Advertisement
Published: March 27th 2019
Edit Blog Post
Greetings from South Africa!
We left Casas Nuevas on Wednesday 20th March, dropped of at the bus station in Murcia by our friend Tony. A six hour bus journey to Madrid was uneventful but could have done with more than one 10 minute stop . Our flight to Joburg was at midnight so we had plenty of time to have a leisurely meal in the airport. A very tasty meal in a quiet corner was perfect. The flight was not even half full so I stretched out and slept across the middle seats.
When we got to Joburg the airport was pretty efficient and in about 45 minutes we had our bags and a Visa stamp. Chris had arranged a transit to our b&b , always good to see someone with your name on a piece of paper after a long flight. No sign of anyone! At £2.40 to £5 a minute to use our UK phones I was just connecting to the wifi to use Skype on my phone when a kind guy rang the guesthouse and arranged to take us. The guest house had forgotten. Check in took a while but we managed to get a snooze,
had a shower and headed out for an early meal. We headed for a local mall to buy a sim and to get some food. A tentative query about planning a city tour made us realise that the guesthouse was not geared up for this type of service. We had happy hour drinks and some mezze and a lovely guy in a bar called Joseph organised us a taxi back as the phone shop had closed early.
We soon realised how restrictive it was going to be staying in Joburg, not safe to walk locally on the street, no-go areas in the city. In fact a grim reminder of the lives of thousands of it's citizens during apartheid. We will be back later in the trip but mainly for transit.
The safest places to go are either with a tour, on the hop on hop off bus or to one of the many malls. Those of you that know us well will know that shopping is not our favourite occupation, especially when you are talking chains that exist in the UK.
The forgetfulness about the transit were soon forgotten about in the chaos that was breakfast. Not
enough seats at the two tables, no spoons, bowls ......I could go on but you get the picture. Next morning back to the mall, SIM sorted and loaded, thanks to helpful staff in Woolworth. There was a market in the mall and we had gorgeous Indian and Palestinian food. Our guesthouse has a lovely garden and small pool so we lazed in the afternoon. I organised a tour for Saturday to see the highlights of the city and Soweto. In the evening we wanted a more S African vibe so went to a part of the city called Maboneng and ate gorgeous Ethiopian food. Taxi there and back and only one safe street , guarded on every corner.
Saturday we did our tour with a couple from Virginia and our guide called Solly. It was good to get out and about and both Constitution Hill, the jail and the Supreme court were fascinating. The Apartheid museum was in a great building but the layout confused the story somewhat. Then off to Soweto and more of the story of South Africa's journey to democracy. By the end of the day I was feeling like we were getting the official version
and somewhat sanitised. In particular at Soweto where now the living conditions are pretty good, in fact the house that Nelson Mandela lived in seemed palatial compared with some we have seen in other parts of the world. That is not to demean the enormous cost of the Apartheid era and the trouble facing the nation. The house and Soweto was packed with people and that maybe had an impact but I remember in Cuba feeling a sense awe in a room that Castro and Che Guevara had used.
The evening was spent in our local mall in a fish restaurant, where the food was good and then a very average coffee and tart. Coming from Spain where staff in bars, cafe and restaurants are always keen to help the attitude here is everything from laid back to downright surly. The attitude is not due to overwork either, never seen so many staff and most just hanging around.
For the third morning in a row breakfast was chaotic and nothing seemed to be getting through, so we soldiered on and I decided to meet with the girl in charge to talk about what was wrong. I talked about the problems, asked how difficult could it be for each person to have cutlery, crockery etc . I did say that obviously they still had an opportunity to improve before we did our booking or TripAdvisor reviews. As Chris said I clearly had not lost any of my management skills.......
Sunday we headed off to get another mall, Rosebank , but this time for a Sunday market. Lots of fabulous colours, friendly people and a great food court. We had a poignant moment at the first stall, there was a book with ‘ Be Kind’ on the front. Chris had to buy it as that was his message from his Aunty Pat. After a chilled afternoon, picnic lunch in the garden we had an amazing thunderstorm that cleared the air. In the evening we went to Melville a trendy part of the city, more security guards and safe places to eat. Our taxi ride there was pretty hairy as the driver was nearly falling asleep and Chris had to help him use the satnav to get us there!! We went to Lucky Bean and had a delicious meal, gorgeous wine and very attentive service. Chris had pumpkin with a chick pea aioli, then ostrich burger and home-made ice cream. Mine was beetroot pesto orzo followed by slow roasted pork belly in plum sauce and chocolate pot, melted chocolate with crispy biscuits to dunk in. Cheap by Eurppean standards to. On the journey home, through several residential areas, there was not a soul on the streets, nor any parked cars, just people inside their property with electric gates and barbed wire, razor wire or electric fencing.
Monday morning and the moment of truth, breakfast was perfect! We really felt like we were just hanging around in a city where a simple walk is impossible and made the mistake of going to Nelson Mandela square. Yes there us a huge statue of the man but incongruously amongst super expensive hotels, designer shops etc. Another picnic in the garden and a lazy afternoon as Tuesday was our move to Kruger.
So yesterday we packed up and got yet another taxi to the Avis office and picked up our hire car, as we were leaving the city limits we finally felt like the trip had begun. It was about a five hour drive and stunning and changing scenery from flat velvet through to stunning mountains. The road was excellent until the last half an hour as we got closer to our destination. We stopped off to get tea, coffee and beer in the local village and then arrived at Foxy Crocodile Bush retreat. A place run by Gail and Mark who have arranged for us a whole range of activities, starting with a sunset safari on Wednesday.
It is stunning and within ten minutes we felt totally relaxed. We have a cottage with a plunge pool, wood barbeque, hammock out the front of a covered terrace with comfy sofa and dining area. There is a separate kitchen and then a massive room with a comfy bed and great shower room. Everything is well thought through and fabulous colours. We sat drinking tea while a family of deer and a warthog wandered by. Sitting in the plunge pool was good after a long drive. We had arranged a bbq but as fain was forecast we had delicious lasagne and salad, prepared and served by Grace.
So a mixed start to the trip and the ghostly streets of Joburg a distant memory. Unusually for me I have hardly taken any photos either.
Till next time
Norma x
Advertisement
Tot: 0.137s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 8; qc: 47; dbt: 0.0536s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Debbie
non-member comment
Amazing adventure
Loved reading about your 1st week in South Africa. Really looking forward to week 2. Take care guys and enjoy every minute xx