Eating African drinking Canadian

For the past week, I have been eating African foods speciality of the DR Congo gourmets. Strangely, I have been drinking Canadian beverages, at least by name only. I found a local company (http://canadianbeverages.com) producing and selling Canadian Pure Water, Canadian orange, Canadian grenadine, etc. I Don't if the company has any Canadian connections. Their products bare our name though. I wish they are of good quality as well.
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Back in Africa after five years!

I'm in Africa once again after five years. I have arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital city of Kinshasa since last week Saturday night through Paris, France. The city is quiet and peaceful. DRC is a magic country with wonderful people and a mosaic of cultures from North to South and from East to West. I'm trying to have fun and to reconnect with old friends and family.
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Leaving Paris shoe less

It was Saturday 13h00, I was back at the airport to catch my flight to DR Congo re-scheduled at 15h15. The previous night bad experience with Air France was still strong in my mind. Just when I thought that it could not get any worse than that I was proven wrong. As I was preparing to pass through the security check at the designated gate for my flight, I place all my belonging on the convey belt to go through the X-rays machine. I place on the machine my jacket, belt, watch, laptop computer, my hand luggage and finally my shoes. All my belongings have already cleared the X-rays machine when I cleared through the metal detectors. But when I reach my stuffs and finished placing back the computer inside my hand luggage, I felt that something was missing. It was only when I put on my jacket that I realized that I was shoe less. I lost my shoes at the Paris Charles De Gaules (CDG) airport security check post. The shoes were no where to be found. I called on the agents that were present and they have found only one shoe beneath the X-rays machine but the other has just disappeared. The supervisor was called, and he asked their control centre to check the cameras footage to see if they can identify how the shoe disappeared and if anyone took it mistakenly.

After about half an hour the central replied that the footages from the overhead cameras at the post were inconclusive. Thirty minutes before my flight departure I still did not found my shoe. I asked if there is any store in the airport where I could buy new shoes but was told that there is no shoe store in the CDG airport complex facility. Wow!!! My flight was slightly delayed so that they could found me at least some running shoes or sneakers with the air carrier for the trip to Africa but Air France said "desole monsieur", that is "sorry, sir!". I saw a store selling some hats, I went in and found a pair of shoes but they were brand shoes selling at €648 (Euro). That was crazy. Unless you are really, really desperate behind hope why should anyone buy shoes at that price at the airport.

When it became really obvious that the plane would leave with or without me, I resigned to my fate and accepted to fly shoe less to Africa. I was not upset but puzzled to see that this has happened at the security check and they could not even see from the overhead camera footages what has really happened with one of my shoes I gave them to check in X-rays to gain access aboard an aircraft. The only thing I heard and got in abundance was "desole, desole" that's French for "sorry, sorry". I was marching and laughing of disbelieve as I walked into the aircraft shoe less, with socks only' the other shoe at my left hand. The security post supervisor gave me their reference and asked me to open a lawsuit against the Paris airport at my return back from Africa.

You should see the look on the faces of the immigration and people in the N'djili airport in DR Congo when they saw me walking literally with no shoes. Hah!hah!hah!, that was funny! Anyway, I'm alive and well in Africa even when arriving shoe less. Peace!
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Trouble in Paris with Air France

We arrived in Paris in the morning of June 8th. My next flight to DR Congo was scheduled at 23h50. I took advantage of the extra time to visit my in-laws in the suburbs of Paris. I came back to the airport around 21h30 but the boarding was delayed twice because of technical problems and a hydraulic leak. We were told that the aircraft has being changed; and were able to board at 2 a.m. But our relief was short-lived when the aircraft was started and there was a strong smell of fuel everywhere. Because of that our flight was cancelled altogether; and it was past 3 a.m. Everybody was exhausted, angry, mad and disoriented for lack of communication and for a very poor customer service from Air France agents. There was only 2 agents initially to take care of the over hundred people including children that needed food and a place to sleep. Over people begin to complain raising their voices, few more agents were sent to help orient people. The Police was also called in just in case things got overboard. But at the end everything went well and quietly. Everyone was given a hotel voucher but we went to hotel and slept with empty stomachs, it was around past 4 a.m.
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Traveling to Africa through Paris

I left Toronto on Thursday on my way to DR Congo in Africa to visit family and friends after five years.
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