Okay, my real reason? I really wanted to see Star Wars III (no thanks to all of you who've written to me and told me how good it is ... I'm definitely up for a 6-episode marathon when I get back). I tracked down that Nelspruit had a new, 8 cinema complex. And, being fairly budget minded, I thought I'd do it on the cheap (and I would have - US$50 covered all travel, buses, taxis, accomodation, and the movie ticket, with another $20 for all my meals - except my shopping adventures burned up well over an additional US$100!).
So, here was my schedule:
7pm, Friday: Hop on a coach en route to Johannesberg.
10pm: Half an hour stop over at the first big stop in South Africa, So impressed with the level of civilisation I see that I end up taking photos of clean petrol stations (I won't bore you with them).
11:30pm: Track down a taxi in Nelspruit and get to the backpackers lodge, "Funky Monkeys".
until 2am: Spend time getting to know some of the other people staying there. On this trip, spending most time in hotels/apartments and the odd weekend in a backpacker's lodge has made me realise how much I enjoy staying in backpacker lodges - usually really well-taken care of places, interesting people, and cheap! And FULL of character ... I spent the night speaking to some French guy who's working as a chef around Africa, a South African couple thinking of moving to Nelspruit from Durban, and an eccentric lady who tried to convince me that emotions can modify a crystal's chemical composition ... all over dessert wine, coffee and coke ...
8am, Saturday: Check out and grab a lift with someone at the lodge to the shopping complex.
9am: Get my dose of 1st world junk food for breakfast.
9:15am: An almost completely empty movie theatre allows me to grab great seating for the Star Wars movie. And what a movie!
12pm: Spend the rest of the day shopping, shopping, shopping ... I never realised how much I missed Westfield-esque shopping malls! Ah ... civilisation dose!
2pm: Grab a taxi to the mini bus cab rank, next to a much more budget shopping centre buzzing with street activity (it felt like a different world).
2:30pm: Miss the first mini bus to Maputo because I was hunting down more bargains.
4pm: Finally our bus leaves! (no schedule ... it just leaves when it gets full! And, having done the break even analysis, I don't blame them ...) And, due to a confusing customs process, it is well after sunset that we actually arrive back in Maputo ...
South Africa really is a fascinating place though ... but I'll save that for another entry ...
Blesssings
john
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