Town of the Jacaranda Trees....

So I have now arrived in my fifth and final continent after nearly 11 months of travelling. My flight from Hong Kong, as all my long haul flights have been, was uneventful however my impression of Cathay Pacific did go up and so British Airways still ranks as my least favourite airline of the year with LAN as my favourite.

I landed in Jo'berg and found myself stood in the immigration queue looking around puzzled. Why!? Becuase I have found that most times when you cross over a border you have to fill an immigration form in with the standard basic information - I now know my passport number without batting an eyelid. Anyway it seems South Africa is one of the easiest as all you do is handover your passport and you are duly given a half page paper visa with no questions asked.

After waiting in the arrivals hall for an hour my pre-arranged taxi driver rocked up and we made our way to my hostel in Pretoria. After a quick tour of the hostel I made my way to bed. Whilst I had slept for a few hours on the plane I was still tired and knew that with a 6 hour time difference without at least another hour or so sleep I would not be able to see out the full day. Sleep evaded me for a long time however I eventually got enough to keep me going till early evening.

Once I had showered and dressed I spoke to the Hostel owner about organising a Safari in the Kruger National Park and also got some idea as to the best way to tour around South Africa. Unfortunately he wasn't the most friendly or helpful of guys when it came to certain aspect of travelling in South Africa as it was soon apparent that he did not like South Africa and didn't have a good word to say about it. It is sad for me to say that he was English and in all honesty I still do not understand why he and his partner were running the hostel.

Anyway I gathered the basic information I needed to help me make a decision as to what I was going to do in my first few weeks. I then headed out, map in hand, to find some food. The hostel I was staying in was based in the suburb of Hatfield which I found to be really pretty as most of the streets are lined with Jacaranda trees that are in blossom so are shrouded in a cloud of purple. Having wandered around Hatfield and found the supermarket, once again I was in seventh heaven to see so much western food, I headed back to the hostel and sat out in the garden reading my book. That evening I got talking to Jackie who was sharing my dorm and a couple who had driven around South Africa for the past 7 weeks Hillary and Steve. It was the usual swapping travel stories and Hillary and Steve asking for information about South America as that is their next hotspot. It was an early night as the jetlag kicked in.

Sunday morning I woke up late and eventually made breakfast. I was wary about going into Pretoria on a Sunday as I had been told there would be fewer people around and so it can create more danger. Jackie then reminded me about the craft market that I had seen advertised in Hatfield and so we headed off their together. Having wandered around the stalls I had spotted a few things I liked however I was neither in the mood to bargain plus I was conscious that I have only just arrived. Anyway a quick internet stop and drink later I decided to go back and see what bargains I could get. Jackie and I split up and did our respective shopping before deciding to call it quits and have a late lunch.

The rest of the day was spent chilling and chatting away to Jackie and the various other people visiting the hostel. Including Millie from Holland who has come to do some volunteer work. She was sharing our dorm and had brought with her two suitcases and a rucksack for 9 months of travelling!! She had been out the night before with a friend of a friend called Flakey Lakey - I kid you not that was this womans real name!!!! We also got talking to Phumla who is from Mthatha on the Wild Coast. She was telling us how she works for an exiled King of a local Kingdom and he is the first cousin of Nelson Mandela. She did try to explain the story of the Kingdom however I got lost near the beginning and so gave up.
Monday morning and Hillary and Steve offered Jackie and I a lift into Pretoria as they were going themselves and so we all headed in. Having wandered around Church Square we wandered down to the Zoological Gardens where Jackie had been told she would find some craft stalls, she was leaving Africa the next day so was trying to buy her final souvenirs. From there we walked up the hill to Union Buildings. The view from the top looking across Pretoria and to the Voortrekker Museum was beautiful especially when you could see all the blossoming trees. Whilst sat having an ice-cream Hillary and Steve came wandering up and so offered us a lift back into Hatfield which we gratefully accepted having nearly had a coronary walking up the hill.

Once back in Hatfield it was once again a leisurely lunch and a quick stop in the internet cafe for me to once again change the date of my internal flight. On returning to the hostel I once again bumped into Phumla. We had an interesting conversation about South Africa and she once again tried to explain about the exiled King however I still don't quite understand who, what, when and why but I know the Kingdom is one of the oldest and dates back to 511AD. She also offered to host me if I got down to Mthatha and said that she would show me the real South Africa that few people ever get to see. So telephone number and e:mail address in hand watch this space.....

Tuesday morning was an early start as I was picked up at 5am for my four day Kruger Safari. Bring on the hippos.......

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