Wednesday 3 November 2022
( I'm still on UK time so it's still yesterday there)
Landed in a very damp Jozi after a day and a half of traveling but I did it calmly (mostly) this time.
There was a moment of shrieking panic when the Dutch customs official asked why I only had ONE Italian stamp in my passport. He then asked if I still had the boarding passes somewhere... Of course I knew I'd deleted them because I cleaned up my phone, but put on a petted lip while scrambling through my non-connected phone. The other friendlier customs guy rattled off in Dutch but I knew he was saying 'it's OK'.
Just in time for me frantically dashing to catch the last free shuttle to my hotel for the night. This, I might add, I'm particularly proud of, because it was
1. Freezing.
2. All the cars were driving on the wrong side of the road.
3. The sign for my particular hotel was hidden behind a huge pillar.
4. I had to ask someone if they knew where it was. In their broken English and my half-arsed Afrikaans, I asked for help.
5. I started to laugh at my dizziness of all the different buses and directions.
My hotel last night was quite grand, I couldn't get the aircon off and it wouldn't stay warmer so I ended up under my duvet for the 5 hours of rest. Those damn sensor bathroom lights skrik me wide awake when normally I'm shuffling to 2am loo trying to cling to my sleepy dreams. This morning it was still pitch dark when I left the hotel but I was more awake than last night so took some photos. They had a plane parked there as a prop, I think. Plus a swimming pool and a spa, which of course I didn't get to. But it was close to Schipol and comfortable.
The daytime flight was good actually and I realised that I'm a real fidgety person. I was at the window next to two 7 foot men who had to keep moving when I needed the loo. I watched two nice movies and listened to some music while doing some prep for my Tour coming up soon.
I'd booked a hotel for tonight instead of keeping anyone out of their bed at midnight waiting for delays to collectme etc, and my fellow 7ft passenger was booked in the same hotel. It's the Sun International at the airport and I've worked out a good thing with booking. Com. and my 'genius' discounts. However compared to last night's larney hotel tonight is like I stepped back to 1990 Sun City, lol. It's a big room though and the lengthening of my 'debriefing' is giving me time to catch up with myself.
I was smiling when the luggage came through on the different than advertised Carousel at the airport and the midnight staff just shouted wildly to the polite Internationals waiting patiently at the stationery one. The hustlers were asking a tourist for more than R50 for walking him through to the bus terminus. I said 'ah-ah 50 bucks is more than enough, that's like one Rand per step'. He recognised my 'bucks' word and knew better, so he legged it. The feeling of familiar of knowing the people, the signposts, the ability to immediately use my phone, and the Five Rose's Rooibos tea in my room all mean one thing...
I'm home
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