“Running on Empty”
Jet Lag !!! Never…. I had worked so many weird and long hours for years and years and I never felt a thing. Huh, you would think I would learn to never say never.!!
Yikes, I arrived in Joburg and I felt like some alien had taken over my brain or I was an extra for a Zombie movie and looked around for a camera crew. I had no idea that this weird out-of-brain experience was actually jet lag after 22 hrs of traveling or is this what happens when one ages or should I seek medical help/!!!
Getting my South African SIm card was easy peasy but the instructions must have gone right over my head. I couldn't figure out how to use Whatsapp, email or anything on my phone and my laptop was a foreign object on my lap. Jet lag or stroke? I did a quick stroke assessment as that is what nurses do, and decided this was what “Running on Empty” feels like.
Eventually with an additional lesson from the Vodafone lady who kindly said my difficulty was her bad and she fiddled with my phone and handed it back and voila, it worked fine, almost but good enough to get me into the information for our AirBnB
We went to Ist Car Rental. Booth in an endless line of rental companies in a row and it was easy to find. The booking was in order and thank goodness I had upgraded to a bigger car the week before or we would never have fit all our luggage in. After a full explanation all in greek to my fuddled brain, we found our car and loaded up. As you know I never get anxious but…. Driving on the wrong side has given me a blip or 2 in anticipation and now with an alien in control of my brain, this was going to be an adventure.
However, as long as I followed cars, remembered to keep the lines on my wheel side, and the lights and stop signs on my side and with Ron navigating, I was fine until I saw a sign telling us we had a Toll ahead. Ron frantically reached for his backpack I had put on the floor in the back to get some cash and accidentally hit the gear lever putting it into neutral !!!! and I couldn't figure out what happened. Not a good start, not knowing the gear levers with a brain-dead driver on a major highway. So glad I have bushy gray hair as it always excuses my driving even at the best of times.
We sailed through the Toll as we found out the rental cars are all equipped with a toll reader that reads the license plate which is then paid out of our car deposit.
TIP: You do not need money for the tolls and drive to the lane that has TAGS or an E and sail right through. Some of the tolls are just a set of bars up above the road wth a reader that clicks as you pass under it.
We found our rental house just fine. It is a lovely little cottage on the property of our hosts, Allison and Stanley, who are delightful. Most helpful and we felt like family. The home had everything we needed. The gardens were lovely and made me know I was now in South Africa. We unpacked and made a revised plan to meet my nephew and family, Vivian, Michele and my brother John on Saturday instead of us getting him when we flew in. Brain-dead decision, perfect.
Less brain dead worked well on my driving and we drove for about 40 minutes, amazed at how SA had grown and changed, businesses everywhere. Excellent roads, no potholes, courteous drivers all of which we had been warned about. With Ron navigating,we got to a lovely outdoor farm restaurant, the Shed and Silo where the owner greeted us all and welcomed us to SA with an amazing warm welcome. VIvian and Michele do know her from being there a few times but I thought such a SA welcome compared to our restaurants in many ways.We were joined by Caitlin, Kyle’s (Vivians son) girlfriend who is delightful.
We had a lovely 5hr lunch under the trees catching up. They are all the same but 16 years since I saw them last has had an impact on my brother who is 79. I knew right then that I was really happy we had come to South Africa so see him and the others. We are all getting older and my mantra came to mind loud and clear.
“Do what you can, when you can and while you can” Who knows what tomorrow will bring.
We were really really cold for the first few days. Outside is lovely, sunny and warm and lovely but the houses are freezing, as I remembered.
There is no heating other than a space heater that does help a bit. So we would go to bed in our matching gray thermal underwear clutching hot water bottles looking like Mama and Papa Smurf with a treasure….which a hot water bottle is. We got a little used to the cold once we were not so tired but still in jackets in the house and hot water bottles to bed.
Sunday was our “family/friend gathering “ at our house which was lovely, less people as several forgot it was Fathers Day and others, one of their family was sick. Jenny, my cousin Vals daughter, her son Hudson and his twin boys of 5 came. It was lovely to catch up with them. Hudson is quite the entrepreneur doing great things in the perfume insdusrty. My friend Hal, who was married to my good friend Christabel who died of breast cancer 15 years ago. Yola, John's friend who is totally delightful and is amazing how she takes John to all kinds of events and places and has for several years.
We had sandwiches, wine, beer, and sodas. The beer was non-alcoholic as Ron went into the store and got John's beer but forgot !!! we had other people coming!! The beer drinkers were very good about it and made a joke they could drive home safely,
Monday, we drove into Rosebank about a 2o minute drive and with Ron the navigator and Gill the driver getting better by the day, arrived safely. We caught a Hop On Hop Off Johannesburg 6 hr hour tour which I would recommend to everyone. It was excellent and covered every area of the city. The commentary was excellent. We were taken past huge gated, high walled with electric fences on the top huge homes in the well to do homes in the areas I remember well. Then past the mansions in Houghton including Mandela’s home which was again irony, past the home he has set up to support children, his main love and underprivileged groups.
Very clean and well kept streets and properties.
Then into the main CBD of Johannesburg (Central Business District ). Oh my, we entered a very 3rd world African City !!! Typical stalls selling stuff on the sidewalk, people everywhere, laundry hanging on balconies, trash everywhere, buildings vacant and dilapidated, and on and on . The last picture is the Florence Nightingale Nursing home (Hospital) where I was born and so sad to see it all dilapidated. We only got off at Gold Reef City as the guys needed a pee break. Huge casino, not much going on, and hard to find a food place that sold coffee. I saw a Milky Lane which is part of my memory lane and coffee was on the menu plus the shakes I loved. The guys ordered lattes and off she went. Came back after ages and said, “No, you cannot have coffee”!!! “Why not?” asked Ron. “We have no milk” was the reply !!!!
“So I presume I can't have a milkshake then” I asked “Nooooo, you cannot have a milkshake, we have no milk” !! Only in Africa !!!
The rest of the tour was excellent and at the end we needed to find a toilet, John is worse than Ron!!!
Then went into Mama Sambas for dinner. The Rosebank Mall is huuuuuuge, pedestrian only and has any store, restaurant you could hope for. Mama Sanbas was near the toilet so it was good enough for me and it was awesome. The service was amazing and Ron and I had prawns in Garlic sauce and delish. With the Rand exchange into dollars it was about $6.
Other than the food and the service, what I loved was seeing a long table of young Africans, a few Indians and one white guy all engaged having what seemed like an office party. This is now the norm,thank goodness.
I love seeing all the non-whites, now, well-educated, enjoying life that is now available to them. That actually got my attention, maybe a little more than my prawns.
We wanted to get home before load shedding happened so we left the Mall
Load shedding is quite something everyone seems to just accept as a way of life and manage around it. There is an App from Eskom, the power company that tells you daily when it happens in your area on the app. So you just plan your meals and everything around that, make sure everything is charged and use a flashlight if you don't have solar. Most people including our hosts have battery operated lanterns to give some light. The other thing is…..all the traffic lights become 4 way stops as those lights go off that are really hard to see when it is dark. I have to say everyone does the robots, as they are called here, well and life goes on anyway. !!! Water is also affected in many areas due to lack of power too, so nothing comes out of the tap!!!
The whole thing was far worse as power just went off without a schedule until the protests we saw all the Aficans and some whites held a few months ago. Ramaphosa, the President said yikes, appointed a Minister of Power and this scheduled App was developed and it far more manageable.. Protests do work !!!
Tuesday Mr Navigator, decided he and we were having trouble with Google maps as the info only showed as the turn was needed and talk about frustration, enter WAZE, much better.
We set off to visit Val, my 89 yr old cousin in Pretoria. She is remarkable, despite a hip and shoulder replacement and a plate in her wrist all over the past few years, she is like a 70yr old. Spry,sure footed, has all her marbles, does her gardening, cooked us lunch and we chatted endlessly for about 6 hrs. She has always been amazing. Allistaire, her son is now 60 and lives with his wife Rani in the little cottage on the grounds popped in as he left his little dog for Granny Doggy Day care for the afternoon. He is very reclusive so it was lovely seeing him. Didn't see Rani.Val looked after James, her husband in their home for 20 years with advanced Altzheimers and her mother in a home nearby also for 20 years with advanced Altzheimers. She attributed her falls with injury due to exhaustion and rightfully so.
I will go more into Val’s beliefs and activities over the years and clearly activism runs deep in our family. She was and is amazing.
Fast forward to the following week. My stories may not truly be in timeline format. I add what I can when I have internet which has been challenging.
I was now feeling competent on the wrong side of the road but clearly had not really learned where all the dials were and clearly did not watch the fuel gauge until the little red light popped up. Now we were all “Running on Empty” and we were on back roads with “petrol stations' far apart. We made it to the first station we saw on fumes!!!
In South Africa you do not have self serve. You pull into the gas station and one of the many attendants comes running out with a wide smile asking what kind of petrol? The attendant fills up the tank, cleans the front and back windows, produces the credit card machine, you insert or tap the card, give him a five Rand tip and you are on your way.
Anyway, I do have a lot more to tell but I wanted to get an update posted.
We are well and safe and all is good and I am totally good on the wrong side of the road.
We are finding the Africans happy, friendly, competent and helpful everywhere and quite a few very grumpy whites complaining how bad it has all become!!!
Reason for lack of stories checklist:
No WiFi
No power as it is load shedding time
No time as we are on the go creating these stories
Visiting family and friends and talking endlessly
Taking game drives
“Running on Empty”
We have been on the go since we got here a month ago, hence no time to write the adventure/experience stories often.
The Internet has been very spotty and after talking, going around seeing things and driving, I am usually too tired in the evenings.I have a lot of photos to organize etc too. Now to the last of this story.
Talking about driving……that has been one of the biggest contributors to me “running on empty”!!!
I am completely at home on the wrong side, Ron is a great navigator using Waze but…..
The City traffic is much the same as at home and the drivers are also much the same.
However, there are hundreds and hundreds of taxis everywhere as it is the main form of transport for Africans everywhere, local and distant. People who want to catch a taxi wait on the side of the road in the cities or freeways or any road. They indicate their need for a ride with a series of hand and finger signs that the taxis all understand, so the taxi just pulls off to pick them up despite the traffic.
This is all so interesting I will write about them in a separate story “Taxis other earning a living ”
Once out of the cities most of the roads are only 2 lanes and much further to drive that the map or GPS miles indicate. You set off on a 7hr drive to get to your next destination and 12 hrs later you arrive.
The long double trailer transport trucks are endless everywhere. The potholes are everywhere so dogging potholes and passing trucks becomes a mind blowing game of chance that I have names “Watch out for”
Waze plays their part in this game but constantly announcing “watch out potholes ahead. When we pass that announced pothole, Waze asks if it is still there so Ron has had fun playing an online game by clicking “yes” and getting points. At least Waze uses the english “pothole ahead” and not in Afrikaans “Slag Gat” ahead said ‘slaaaaagggg gggggat voor” guttural throat sounds !!!
The trucks are often 3-4 in a row so the timing to pass is critical and not having a death wish, I drive like a Granny… which of course I am. Other drivers just go for it and always seem to just squeeze in the nick of time every time so far that we have seen. There were many times I just had to pretend I was that Andretti race car driver guy and floor it and pray.
All the way there are signs that are part of “The Watch Out Game” depending on where you are.
“Watch out for timber trucks” and some are even pulled by a tractor and others a huge long fully laden truck filled with long tree trunks being sent to the lumber mills to make support beams for the mines and other functions.
“Watch out for sugar cane trucks” are looooong trucks filled to the brim of huge cage-like trailers dropping sugar cane stalks all along the road adding to things to watch out for on the road.
“Watch out for coal trucks” that are double trailer huge trucks filled with coal from the mines that we hear is mostly exported. Their load is at least covered with tarps.
“Watch out for Elephants” and one would think they would be easy to spot !!! But no, they suddenly decide to cross and in the dark……yikes
“Watch out for Hippos” Close to St Lucia that really is a problem as they are on the main roads and also on the streets in the town. They leave the water and amble up across the main street to go to the park and residents' front lawn This is clearly not Temecula.
“Watch out for pedestrians”. A large percentage of Africans walk on the side of the road as they do not have transportation. In the dark it is really hard to see them in dark clothing as one navigates, trucks and potholes!!!
Many days of driving and particularly after a 12 hr drive as described I am totally “Running on Empty.”
So this certainly shows why I haven't written many stories yet !!!
Once again being here reminds me how easy life is in the US.
TIP: If you don't have to drive don't…..hire the shuttle services and tours that are offered by the hundreds.