I spent 34 hours flying coach on Ethiopian Airlines, the best airline in Africa - here's what it was like

Chris Weller/Business Insider

No, the plane isn't underwater. That blue light is just innovation at work.

Before I booked my round-trip flight to Nairobi, Kenya in November, the longest flight I'd taken was a nonstop, 12-hour flight from New York City to Israel.

This was a different beast: a two-connection flight beginning Sunday night and ending in the wee hours of Tuesday morning - and then the same thing all over again a week later. The total flying time was about 17 hours each way, excluding layovers.

My saving grace: I was flying Ethiopian Airlines, which was rated the best airline in Africa by Skytrax passenger surveys. Seated in coach for the duration of my trip, I found out why Ethiopian had earned that honor.

Here's what my return journey was like.