South African Expedition 2000
Thursday 13 January 2000
| We arrive in an overcast J’burg International
Airport, pass through customs, and immediately have our first Castle Lager. £2.40 for 3
pints. We thought how cheap it was, not knowing how much cheaper it was going to get. We
then bumped into Alan Lamb - a photo opportunity too good to miss. A taxi takes us to our hotel in down town Pretoria, the Orange Court Lodge. Rather than a traditional hotel, it’s an old building that has been converted into small apartments. Ours is a 3 bed flat with kitchen, bathroom and living area. Just what the doctor ordered. The landlady gives us a map, and immediately draws a line through the middle of it. We’re on the ‘safe side’, and warns us not to cross the line, especially after dark !! |
By amazing co-incidence, Bill Kingston was at the airport too. |
| After a slap up meal at Maxi’s diner and a few more beers playing 10-pin bowling, it was time to cross ‘The Line’. Our intrepid travellers headed towards Essellen Street, highlighted in our guide book as a good area for bars and pubs. It wasn’t much cop though, but we did manage to end up in a rather good but downtrodden ‘sports bar’. Several more beers later and a few games of pool under our belts with a pair of local lesbian biffas, a taxi (costing a whole £1) was taken back to the Orange Court Lodge. But it was pissing down, and the test match was due to begin tomorrow. |
And so was Alan Lamb |
