Monthly Archives: February 2015

South Africa, Travelinds

A bus from Johannesburg to Gaborone

16 February 2015

Johannesburg has treated us to a fine stay with the family we love.  Today we took a trip up to Gaborone, Botswana for a night, to see the old folks and catch up with a beloved aunty. Since we were short on time and had been living out of suitcases for a month already, we decided to try a ‘luxury bus’ instead of the InterCape as we had heard about this option.

We found the Flight Connect bus on the internet and decided to try it. It claimed a 6 hour trip, with on-board WiFi, directly from the bus station at O.R.Tambo International Airport to Gaborone, Botswana.  To us this seemed a reasonable package for the price offered and we booked our tickets through email.

The office (in Botswana) was very prompt in replying to us with a booking number and indicating methods of payment (cash or credit card) and ensuring that we knew where to go. We got to the airport and then headed to the bus terminal, which is directly behind the Intercontinental Hotel, outside arrivals.  The bus was on time and our names were on the list. We made the payment for our return ticket when we arrived in Gaborone.

Tips:

  • There is a bathroom on board and it is clean, but rather bumpy.
  • The bus stops at the border, you jump out and go through immigration and then WALK THROUGH no-mans land (not too far) to the next border post and jump back on to the bus on the other side of the border. Don’t be alarmed when the bus is not there as you come out of the first immigration building.
  • There is WiFi on-board but no charging stations so take a fully charged battery with you.
South Africa, Travelinds, Uncategorised

Midmar Dam

14 February 2015

This Valentine’s weekend we stayed at Midmar Dam with our siblings and a new addition, our 6-month-old niece.  It was the week after the world-famous open water race – the Midmar Mile (which R has completed 10 times!). We invited friends and family to join us so that we could catch up with everyone while we were in KZN.

As usual, Midmar did not disappoint to wow us with its February thunderstorms and high winds, but it was worth it for the clear, glassy water in the early mornings. It was an awesome weekend of quality time with the family around the braai, laughing, making memories, enjoying the fruits of South Africa (Amarula – yum!) and remembering why we love our crazy siblings so much!

It was a happy Valentine’s day indeed!

TIP: If you will be travelling around Kwa-Zulu Natal quite a lot in a period of a year, then it is well worth it to get yourself (or your family) a Rhino Card. It gives you discounts on bookings (if you have the card before you make the booking) and on entrance fees and daily levies at the reserves and environmental sites.  We bought one and it paid for itself in just the month we were in South Africa – what a bargain!

TIP: Ezemvelo gave us a few grey hairs as we arrived because they didn’t have our booking confirmed, but after much discussion (calm?) and compromise, they accommodated our party of ten people and a baby with gracious hospitality in the awesome chalets – book here.

[Lesson learnt: When you book and pay online, it is not enough to have the pro-forma invoice and receipt number. Phone ahead and make sure that you receive the actual booking confirmation sheet along with other documentation to support your booking and avoid disappointment.]