this (to be posted later, of course). The GPS-enabled trip map on the seatback screen in front of me indicates that we will shortly be passing the tip of Greenland. I am ready for this traveling to be over.

Later


As much as I love Africa, there is something very special about being back on US soil. I notice it every time I come back in through US Customs & Immigration. Just knowing that one will be dealt with politely and professionally in accordance with law is a huge blessing that I think we often take for granted.


Yes, I “declared” my bugs. And this time, the Dept. of Agriculture folks took them quite seriously and really looked not only at the bugs (which I had intentionally packed where they would be easy to get at), but also at everything else. This time, they actually had someone on duty who seemed to know what he was looking for and at, but after he looked over my bugs he said they were not a problem and I could keep them. So Bill will again get his bugs – some very interesting ones, I think.


I have tried to make a point of thanking the various Customs and TSA inspectors along the way, because I know they are just doing a job to protect the rest of us. (The problems I think I see with, for example, the TSA, are not with the individual inspectors, but with the jerking knees in DC). It really takes these folks by surprise when someone thanks them for protecting us.


Returning to the US from overseas can make even Detroit look good. Raleigh-Durham Airport looks even better.