Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Ok so it had already begun, but stepping onto the Shosholeza Meyl train in Cape Town to start the 26 hour (ended up being 30...) trip to Johannesburg it felt like the true challenge was just starting!
The train was comfortable enough, unfortunately the seats were leather and it being one of the hottest days in Cape Town I was peeling myself off the seat every time I moved - until on of my train buddies had the GENIUS idea of sitting on our towels. My train buddies were Charlotte, who had travelled loads around Europe, been to Devon and Cornwall, and worked on the mines outside Jo'burg. Then there was Snooky - hilariously dis-similar from the Snooky of Jersey Shore fame - who had moved to Japan during apartheid to be allowed to marry her husband (I assumed this meant he was non-white, but decided against asking for details). She loved it there but they moved back to SA in the 90s, and she now works as a Japanese-speaking tour guide and her husband is a sushi chef. Finally there was the fellow "young 'un" Candace, who was in her 20s and lived in Jo'burg with her dad. We all got on very well and went to the restaurant car to have dinner together in the evening. It wasn't the best night's sleep I've ever had, but it was definitely a fun way to travel! The train kept stopping at random places though, and at one point there was a problem with a wheel that had us in the middle of nowhere for about 30mins. -In the end the delay was no huge surprise!
Getting in to Jo'burg, there was a man holding a sign with my name on it, thank goodness. Being a Saturday, he had apparently been "partying" when they called him to the station, and judging from his chat in the car he wasn't entirely sober as he couldn't remember the name of the place I was staying for longer than a couple of minutes. I was very thankful for the GPS directions, which I did have to point out at times.. "Ahem, it's left here" (It's amazing how common drunk-driving is in Africa!) Needless to say I didn't take him up on the offer of driving me to the airport a few days later.. Anyway, the Toad and Guineafowl is a remote b&b close to the airport. When I first arrived, I was tired and grumpy and feeling lonely as I had just realised my phone was out of credit and couldn't see any internet cafes... I think it was the first time I had been truly on my own since leaving London and the isolation suddenly hit me. I just headed to the closest place for food - Steers (like South African McD's) - before going back and lounging infront of the TV. The next day I woke up in much brighter spirits, had a leisurely breakfast and strolled to the shops to pick up some groceries: I decided I would make home-cooked food rather than going to a fastfood joint in the evenings. It was an amazingly sunny day, so I took dad's advice and headed straight for the pool to lounge about and relax when I got back from shopping. In the evening I cooked up an absolute feast of boerewors, gemsquash (delish squash that you just boil and add a tad of butter to, mmmm), and salad, and plonked myself infront of the TV. By this time I was over my wobble and truly embracing the peace! The next day was a rainy one so I was on "lock-down" infront of the tv. I intended to go for a run, but somehow it never came to fruition*.
The flight to Kenya went very smoothly, and again when I got to Nairobi there was a guy waiting for me with the Wildebeest Camp sign who knew my name. He was the first Kenyan I met and such a great guy! Within 5 minutes we had exchanged life stories and he was giving me fatherly advice on being careful of domestic violence. :-) He also taught me some Swahili, which is one of the official languages, so I am trying to memorise hello, goodbye, thank you, yes and no.
Wildebeest Eco Camp, where I am staying for the next couple of weeks, is so nice! They do a buffet dinner, which is too much for me to handle I reckon. It's in the outskirts of town so very peaceful, and I'm staying in a dorm which is in a beautiful tent. They also do their own tours, so I'll be heading to reception to ask plenty of questions shortly. I seem to have arrived the day everyone was leaving though, as it is very quiet here at the moment. I've made friends with a lovely lady who is leaving for Arusha tomorrow, and it seems we have very similar plans - indeed we may catch up with each other at Jo'burg airport in July... So for those of you who think I'm brave, just know that I'm sitting opposite a pensioner who is doing the exact same thing! :-) Never too late indeed!
Right, said pensioner is actually waiting to use the one communal laptop so I'm off, but will download some photos when I get a chance.
Kwa heri!!
*That one's for you, Kat.
- comments
Finn I'm now entirely over the fact that I'm not going to see any interpretive dance vlogs. And seeing that you squeezed the word fruition in there, I feel like you need to work other words and phrases in to your updates. Next challenge is 'that's what she said'.