The meaning of 20 hours in the air over 2 flights and the product of almost a year and a half of planning was now at the end of the ramp leading away from the plane. KLM 0591 out of Amsterdam had just landed at around 9:30 in the evening and I disembarked into the Johannesburg arrivals gate. The song playing through the public address system? 'Walk of Life' Dire Straits......somehow I didn't expect that. I wade downstream towards baggage claim thinking about the connections I need to make to get to the Purple Palms hostel in the northern suburbs of Joburg. After collecting my checked bag and going through immigration, I entered the arrivals hall which was fittingly adorned with large WC 2010 posters, taxi touts, info booths and wide eyed footey voyeurs. There were vuvuzela blasts here and there adding to the carnival atmosphere at Tambo airport, but I sensed a bit of local irritation. I later found out that I had landed at about halftime of the group match between South Africa and Uruguay. Uruguay pounded the hosts 3-0, which well explains people at the airport being on edge......enough atmosphere, I gotta make this phone call!
I call the contact number and am told to wait at the 'zebra crossing' outside of arrivals gate A and I would be picked up shortly. I was also told that 3 others were waiting for a ride to the hostel, one being very tall. Now before I even made the phone call, I noted 3 fellows outside (one being very tall) and presumed that they might also be headed to the hostel. Later this hunch would prove correct. What I had trouble finding out was where the heck this 'zebra crossing' was. I walked around a bit in the area of the Gate A pickup area looking for a zebra sign, a zebra curb, zebra painted column.....whatever! After 15 minutes or so chewing on that puzzle, the 3 previously mentioned came back outside and posted up at the curb next to the black and white striped safety crossing----->the 'ZEBRA CROSSING!' ( I felt like an idiot, but then I was tired and ready for sleep; not brain twisters )
The 3 loiterers were now having a little kickabout in a circle with a shiny new Jabulani ball, and when the loose ball came to me, I knocked it back and asked if they too were headed to Purple Palms......sure enough, the 3 Austrailians were waiting for the same shuttle; case solved. After another 10 minutes or so, our driver Blasi greeted us and we followed him back to his beat up Opel station wagon in the airport garage. Polite tired talk happened in the car on the way to the hostel, but I was still just kinda shocked that I had just landed at the World Cup in South Africa!
Arrival at the hostel at maybe 11:30 pm or so; I met the hostel manager Arnold, checked in and was issued a top bunk in a room that sleeps 3. Showering happened and then sleep happened.......in the back of my comatoast mind was the issue of how I was going to get to tomorrow's (June 17th Mexico v France) match in Polokwane. While I had meticulously planned the trip, this ticket was a more recent purchase and I casually left to chance the issue of the 4 hour drive to the north of Johannesburg.......and back. I also needed to visit the official ticket kiosk at the airport to collect the 8 tickets I had paid for.
Fly 9500 miles or 15220 kilometers on 2 flights and survive........check.
Land in South Africa.......check.
Find hostel..........check.
Sleep.........check.
the grandest of schemes to the tune of dire straits and yet you had the fortitude to continue on. bravo.
ReplyDelete