Getting to Johannesburg

The morning after getting back from the Deltas we were in a taxi to catch the 5:30am bus from Maun to Gaborone where we would have to stay for the evening until the 6am bus the next morning to Johannesburg (or so was the plan).  The taxi driver was late so we ended up missing it and had to jump on the 6am bus instead.   The bus ride was typical, stops along the way, people standing in the aisle, people trying to sell stuff and the random check points to put our shoes on the Botswana disinfectant sponges.  The strangest thing about this ride was the drunk man who decided to sit on Lisa’s arm rest and in turn sit half on her.  After saying something and him not moving she stood up to sit on Dave’s lap and the guy still just sat there as everyone on the bus was laughing.  Luckily one nice woman got the bus attendants attention who came back and told the man to move away.  We had no idea where he went in the back of the bus (or who he sat on next) but were just glad that he was away from us. 

About 4:30pm we were finally pulling into the Gaborone bus station and sick and tired of buses we decided to try our luck at the airport to see about flights.  We quickly got a taxi to the airport and there was one more flight that day going to Johannesburg that was leaving in a couple of hours.  After going back and forth between renting a car for the night and taking a bus or flight the next day we decided to spend the little extra and just get to Johannesburg.  We paid, checked in, went through security and customs and had a little while to spare since the flight was delayed.  As we were chilling in the waiting area reading up on Johannesburg (which is a pretty dodgy area) Dave decided to go ask this young man sitting in the next row about the area. 

It turns out he is from there and was currently living in Botswana but was heading home to sign up for some MBA courses.  He lent Dave his Iphone to look about booking a car online as well as calling a couple places to see if they had room, neither of which were successful.  Still being helpful he mentioned that his parents owned a Bed and Breakfast in Pretoria but Dave kindly told him we wouldn’t be able to afford it.  After some more chit chat he got a phone call which he walked away to take and at the same time boarding began so we started walking out to the plane.  He caught up with us a few minutes later and told us that we could go with him and stay there, but not to expect anything (as in free food).  Completely taken by surprise we accepted the offer as we had no other plans.

The flight was just over an hour and being international we got a small meal which turned out to be really good.  Once to Johannesburg we went through customs, collected our bags and walked with Heinrich to the Avis car rentals.  Still thinking we were heading to his parents Bed and Breakfast we drove towards the Pretoria area.  During the car ride he was telling us about Johannesburg and how to stay safe and hot get robbed or hi-jacked (which both happen).  About 30 minutes later we got to a street light and he pointed to a sign and told us that was his parents Bed and Breakfast, yet we turned in a different direction.  A few minutes later we were pulling up to a gated community and after entering were pulling up to a magnificent house. 

Next thing we know we were being welcomed into his parents personal home (which the family built themselves) and were being shown one of his sisters rooms (who happened to be in Sydney at the time).   The house was gorgeous, all slate tile flooring and back splashes, wooden beams on the ceilings, handmade furniture and the bathroom was all slate as well.  We put our bags down, went back into the living room and were quickly being offered drinks and food.  The father had just gone hunting so had a whole cooler filled with Biltong which we both had (Dave loved it).  Dave also had some sherry and we spent the next hour catching up with these total strangers who turned out to be amazing people.  Around midnight we were finally getting to bed and had a chance to jump online (they offered up their wi-fi for us) so we could book a car for the next day.

After a wonderful sleep and a shower in the morning (which was AMAZING!) we packed our bags back up and went out into the living room to see yogurt, cereal, fruits, milk and tea.  We ate some breakfast, exchanged details and were on our way to the car rental place that Heinrich was dropping us off at.  We said our goodbyes and thank yous (which are not nearly enough) and went to rent the car.

We ended up having to wait about an hour for the car (as we wanted an automatic and everything here is manual) so we walked across the street to a little pancake shop for a second breakfast.  While we ate and jumped online we still couldn’t believe the previous night had happened and the fact that less than 24 hours before we were on the last bus we would ever be on in Africa, what a great feeling!  An hour later the car was there and we were on our way to Nelspruit where we stayed for the night to plan our Kruger adventure.   

Hi-Jacking Hot Spot - These signs are everywhere

Driving down one of the main roads