Live In-flight Entertainment

I remember when I was in my early 20s I always talked with people on
airplanes; I found it interesting to meet new people and fellow
travelers. However, over the years, I gradually began to keep to myself.
That could have been the result of living in Japan where people tend to
think it more polite to be courteous but not overtly friendly with
fellow travelers. It could also be that I'm an in-flight movie maniac
and since most international flights now offer seatback entertainment I
have been rather absorbed in movies, meals, drinks and dozing during
flights as of late. However, after my nearly 10-hour, 2-meal and 3-movie
flight from Osaka to Dubai, I was rather pleased to talk to the guy in
29B for most of the flight from Dubai to Addis Ababa. He was continuing
on to the flight's final destination of Entebe, Uganda for a 2-week
stint there as a volunteer for a charity to do survey work at a 100-year
old hospital site. He hailed from Bath, England and this was his first
time out of Europe at age 52, and really seemed to be enjoying the
adventure. We talked about Africa, Europe, America and Japan sharing
travel experiences, tips and some political talk and had quite a good
time. He told me that his wife, a school teacher, speaks German and
French so they often travel in Europe for exchange programs and have
exchange students visit them as well. Bath also sounds like an
interesting and pleasant town, and a UNESCO Heritage site to boot, so we
exchanged e-mail addresses at the end of the flight. "Let me know if you
ever have a chance to visit with your wife and we'll show you around,"
he said. "Great, and let me know how you find your first trip to Africa
and what Uganda is like."