Saturday 18th February 2023
3am rang again. As I was stumbling back to bed, I had a thought 'don't think...' But my brain heard and I lay back down to the rumbles of thousands of downloads streaming quickly into my mind. I tossed and turned for over an hour and I heard my sister's alarm go off for her early morning run. The next thing it was completely light so I shook myself out into the world.
My friend and I took the Gautrain to do a recce on my upcoming tour. I love stepping into a world so completely different. We went down to the platform 45 meters below the Sandton surface and waited for the train. Everything is so efficient that it is hard to believe it's Johannesburg.
The train arrived and I was so excited to get the trip started. The surroundings of illegal dumps, makeshift shelters and washed away bridges covered in tons of litter made us remember exactly where we were. But there was also vast wild veld surrounding new housing areas, 2 mosques, lots of industrial buildings and then the hills of the capital city, with the Voortrekker Monument giving us a regal glance.
We got out at the final station and went looking for a good place to eat for my Tour. Loadshedding made the nearby mall very dark and unpleasant and I started feeling a little perplexed as to what to do next. After a meal we hopped back on the train for the six minute trip to a different stop. Eventually we chatted to a possible brilliant contact for touring and owner of a local bistro and we settled back on the 20 minute trip back to a rainy Johannesburg, feeling a lot more confident than after the first stop.
Two exciting days in a row. I'm hoping to sleep through tonight instead of waking up at 3, lol.
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