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Wednesday July 5th, Randburg, Johannesburg, SA. We're up and ready for Africa - frost on the ground, an easy start to the day, breakfast, MARMITE! Lots of edible stuff - our hostess looks after us and takes a half day off from work. We head off to Sandton City, the largest mall in Africa. It is just like we've never left Canada - this could be anywhere in North America. This is definitely up market - ie, there are multi hued customers here, still a majority of whites, but not in the proportions of old. First stop - coffee, what's it like here? - Not bad, not Second Cup, but ok. Now, check out various items, cell phones, GPS's miscellaneous camping bits. Search and inquire. Internet café? Of course, in the entertainment section. Security? Lets check out the weapons shop. With my Canadian outlook, I cannot bring myself to buy a handgun, are even, when invited to try the knives - "this is a slashing knife, or how about this one, this is a rrripping knife" as we have a very sharp, serrated flick knife, all business this one, and a demonstration of how to activate it. No? Personal pocket sized cattle prodding device? How about some Mace, pump action shotgun? We decide that we will think about it. Hair time, we find a salon, and it's "off with their hair" Aiden, Kayla and Bat Smith (oh yes - it's all gone!) I ask for something shorter and hip. I end up looking ready to sell IBM equipment. Maybe looking like an IBM salesman is hip here? Onward and upward, it will grow again one day. The all pervading air of the city reappears as we leave - security guards in the car park, locked doors and windows, bars on the house, 6 seconds to turn off the security alarm, hold down for 4 seconds for 2 minute armed response. Sleep tight!
Jill is off early to work. We have the magic combination, take some shots of the house, and we are off to the local mall - we walk, no one who is white walks anywhere! This is much the same size as the local Swansea mall. There are three guards in attendance at the mini parking areas. They get (sometimes) a 2/ 3 Rand tip if your vehicle is still there and in one piece when you return. We survive our trip, and Jill picks us up at 5:15. It's getting cold again and we're glad to get home. Packing begins for the first leg of the tour, Kruger Park in Eastern Transvaal, now renamed to Mpumalanga (Rising sun) province. Try to get into the web on my PC via various techniques - no luck, one good thing however, the Fisher supplied transformer works a treat - thanks Richard!
July 7th. Up early - 6:00 AM - Midnight to you folks! Off to Sandton for a final fling.
Well, we will do better. Now it's time for our trip to really begin - Kruger National Park, we head out at 12:30. We hack down expressways (superfast toll roads) as Johannesburg recedes behind us across the Velt, just as I remember it from my dimming recollections. Stopping only for booze and a late lunch, we arrive at 6:30. Wow, we should not even tell you what it's like. Suffice it to say, this lodge was a semi finalist in the South African/ SAA best time shares of 1999/ 2000 and we could not work out why it was second placed! Now, finally, Africa is out there waiting. Totally raw, totally unpredictable. |
Next day
July 6 , 
A few
necessities, and try the internet café - seems to work, so I'm
mailing for 2 hours, only to find (10 minutes before I have to
leave) that there was only a one way action, my out bound mail
did not get sent! Bah Humbug, hence, none of you folks have
received anything from us as a return.
