The $1200 Turnaround (The Art of Planning)

Sometimes, a lack of planning lands us in a money pit of a situation (like arriving at Koh Samui with no hotel reservation). Other times, planning too far ahead is the most expensive mistake (like purchasing Baz Bus tickets in South Africa). We've suffered the consequences of both, and striking that delicate balance between them is really starting to become an art.

Our trip to South Africa was by far the least researched leg of our travels. We didn't have a Lonely Planet (gasp) or any other kind of guidebook. We had a budget, a set timeline and a solemn oath not to leave the country without going on a safari. So under the advise of our hostel manager on our first day in Joburg, we booked the Kruger tour and purchased Baz Bus tickets to "hop on, hop off South Africa door to door."

The Kruger safari was awesome, no doubt. But it turned out that the non-refundable, overpriced bus tickets were not the best option for us, considering the inconvenient bus schedule, the length of our stay and the necessity to be on the opposite side of the country by February 4 to catch our flight to Buenos Aires. We could have rented a car or flown across the country for far less. (I say Marc swayed me into booking the Baz Bus after seeing the company's poster with the slogan "we put bums in seats" sprawled across an 18-year-old girl's barely covered buttocks. But in an effort to keep the peace, we'll blame the jet lag instead.)

Another not-so-great-in-hindsight move we made was to get our hostel manager to book all of our Baz Bus stops and hostels before we even left Joburg. More than once our “foresight” unknowingly landed us in the most expensive ensuite in the joint - with no option for switching. Luxury by our standards, but more than twice the accommodation budget. Throwing money at our problems…

No matter how much we research and budget and track daily costs, everything is much more expensive than expected. The truth is, after spending the extra month in Saigon due to the computer breakdown and dengue, purchasing flights to and from South Africa, and our apparent luxury vacation in Thailand, the money we saved teaching is long gone.

And here's a little story to further illustrate our money woes (and add salt to our wounds): we received notice that a belated Christmas cheque for $500 would be deposited in our accounts. I assumed it was going into my bank account and watched carefully for it online, excited about how far the money would stretch. Well, before we could really say "Thanks, Mom!" we discovered it had been deposited in Marc's account...and we'd already spent it...and we owed $700 on Marc's credit card. That's what we call the $1200 turnaround.

But enough about our financial inadequacies and back to our regular posting...

After leaving Johannesburg, we went to Drakensburg, where we climbed Sentinel Peak and visited Lesotho. Lesotho is not a city in South Africa, it's actually a completely separate and landlocked country within the country. Strange, but true.

After leaving Drakensburg, we spent the next three days on the Baz Bus (she writes, teeth grinding). Three hours to Durban (went for dinner and got an impromptu haircut in the hostel from a hairdresser from Barcelona), 15 hours to Port Elizabeth (took a shower and went to bed) and 12 hours to Cape Town. By the time we arrived in Cape Town, we were bused out, over budget and totally deflated, having just discovered the $1200 turnaround. We spent most of our time walking around town, window shopping and laying low in our overpriced but pleasant and private room.

Despite my Debbie Downer attitude about our finances, we really had a wonderful time in South Africa. We've reached a new stage in our adventure: it's not vacation anymore, it's traveling, and it's getting harder every day. Some days we feel like we're living our dream and some days we are at each other's throats. But every day is worth it, and every day makes us more excited and appreciative about going home at the end of it all.

We're off to Buenos Aires, enjoy the pics.

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