Day 1-20090831-Cape Town to Johannesburg

I have written two versions of each post so if you are in a hurry read the short version.
If you like detail skip the short version and read the long version further down

Short Version:
After working through the night and some last minute drama in getting me to the airport I made my plane and landed safely in Johannesburg at 10:30am. After an unexpected wait due to date mixing I made my way with Don to their place in the suburb of Bramely where I got to catch up with Don and Gaye and see their beautiful home and the improvements they are busy with. Around 1:45pm my friend Shameema picked me up and we went shopping, visited a beautiful mosque and also some wonderful botanatical gardens complete with waterfall, river and mountain pool. In the evening I broke my fast with Shameema and her family; her mum putting on a feast of savory and sweet treats. After praying, more food and a visit to the famiy's business premises, I went with her brother and father to mosque for Taraweh. After Taraweh the family and I climbed in to Shameema's Golf and we headed back to the airport to drop me off. At the airport I met up with Rob from Bushlore to collect some items for the trip and then waited around for my plane after checking in. Finally I boarded around 1:25pm after meeting up with my partner Simon earlier. My next adventure had finally begun!

Long Version:

After a weekend of shopping and more shopping I was finally ready; bags packed, checklists checked and everything organised...or so I thought....

It was 5:30am on Monday morning. I had been working through the night on a combination of last minute MAPA and Clickatell work and had one last item of work to complete before Rhoda came to pick me at 6am to take me to the airport...

and then the phone rang...it was Rhoda in a state. She wasn't able to pick me up due to family issues and so I had to wake my parents and ask them to give me a lift to the airport...nothing like early morning drama at the start of your next adventure! Being parents they were very kind to get up at the crack of dawn. Just as mum started showering Rhoda rang again to say she was now able to make it and so it ended up that I had a little group to say farewell at the airport. It reminded me of why family and loved ones are so important and how often they can be taken for granted! Of course the delicious crunchies my mum had baked were also a yummy reminder :P.

After saying my goodbyes and checking my baggage in I came across the keys to my dad's bakkie hidden in my jacket! I knew exactly how my dad was going to overreact and sure enough he did (or so I was told) :P. I checked the keys in with baggage for someone to collect and then made my way to boarding.

Landing in Johannesburg after an uneventful trip, I collected my luggage and headed out into the main section. Normally my aunt Gaye is waiting for me so I thought it a little unusual she was not there but I waited 15min before trying to contact her to make sure she was coming. Unfortunately I was not able to get hold of her initially. Fifteen minutes later I was and it turned out that due to everything my aunts is dealing with at the moment she had got the dates mixed up and thought I was coming the following day. Fortunately she was able to arrange her husband Don to fetch me and so I finally got picked up at just after 12pm.

On the way to their place I had an interesting chat with Don about the Middle East where he will be going to work in the area of Civil Engineering Consulting. It seems like he is already ensuring large savings on one project. After arriving at their place he took me around the house and garden pointing out all the improvements they have made since I was last there. He is a most pratical man and I was very impressed with all his hands on work from ceilings to tiling etc.

Gaye came home and we continued chatting and catching up on family news. Around 1:45pm my friend Shameema came to pick me up. It was quite funny to see how petrified she was of the Alsatian who is such a puppy dog. Just goes to show how important it is to socialise children with dogs and other animals! I was really impressed with Shameema's outfit, all in black with colourful sequences in exquisite patterns.

After a little more chatting with Don and Gaye, I said my goodbyes and headed with Shameema in search of a fezz (muslim cap/hat for men). Fortunately she knows all the right shops and we finally were able to find one big enough to fit my head (previous attempts had all failed due to my head size!). Afterwards we went to a beautiful mosque so I could pray Zhur. The mosque was surrounded on the outside with plants and trees and inside it was decorated with beautiful tiling and mosaics in shades of blue and silver with high windows filling the mosque with a sense of peace, light and stillness.

Next up was the botanical gardens. After the brown that is Johannesburg I was super excited to see what most people take for granted in Cape Town: rivers, mountains and greenery. The Botantical gardens were stunning, a sort of dryer version of Harold Porter National Botantical gardens, resplendent with a majestic waterfall tumbling into a beautiful mountain pool, in turn feeding a winding river. We took a walk along a river path taking in the vegetation and getting wet in the sprinklers. It certainly took the bite out of the heat making me feel refreshed and invigorated despite not having slept properly in 32 hours.

We left as it was closing and made our way to Shameema's parents house where I got to meet her family. They have a beautiful house and probably the cleanest and neatest one I have ever been in! As it is Ramadan and we are fasting we celebrated Iftaar (breaking of the fast) after the sun set. Her mum provided a feast of savory and sweet delicacies, the highlight being her sweet strawberry Tasty Wheat dessert. Afterwards we prayed, had more food consisting of a delicious chicken curry which left a tingling burn on the lips afterwards.

Next I accompanied Shameema's brother to the the family business's premise and was suitably impressed with the setup. Indians certainly seem to have the gift of business acumen! Afterwards us men headed to a different mosque for Taraweh. This mosque was much more humble but just as special in its conservative design and packed with people. Islam is not only alive and well but also growing rapidly in South Africa!

Heading home I said my goodbyes to Shameema's brother and wife and then headed with Shameema, her mum and dad to the airport. On the way I promised to give Shameema's mum the crunchie recipe in exchange for the Tasty Wheat dessert one.

At the airport I said my goodbyes, most thankful for an amazing day and evening and then waited to meet up with a Rob from Bushlore who were supplying the MAPA project with a new cover for one of the roof-top tents and had kindly organised a new passport for one of the vehicles. This "passport" is required in order to allow the vehicles into different countries, mostly in East Africa.

I was initially rather unhappy with how the the events leading to the collection transpired as I felt that various people had got the impression that I had not made an effort to arrange for the collection of the items when I had. Fortunately it all turned out okay and the goods were collected and everyone was happy :). It did remind me how important communications are and that you need to provide as much information as possible and to tell all the involved parties what is happening. Thats why I love travelling; it teaches you SOOO much!

After collecting the goods I checked in but not before I managed to have a rusk or two. Getting them out of their containers proved to be quite a challenge as Taryn's mum had sealed them extremely well. However, having watched her make them previously I knew how good they were going to be so I persevered through all the tape until I managed to creak open the lid just enough to squeeze one out with some effort!

All the staff at the check-in were so nice. They allowed me a couple of extra kilograms of baggage (I had 32kg in total!)s and all my baggage was wrapped in plastic for free which made carrying it so much easier. In returned I offered everyone chocolate which was gladly expected. One gets so much further with people when one makes the effort to be friendly and and kind!

After checking in I had a long chat with Rhoda before passing through security to continue my wait for my plane. In the waiting area I met up with Simon Clark, my friend and partner for the Ethiopian leg of my trip. Finally at 1:25 am we boarded...my next adventure had finally begun!