Never have I been so apprehensive about traveling. It was a strange feeling, felt most before I had even left the Windhoek airport. My fears were soon droned out by the roar of the planes engines as I took flight for Johannesburg. The food on the plane was great as was the in flight entertainment. Seems that South African Airways has licensed “Just for Laughs” the comedy troupe from Montreal for their short flights. If you have seen Just for Laughs you will know that it does not require an audio soundtrack. I had a couple good laughs!
I moved through the Johannesburg airport in less than 20 minutes. It was really quick. When I got to the main foyer I looked for my name written up on the piece of paper as drivers usually do when meeting a stranger. I did not see Paskevicius anywhere! I suppose a few opportunists, seeing my confusion, offered me a lift. No thanks, ill just take a short walk. I toured the airport, which was quite clean and modern. When I got back to square one my driver had just arrived.
My driver, Kevin, was an older man who has spent most of his life doing research on game reserves. In his old age he has opened a guest house and does airport transfers around Johannesburg.
As we drove from the airport towards Pretoria, I was awed by the beauty of the landscape. It was much more picturesque then dry, dusty Namibia. For starters, things were green! It was nice to see grasslands, trees, and farmland again. Frequently along the hillsides we saw massive gated communities, with houses that would rival any in Canada. Like i am talking about really massive houses, Kevin commented on how some of them looked like convention centres.
The roads are in good shape here and most of the cars on the road are as well. We passed by a huge auto manufacturing plant with what seemed like thousands of cars out front ready for sale.
Pretoria is quite a fascinating place. My guest house (not Kevin’s) is owned by one Johanna Steenkamp. Johanna explained that this was my home for the next few days and I should make myself at home. This is my first B&B experience and so far I think it far exceeds the experience one might have at a hotel.
After getting my bearings in the house, I was offered a ride around town by my gracious host. She called it a joy ride. There is not doubt that those with money in Pretoria have a great deal of it! The houses are mostly all huge, gated, and have a BMW parked outside. The city is nestled in a valley, with lots of hills and magnificent views. I absolutely loved the trees, it reminded me of the homeland. There were picturesque streets lined with massive trees like those in the Annex. There were trees that had lime green color trunks. Strange! We saw most of the residential areas in Pretoria but Johanna warned against going into the city as it was getting dark. Time to head back and hide in our house, this seems to be a reality for most cautious South Africans.
Just before heading back we went by the University of Pretoria to have a quick look at the campus. It was really nice, with some very classic buildings accompanied by new modern mega facilities. Too bad I will not be doing more business there, it seems that Johanna has a wealth of contacts in house.
A nice home cooked meal beats the hotel buffet any day. Roast beef with gravy, roast potatoes, pumpkin mash, esperagess, and a Greek salad. Don’t forget the crisp South African white and fresh ground pepper.
I watched the BBC Food Network for a couple hours after dinner. Seems Johanna and I have a couple things in common.
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Michael Paskevicius
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Never have I been so apprehensive about traveling. It was a strange feeling, felt most before I had even left the Windhoek airport. My fears were soon droned out by the roar of the planes engines as I took flight for Johannesburg. The food on the plane was great as was the in flight entertainment. Seems that South African Airways has licensed “Just for Laughs” the comedy troupe from Montreal for their short flights. If you have seen Just for Laughs you will know that it does not require an audio soundtrack. I had a couple good laughs!
I moved through the Johannesburg airport in less than 20 minutes. It was really quick. When I got to the main foyer I looked for my name written up on the piece of paper as drivers usually do when meeting a stranger. I did not see Paskevicius anywhere! I suppose a few opportunists, seeing my confusion, offered me a lift. No thanks, ill just take a short walk. I toured the airport, which was quite clean and modern. When I got back to square one my driver had just arrived.
My driver, Kevin, was an older man who has spent most of his life doing research on game reserves. In his old age he has opened a guest house and does airport transfers around Johannesburg.
As we drove from the airport towards Pretoria, I was awed by the beauty of the landscape. It was much more picturesque then dry, dusty Namibia. For starters, things were green! It was nice to see grasslands, trees, and farmland again. Frequently along the hillsides we saw massive gated communities, with houses that would rival any in Canada. Like i am talking about really massive houses, Kevin commented on how some of them looked like convention centres.
The roads are in good shape here and most of the cars on the road are as well. We passed by a huge auto manufacturing plant with what seemed like thousands of cars out front ready for sale.
Pretoria is quite a fascinating place. My guest house (not Kevin’s) is owned by one Johanna Steenkamp. Johanna explained that this was my home for the next few days and I should make myself at home. This is my first B&B experience and so far I think it far exceeds the experience one might have at a hotel.
After getting my bearings in the house, I was offered a ride around town by my gracious host. She called it a joy ride. There is not doubt that those with money in Pretoria have a great deal of it! The houses are mostly all huge, gated, and have a BMW parked outside. The city is nestled in a valley, with lots of hills and magnificent views. I absolutely loved the trees, it reminded me of the homeland. There were picturesque streets lined with massive trees like those in the Annex. There were trees that had lime green color trunks. Strange! We saw most of the residential areas in Pretoria but Johanna warned against going into the city as it was getting dark. Time to head back and hide in our house, this seems to be a reality for most cautious South Africans.
Just before heading back we went by the University of Pretoria to have a quick look at the campus. It was really nice, with some very classic buildings accompanied by new modern mega facilities. Too bad I will not be doing more business there, it seems that Johanna has a wealth of contacts in house.
A nice home cooked meal beats the hotel buffet any day. Roast beef with gravy, roast potatoes, pumpkin mash, esperagess, and a Greek salad. Don’t forget the crisp South African white and fresh ground pepper.
I watched the BBC Food Network for a couple hours after dinner. Seems Johanna and I have a couple things in common.
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