WAIT - There's More
Vacation Day +4, +5
Last night as we were running around, sometimes
outside the airport, we could not help but notice how cold it was – even by our
standards. The locals were all complaining as well. When we woke up today at
the Protea Hotel, we learned that overnight, Johannesburg had set the all-time record
for the coldest day in their recorded history. Now, this fact comes into play
in just a moment.
We got to JNB about Noon, and Adam and
Steve went right to work on tracking down luggage. First to a SAA check-in counter
as a starting point; then directed down two levels to a SAA customer service baggage
center. Thankfully the woman there actually did customer service. After some
computer tracking, she sent a subordinate to some other area (it has a name but
I call it “baggage lost and found”), but she noted that it was in a far
different part of the airport and it would take a while. The subordinate took
our bag tag tracking receipts and disappeared. We WAITED. Thirty minutes later he returned
with good news (finally something went our way!).
He said he found a person who
recognized that there were 5 bags headed for Indianapolis and knew where they
were. So, we trudged back with him to the “lost and found” office outside the
terminal building in the 30-something degree cold weather (we were lightly
dressed since we did not have access to our luggage). We entered the place, and
it is jammed with luggage of all sorts, but we did not see ours. People behind
the counter are working steadfastly for the people in front of the counter
discussing lost bags, etc. We got to the counter and this guy said, “Yeah. I
recognize this. I took some pictures so I would remember.” He pulled out his iPhone
and started scrolling and then said, “Here. Check these out. Are they yours?”
Yessiree!
So, he has to take care of a few other
folks and then he takes off for the basement – literally they tell us the
basement of the airport where “baggage lost and found” is. He’ll be back but it
may take 30-60 minutes. We WAITED. So, we wait in a very congested baggage area with people
steadily piling in and out – some with their luggage, some experiencing further
frustration. Sure enough for us, the guy returns 45 minutes later with our
luggage! Halleluia!
Now its off to check-in for our flight
and all goes well. There is even a special shorter security line for people 65
and older! We get to out Gate (there is nowhere else to go), but we also do a
little shopping since we have 4 hours until boarding. We WAITED. Now, the airport is
freezing because it is not prepared to heat this vast space with temperatures
in the 30’s outside. The workers are wearing winter coats, hats and gloves inside
the building! We have no such things. Maria buys Connor a sweatshirt and Elise
has a travel blanket. The adults buy coffee, tea and hot chocolate and huddle
together as our survival instincts kick-in.
When we finally board the plane after
spending four hours in the equivalent of a meat locker, the heat on the plane
is on and we feel soooo good.
I started to write, “The rest of the
story is pretty simple for once. JNB – FRA - ORD – IND. All flights on time and
reasonable … well, if you call back-to-back flights of 10 hours and then 8
hours to get to Chicago.” But it didn’t work out this way once again.
Our flight from Frankfort to Chicago
was delayed in leaving. No problem: we have 2 hour and 45 minute layover in ORD.
It was supposed to be a 30 minutes delay, but you know how those things go – it
ended up being more like 1 hour. We were still OK for connecting in ORD. We even
made up 40 minutes in the air, so when we arrived in ORD we were only 20
minutes behind schedule. No problem – still got 2 hours and 20 minutes to get
through the Chicago airport. Passports went smoothly – 20 minutes and we are
getting nervous. Down to 2 hours until our flight. Baggage claim … well that
was another story. After 1.5 hours of WAITING for our baggage, it became clear
to us that we were not going to be able to reclaim our luggage, recheck it, go through security with our carry-on items, and go from Terminal A to Terminal E
to catch our flight. Indeed, we never got out of baggage claim until 5 minutes
before our scheduled flight departure. It’s now 3:20pm and we have already had
a 10-hour flight and an 8-hoiur flight under our belts.
Now what. As usual we are scrambling in an airport and the United
counter has 100 people in line since everyone on our flight and a couple of
others missed their connections. We refused to WAIT. We looked online – there are no flights on
Tuesday evening to Indy. OK, fine. We will drive. It’s only 200 miles for those
who are US-geography-challenged. When we got to the car rental place, no one
has cars. Not Budget, Avis, Hertz, National, etc. etc. Sixt will rent us a car
for $1600!!! Price-gouging in a free market at its best! Last chance is Dollar
and there is a very long line. They must have cars but they could run out
before I get to the counter. So, I quick go to their website and book a car
while standing at the end of the line. They have one !!!!! Yeah!!!
After an hour WAIT, when I got to the
counter (4:30pm at this point), I was so thankful that I booked online. They
did not have any cars at that moment, but they were expecting some to be
returned, and I was scheduled to get one. I just have to WAIT. And we waited 2
hours! But we did get a car and we drove home starting at 6:45 (7:45 Indy time –
that’s US eastern time for those who don’t know). Adam does the driving
thankfully (he is a night owl). I get to my house at 11:56pm (23:56) on Tuesday
night. We started in JNB at 8:00am on Monday.
Overall, our trip home, leaving Friday
Jul 7th from our hotel at 11:30am Africa time and ending with me in my
driveway at midnight to 5 full days – LESS TIME THAN IT TOOK FOR THE APOLLO 13
ASTRONAUTS TO CIRCLE THE MOON AND RETURN TO EARTH AFTER THEIR SPACESHIP
MALFUNCTIONED ON THE WAY TO THE MOON (remember the movie!). Wow! And again Wow!
So, I will wrap up on a happier note. I
will share some of the positives (interesting observations) to help lighten my
mood and hopefully yours.
Some Interesting Observations
I don’t know if you will find these
interesting or not, but here is what the family came up with regarding
interesting or surprising facts, observations, and other tidbits. These are the
“extras” that did not fit into the original blogs.
Cape Town is 4-5 million people and
really spread out among the mountains. We were surprised by how mountainous the
area is.
At Table Mountain, the cable for the
cable car weighed far more than the cable car itself.
In the mid-1600’s when the Dutch came
to what is now Cape Town, it was wild – i.e., the big five were plentiful in
the area.
The famous ship the Flying Dutchman
sank at the Cape of Good Hope in a ferocious storm as can happen as one rounds
the tip of Africa).
If you are familiar with it, the bird
of Paradise flower was common throughout the landscaping of many establishments
and homes, as was the allow plant. I always associated that flower with Hawaii.
There is also an abundance of aloe plants everywhere – downtown, rural, wherever.
There are still hippos in a lake area
in a suburb of Cape Town.
The area of very colorful houses in downtown Cape Town were
an act of rebellion by the locals against the Dutch monochrome white/gray
houses.
Freedom and racial freedom are very new – the society seems less caught up in
racial labels and politically correct speech – race is not daily issue or
divisive issue here. What great strides in a short period of time since
Apartheid!
We were not disturbed by load shedding very much at all.
Just one instance in Cape Town at our hotel. Otherwise, the lights went out a
couple of times for a few brief seconds before the generators kicked in.
South Africa is cheap. Zimbabwe is expensive (or at least
quite comparable to what we spend in US restaurants, taxis, entertainment,
etc.). Who would have guessed this?
When flying to Hoedspruit (the area where Thornybush Game
Reserve was), the “airport” was VERY small. One long runway that had some
warthogs running around on it as we landed. The plane parked near a building,
and we simply walked off the plane over the small tarmac to the “terminal,”
which was an open air building with one check-in counter that looked more like
a lemonade stand in my neighborhood run by 10-year-olds. The “baggage claim”
was just an area where we all stood, and the airport guys unloaded the trailers
with our bags by placing them around the area for us to sort out. It too was
open air (all of it was) and the “driveway” (a dirt with some gravel road) was
separated from the “baggage claim” by a 4-foot-wide sidewalk. Pick up your
bags, turn around, and put them in your vehicle! I had to walk further on my
driveway to load my car to depart on this trip!
That's about it!
Names we learned about groups of animals. A pride of lions (of coukrse), a pack
of wild dogs, a twist of kudu, a herd of elephants, a troop of monkeys, a
congress of baboons (or is it that we have baboons in Congress?), a crash of
rhinos, a tower of giraffe (I said a 'forest' jokingly in an earlier blog!), a
clan of hyenas, a business of mongoose, a sounder of warthogs, a rank of
impala, a dazzle of zebras. There is a prowl of leopards, but leopards tend to
be solitary, so it is extremely rare to see a group of leopards. More likely to
see them on the prowl than in a prowl.
As with most other countries in the world, light switches
are reversed from what we have in the US – up is “off” and down is “on.” I’ll
never get used to that.
Also, as with most other places in the world, cars drive on
the wrong – I mean - left side of the road. Another thing that I’ll never get
used to.
Victoria Falls Town has one main street (Livingstone Drive)
through the middle of the town, and there are no traffic lights. There are not
a lot of cars running around, but each intersection is a bit of a free-for-all.
It was really not a problem.
There were some exquisite hotels/lodges that have popped up
as the tourist influx has grown exponentially in the last ten years (not
withstanding a COVID interruption). The oldest colonial hotel is the Victoria
Falls Hotel, where the royal family staid/stays if and when they visit. The
grand old part of the hotel has been empty for the last 2 years or so, and our
taxi driver said he thought that there was some sale of the property going on.
Adam took note. This is now a business trip for him!
The people everywhere are EXCEPTIONALLY friendly and nice.
Above and beyond what you might expect from just good service. When I thanked
our hotel desk agent (Mathe) at the Johannesburg airport, and noted to her how
friendly she and others in Africa were, she said, “We have suffered so much in
the recent past. There were no jobs and no money. We are all happy to be
working, and it is our pleasure to help you. We need you to keep visiting our country.”
(at least that was the gist of it – but she did say “we have suffered so
much”). “Happy to be working” … what an interesting concept! We ran into this
in many places in the service industry. One person was cleaning up after us in
an airport lounge, and I apologized for our group making a mess. he said,
"No, no! Eat and make a mess. That gives me a job. I want to be here
cleaning up. So, keep eating and drinking."
I'll stop there and call it done. What a vacation! What
great family time! What a country/continent! I'll remember this until I need
Alzheimer's therapy.
I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED WHATEVER PARTS OF THIS YOU HAVE
READ.
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