Travel Plans from The Swaz to USA--Fun, FUn, Fun

BLOG11062010

Hi Everyone, “Sawubona” and Greetings from “The Swaz”---

I think some of you know that Gail and I are new Grandparents (!) and perhaps some of you know that we are planning a little visit back to the “good ole US of A” in mid January to see the new grandchildren, as well as catch up with family and friends.

In this posting, I will describe how we are going to return to DC to see John, Mary, and the grandkids………and I think you will agree that the trip is going to challenge even the veteran travelers we are.

We depart 8PM Africa time from Johannesburg, South Africa on jet destined for NYC/JFK. .

That sounds easy except that we are 5 hours from Jo’burg, by car, and essentially there is no scheduled public transportation service from where we live to Jo’burg. So here is the game plan….

1) Depart our house at 6:15AM………and get a ride into town –with our 4 big suitcases—to the public bus station. The station is open air---pray for no rain, as it will be the heart of African summer and also the rainy season. At the bus station arrange for a ride in a “kumbi”—think Passenger van……to Jo’burg. The van will start loading at 7AM, but no set departure time……it leaves when full—and I mean full !!—and we are hoping to depart by 10 or 10:30 AM for the 5 hours approx to Jo’burg. The van will be hot, overcrowded, maybe wet, but with a little luck we will depart, and get to the South African border—and cross into South Africa. Let’s say we leave at 10AM, we are still in good shape for our 8PM flight. Except…..the transportation does not go to the airport…so our choices become: 1) Try to “arrange” with the driver to take us by the airport if we “grease his palms”, or 2) Get a local cab in Jo’burg—extremly expensive, and extremely unsafe—to take us to airport from wherever we get dropped. And remember, we are hot, maybe wet, and got the luggage. And by the way did I mention we have NOT got cell phones that work in South Africa ? We got phones for Swaziland and when you cross the border, uh-oh !! Yikes ! Let’s assume all goes well, we do make it to the airport, and get checked in, thru passport control, to the gate for the 8PM flight.
2) Flight is 17 hours total time. But I bet the most fun will be when we land half way thru—after 8 hours—in Dakar, Senegal for refueling, and we are kept on the tarmac, not allowed to depart the plane, for 2+ hours while refuel. And of course it is 4AM Africa time and probably 90 degrees. If all continues well, we get back to 35,000 feet…fly for 8 hours, and land at NYC/JFK…..at 7:40AM Eastern Time, but to our bodies it is 3:40PM. We now must collect those 4 BIG suitcases, clear customs, and find our way to the gate for our 10AM flight to Washington, Dulles. Flight leaves JFK, lands at Dulles at 11:40AM. We collect our four big suitcases, and figure out how we will get to Mary’s, and by the way….remember we left African summer, 90 degrees/wet…and have flown into mid-winter in the DC area. And of course our Swazi phones will not work in the USA, either !

Needless to say, if we make it safe and sound to Mary’s, with all our stuff, dry and warm, and on time—after traveling for 38 hours ( remember Africa is 7 hours ahead of DC, so if we get to the Grandkids by 1PM….that is 8PM to our bodies)….please allow us to be a little “grumpy” shall we say….or at least have on hand several icy cold American beverages…as we have not had ice in a drink since 25 June…

The return trip home—wow, did I say home ?-- is a straight fly from DC to Jo’burg…but we still get to have the refueling fun in Dakar……and since we lose 7 hours…….we leave at 5PM one day, land Jo’burg at 5PM the next day, and since it seems you can not travel much after dark in Africa, we will spend the night in a hotel in Jo’burg……and then travel back to Swaziland—by land--- on the third day----total travel time for the return about 40 hours………but on the clock it will be 48 hours.

So I guess suffice to say, those that complain loudly about air travel in the USA, should give Africa travel a try, and then see if you feel like complaining. I might add if there are any “glitches” ( weather, flat tires, illness, border crossing problems, etc.) in the above plans, then we got some issues that will certainly tax our always high spirits.

All that said we are VERY MUCH looking forward to seeing the Grandkids for the first time, and catching up with everyone else. And being with those grandkids, and our kids, and all the family will make every moment of the above described adventure well worth it.

That’s all for now, as we say in the Swaz---“Sala Gahle” ( Stay Well)

Mike