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MAKE IT TWO FOR CHARLA & MIRNA
By breaking away from other Teams in the Maputo airport cousins Charla & Mirna earned a huge lead landing in Tanzania and sailing to island of Zanzibar to claim a second victory in a row. Meanwhile, the airport turned into a nightmare for three stranded Teams who fell over half a day behind resulting in the elimination of married parents Teri & Ian.
THE LONG WAIT BEGINS
Departing the Pit Stop in first place at 9:07pm, cousins Charla & Mirna opened their clue to discover they had to fly nearly 1400 miles to Dar Es Salaam, the largest city in the African nation of Tanzania. When they landed, they needed to travel ten miles by taxi to a ferry terminal where they would pull a number for one of four traditional boats, called dhows, to sail to the island of Zanzibar.
Arriving at Maputo International Airport, the cousins found it nearly desolate except for an agent who they promptly badgered for any available information. They learned that the earliest flight to Dar Es Salaam departed at 8:30am on L.A.M. However, they couldn't buy tickets until the next morning at 5:00am. While the cousins opted to return to the hotel, as did beauty queens Dustin & Kandice, married parents Teri & Ian staked their claim in line at the airport even over Teri's objections. Ian scolded his wife, saying, "I know it's an inconvenience. Do you want to be in the back of the line again or do you want to be a little inconvenienced?" An irritated Teri conceded the battle, replying, "Fine. I cannot believe that we're gonna stay here." Getting the last word, Ian responded, "I don't want to be seventh in line to get these tickets. Let's try to start racing smart. Stop, look, and listen."
TAKING A CHANCE
The next morning when the L.A.M. counter opened, married parents Teri & Ian received the bad news first that the 8:30 direct flight to Dar Es Salaam was fully booked. While Teri & Ian and five other Teams took their chances by placing their names on the standby list for the 8:30am direct flight, Charla & Mirna quietly snuck off and discovered a 7:00am flight to Johannesburg that connected to Dar Es Salaam. While the connecting flight from Johannesburg was fully booked, the cousins decided to take the risk of flying to the larger airport and figuring it out from there.
As the cousins flew off, Bill called Charla & Mirna's strategy "risky" and Kandice noted, "If we go to Jo'burg, there might not be flights out." However, the six Teams waiting in Maputo quickly learned just how smart the cousins were in leaving early when they didn't get seats on the 8:30am direct flight. An agent informed them their next best option would be with South African Airlines that opened at 9:45am. A disappointed Ian commented, "So now we have to go to Johannesburg whether we like it or not." Team Guido added, "Now Mirna and Schmirna look like geniuses."
Landing in Johannesburg, Charla & Mirna met an airport worker named Christo who helped the cousins in their quest to get on the connecting flight to Dar Es Salaam. After Mirna prompted Charla and Christo to hold hands with her and pray, their wish came true as tickets printed out for the flight. Before any Team even left Maputo, the thrilled cousins boarded their plane to Dar Es Salaam with a sizable lead. |
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