Arriving in Jo'burg!

I wrote this a at 00.20 the 5th of february 2010, but had no internet and am only posting it now. I have lots more to tell but I'll write that later tonight. Don't worry, I'll probably have less to tell when I've arrived in Hoedspruit, so I won't always be updating so often xD

I’ve arrived in Jo’burg after a very uneventful flight. After a hitch at check in (I was 5 kg overweight, so I took out some stuff and gave them to Thijmen, walked away from the counter and put them back in the bag. Its 160 euro for 5 kg overweight! Crazy! With those prices, who plays fair? Though I could have taken out the 2 kg of cheese…) Thijmen and I said our tearful goodbyes (:’() and I was off to the gate. Apparently Thijmen did get a ticket for putting the car at departure. That’ll teach us not to be too lazy to park the car properly.

During the flight I sat next to an Indian girl who lives with her Swedish boyfriend in Sweden, going to visit her brother in Jo’burg and a lady from Toronto here on holiday. I didn’t get that much time to talk to them because the plane knocked me out right after we took off. Arriving in Jo’burg, I probably looked like a complete tourist. I try not to, really I do, but I just don’t know the place so it’s hard to blend. Of course I got dragged along by this very kind and helpful man who was showing me where the shuttle busses were, who of course expected to be paid even though I knew perfectly well where the shuttle busses were, and I like a fool, just to be rid of him, gave him 2 euro. He even turned up his nose when I only wanted to give him 1! I told him that I didn’t ask for his help and knew where it was but they can be so naggy here. Lesson learned, if your first instinct is not to tip, then bloody well don’t do it and tell them so!

Anyway, the hotel I’m staying in for the night is pretty decent, nothing special but I’m only sleeping here for –looks at watch- 5,5 hours. Tomorrow I have to catch the plane to Harare at 10.30, so leaving here at 7, just to be on the safe side. There Barbara and Ralph will pick me up, I hope, and I’ll stay there till Sunday and then head on to Hoedspruit and my baby trees. Heard from one of my supervisors that I might need to scrap ¼ of my experiment because I don’t have enough space in my plots (thousands of hectares of savanna grassland, but no space…). Well, of course it’s a specific place etc so I understand. Less work for me yay xD. But it’s a shame if I can’t do it in the end, though for the research question I think it will work with a smaller experiment.

I should have left the cheese at home I think. It’s starting to melt… No fridge and 20 degrees will do that I guess. I dropped my laptop again today, I hope it will survive Africa. I kinda really do need a computer here.

I’m starting to miss Thijmen, friends and family. I think I’m finally realizing I’m going to be here for 5 months. Iek!