Mainly Namibia

[RooFlyer]

You need a BP for the Qantas internal bus from Gate 15. There's a free T1 bus that runs from the front of the terminal across to the international terminal (T1). No boarding pass required.

Ah, yes. I’ve caught that bus going back the other way from Int’l to Virgin domestic but I forgot about it going this way. . Train was $1

?$?

Did they fix your previous seat

US$2. I wasn’t going to do it until he did the sprinting thing and then I just managed to fish a couple of notes out of my wallet. Naturally, the ATM had given me some quite large Rand notes.

I didn’t notice about the seat. I looked across and it did have someone in it but I couldn't see whether they were able to recline or not. Given the extended delay, I suspect they did fix it ( and the other 2).

 

[Major]

The free orange TBus runs between T1-2-3

View attachment 402379

That's the one I was referring to

 

[VPS]

Ah, yes. I’ve caught that bus going back the other way from Int’l to Virgin domestic but I forgot about it going this way. . Train was $1

How did you get the train for $1?

 

[RooFlyer]

How did you get the train for $1?

between domestic and Int’l, I didn't know the going rate but I thought it was mandated as being not much. I just tapped on at the entry and tapped on at the exit and it was one dollar on my credit card.

 

[Quickstatus]

one dollar on my credit card.

The normal fare is $8.90 between DOM and INT stations + getting off at one of those stations. The 2 stations are a public private owned. The stations access fee sharing is 85% NSW Govt and 15% University Super Scheme. 15% of the $4.70 station access fee goes toward the retirement fund of your favourite British university academic.

The $1 is a CC pre-authorisation. It will be corrected at end of day. It's done that way to minimise excessive transactions from multiple trips.

Welcome to Sydney , I guess.

 

[RooFlyer]

It will be corrected at end of day. It's done that way to minimise excessive transactions from multiple trips.

That’s what I was expecting, but two days later it’s still just a dollar. Maybe a win!

 

[VPS]

That’s what I was expecting, but two days later it’s still just a dollar. Maybe a win!

Don’t get too excited

 

[RooFlyer]

Don’t get too excited

excitement level currently rather low on the road in South Africa

 

[ellen10]

A very mixed start!
Looking forward to following along.

 

[RooFlyer]

In my haste to get on the shuttle, I whacked my head on a louvre on the roof and opened up a decent cut, that proceeded to bleed for the next 30 mins. Extricated my carry-on from the porters and checked in. Very slow; people behind the counter having a lovely chat that wasn't to be interrupted. Sigh. I recall now my previous visits to west and southern Africa. I asked for a quiet room, as usual and was amazed when I reached it. Huge lounge, 2 bathrooms etc; largest room on the top floor by far, according to the evac plan. Downsides were that the aircon only worked like it was an aircraft engine running and the tele didn't work.









Dosed the head cut with antiseptic from my mobile pharmac_ and went down to dinner, looking for a bar snack. Nope, so to the restaurant. Very large and almost totally full. There was a buffet, but too expensive for what I wanted, so, after a wait, I ordered a burger.

Warm roll came about 30 mins later; I took one bite and chewed, then spat it out. Barely cooked, it was like eating a warm dough-ball. Burger wasn't much better. I'm probably grumpy with tiredness/jet lag.





To bed early, slept pretty well and contemplated my decision to stay at the Premier (an AFF recommendation). I've got another, pre-paid night here on my departure home.

 

[RooFlyer]

as I mentioned before, I had arranged a trip out to my lodge Via Day Trip. It wasn’t cheap but seemed the best result after all the options of being eliminated. I was in touch with a guy via WhatsApp beforehand and he was there promptly at 10 to 10 to pick me up.

Sort of Toyota Corolla size and I was expecting about a four hour drive to the lodge. When I got in, the first thing I noticed was the multiply cracked windscreen. After I got out to stretch my legs after driving for a couple of hours, I noticed the state of the car - absolutely a s*** box. Multiple dents, scratches, paint etc coughpy tyres - it was awful. The guy was friendly enough and drove quite well and I thought it really doesn’t matter what the car looks like as long as we get there okay.

At the 2 hour mark, we got a flat tyre. Miraculously on the highway right outside a garage who helped him change the tyre. Within another 50 K to the nearest town fortunately a reasonably big one where a new tyre was bought.





Along the drive my eyes open wide when I saw the sign Rustenburg. Rustenburg is a very famous geological province and series of platinum mines. I studied it at university.

Sort of feeling if you’re an art lover and unexpectedly found yourself outside the Prado in Madrid. Unfortunately, I couldn’t visit here so I had to content myself with a view of the waste rock dump of one mine. There’s probably 20 or 30 or more months along the formation.



( @mrs.dr.ron has her hydrangeas. I have my rock piles. )



The road was an excellent 4-5 lane freeway up to and beyond Pretoria and then a very good due lane highway for much of the distance and it only reverted to single lane each way after Rustenburg. For the last 90 minutes it was very definitly a country road but the surface was still excellent.

The country was all added and reminded me a lot of the country between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek







At regular intervals there were petrol stations with good eating and snack etc. Facilities, ATMs, toilets etc all in very good nick.

 

[RooFlyer]

Got to the lodge at 3:40pm - almost 5 1/2 hrs. The last stretch of road ran right along the border with Botswana.


Botswana - right there



At last!



There are about 30 separate lodge buildings here. I asked for and got mine at one end of the complex, on the waterhole.








Outside shower



Arriving late, I had missed the afternoon game drive which started at 3:30. I imagined they would start around four or perhaps five but not concerned at all. I was pretty knackered.

First thing I did was just sit on the deck and look out. Completely still afternoon and no noises at all except for the birds and the wildlife which within 15 minutes included elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and buffaloes. Picture on my good camera so not included here.

Panorama of the waterhole outside my room

 

[Daver6]

Got to the lodge at 3:40pm - almost 5 1/2 hrs. The last stretch of road ran right along the border with Botswana.
View attachment 402422

Botswana - right there

View attachment 402423

At last!

View attachment 402424

There are about 30 separate lodge buildings here. I asked for and got mine at one end of the complex, on the waterhole.

View attachment 402428


View attachment 402425

View attachment 402426

Outside shower

View attachment 402427

Arriving late, I had missed the afternoon game drive which started at 3:30. I imagined they would start around four or perhaps five but not concerned at all. I was pretty knackered.

First thing I did was just sit on the deck and look out. Completely still afternoon and no noises at all except for the birds and the wildlife which within 15 minutes included elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and buffaloes. Picture on my good camera so not included here.

Panorama of the waterhole outside my room

View attachment 402429

So looks like your room is the snack box for some of the animals then

 

[Flyfrequently]

Not offered.



Nice. Hmmm .. the itinerary says:



I'll try to squeeze in a few tubes In between admiring the petrol pump and chomping down an apple pie while gawking at the flamingos.

The good news is that the travel wholesaler is throwing in a Menzies escorted service through immigration at JNB on arrival, for stuffing my TA around. No idea that that's worth, but I'll take it.

Am on board @RooFlyer - enjoy!

 

[RooFlyer]

So looks like your room is the snack box for some of the animals then

It remains be seen who goes first - me or the bloody geese that are out there honking and carrying on at four in the morning.

 

[Pushka]

It remains be seen who goes first - me or the bloody geese that are out there honking and carrying on at four in the morning.

What can I say? It will only get better from here?

 

[RooFlyer]

What can I say? It will only get better from here?

I’m sure - we’re about to go out on the first morning game drive and we can hear the lions already

Of course I was jetlagged last night so the geese weren’t entirely to blame for me being awake. Maybe if I can put the lions and geese together? Win!

 

[Daver6]

It remains be seen who goes first - me or the bloody geese that are out there honking and carrying on at four in the morning.

They didn't get the memo about a quiet room for you.

Looks like it's goose for dinner tonight then? Personally, I'd prefer a kudu fillet. The tastiest of he African animals IMHO.

 

[RooFlyer]

Wake up call at 6 am this morning for 615 muffins and 630 departure for our first morning game drive. I’ve been put in with a family of six from Italy who have been here for a few days. The Land Rover is 3 x 3 seating and they were happy for me to take the back (elevated) row by myself, which was pretty ideal.

Not a huge number of beasties this morning, but they’re all very close. First stop was to see a giraffe.

Apparently, there was more giraffe yesterday.

 

[RooFlyer]

About five elephants mainly single but also one pair just mooching around the bush. Again we could drive almost right up to them when they were standing beside the road.









A bunch of white rhinos in ones two and threes. This one getting the scent of his cough over his leg so he can spread it around his territory.



Note that they still have their horns as poaching isn’t yet a major issue here. But they said at the slightest presence of poaching they’ll take all the horns off straight away.