Our final dinner was another buffet, with kudu sausages. I’ve eaten quite a bit of local meats, but nothing really unusual....no bugs or creepy creatures, just ostrich, wildebeest, springbok, kudu and impala. And cheese.....so, so much cheese! I did bring home some tinned pate though....impala, zebra and crocodile, anxious to try them!
After dinner we watched some local dancers perform, and they were really, really good. We all had to get up and dance with for a bit, that was sort of cheesy, I don’t enjoy “interactive” cultural events.
Next morning we were up and on the road by 8 AM. It’s a looooong drive to Johannesburg and it’s a gray and drizzly day, good for travelling. There were a few areas where the fog was so thick that you couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead, it made me nervous, but luckily it didn’t last too long. There was one scary moment when a little white car came zooming out of an intersection and came within inches of t-boning the bus. If our driver hadn’t been on the ball and such an awesome driver, it could have been a bad situation. He had to swerve so strongly that all sorts of things came flying out of the overhead, and people were almost flung into the aisle. I’m surprised the the bus didn't tip. Whew, and thumbs up to our driver.
We stopped at Alzu for a break, and saw these:
So while I didn't see “The Big Five” all in one place (Kruger), at least I did see them. In case you’ve forgotten, The Big Five are: lion, leopard, elephant, Cape buffalo and rhinos. There is also now The Ugly Five, which we also saw: Hyenas, warthogs, vultures, wildebeests and marabou storks. Personally, I wasn’t concerned about seeing anything in particular, other than I would have been disappointed if I didn’t see giraffes, zebras and hyenas....probably some of the most common animals, but my favourites by far. I was more than happy with all the wildlife that crossed my path. A Dazzle of Zebras....how can that not be magical?
We got to Johannesburg by about 2 PM and our flight didn’t leave until midnight. Everyone was truly dreading 10 hours of staring at each other when our driver almost causally mentioned that there was motel/lodge that we could stay at, for no charge, with showers and a pool and all we would have to pay was a small bit for a shuttle to the airport. Yes, please!
We had a huge sitting area to ourselves, the pool was wonderful and there were hammocks and shady areas to sit and relax. Also a vending machine with beer, wine and soft drinks. It was amazing and so much nicer than sitting in an airport for 10 hours.
Eventually we took the shuttle to the airport, about a 17 minute drive and checked out the frenzy and excitement of the returning World Rugby Champs who were arriving momentarily. The airport was filled with screaming fans, TV cameras, the whole bit. The air was electric and it was mayhem. Fun to see for the little bit of time we were there, but oh my God, if we had had to spend 10 hours there it would have been horrible. The crowds had started to arrive first thing in the morning. The only good thing was, the line-ups in security were almost nonexistent.
And before long were were on the 11 hour flight to Amsterdam. After what seemed to be the full 11 hours, I was saddened to see that we were hardly half way there, just over the Sahara desert.
Eventually we landed, and while we only had a couple of hours in the airport and we were tired and disheveled and looked a hot mess, a few of us decided to have a nice cuppa. I imagine even a fancy place like this is used to disastrous looking customers when you’re based in an airport.
Ahhhhh.....that was just enough to tide me over until the next meal. Actually, we went for a small snack before the flight and on the menu, under desserts, was “a waffle” as well as Malva pudding, which had become my favourite dessert, so I ordered one as a final fling. Well, she said: “Sorry, we’re out”. Awwwww. So I ordered the halloumi salad. And she said “we’re out.” Well dammit. I had seen “a waffle” on almost every menu for the last 3 weeks and each time the waffle was a tiny, round waffle with a bit of butter and icing sugar...”perfect” I thought, “I’ll try one.” Of course this is the one time that it was actually a plate full of waffle.
And the sad/funny part is, as I’m halfway done the waffle, doesn't she present me with this, with a grand flourish. We all just looked at each other and started to laugh. I ate the cheese and paid the bill. It was a ridiculous amount of Euros, but what the hell, it makes for a good story.
Then we got on the plane for the almost final leg, 8 hours to Calgary. One would think that after three weeks on the other side of the world with no issues, that arriving in Calgary would be the simplest part, but it was a royal clusterfuck. More on that in the next post.
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