Paul Derengowski, Ph.D.
Monday morning at 4:45 a.m. rolled around pretty quickly, given that my wife and I had just gotten off the plane in Johannesburg and by the time we were dropped off at the guest house, it was about 10 p.m. We still used to Central U.S. Time, which made it 9:45 p.m.—at least according to our body clocks. It’s time to go to bed, not get up!
A short night aside, we could not figure out how to work the heating system in our room. Even though it did not get very cold outside, being that it was winter, it was still chilly in the room; probably in the low 60s or upper 50s. Needless to say, it made for a brisk shower and a really cold breakfast of yogurt and granola.
Today was the day Dr. Stoker had been planning for some time. He wanted to take us on an abbreviated African Safari at the Pilanesburg National Park, which was about three hours northwest of Pretoria or about the same straight north of Potchefstroom. Potchefstroom is where we would eventually end up at the end of the day, since that is the home of North-West University or where I would be graduating with my doctorate tomorrow (July 31).
Dr. Stoker arrived at 6:25 a.m., but could get through the security gate. Big surprise! Not. As mentioned previously, security is major issue in South African, with just about everyone imprisoned in their homes with gates, fences, and lots of electric wire. After waking up the owners of the Rest-A-While Guest House, we managed to exit the premises and we were off.
Traveling down the highways in and around Pretoria-Johannesburg reminded me of Denver in the winter time with the smog inversion taking place. Disgusting plumbs of fog, smoke, and exhaust filled the air. Interestingly, the only real difference between Denver and Johannesburg is that the latter rarely gets any snow. Otherwise, the elevation is about the same, air pollution is about the same, and the traffic congestion is about the same.
When we cleared the city, it was time for toll roads, even way out in the sticks. What I found curious were the number of people either riding their bikes or simply walking along the roadside to get to work—wherever that may be. And these commuters were miles away from the city! What was somewhat sad is that out in the middle of nowhere, there were still lots of people walking alongside the road, going to work, or simply waiting for a government run taxi to pick them up. If anyone thinks they have it tough in America, when it comes to transportation to get to work, that person ought to see what happens to thousands of people, everyday, in South Africa.
After about three hours of driving, we arrived at the Pilanesburg National Park. But, rather than explain in writing everything we saw and experienced, I have put together a short video presentation to do that instead. Here is hoping that you enjoy it. We certainly did. I will simply add that after a long day of sight-seeing, we hurried back to Potchefstroom to see if our luggage had arrived. It did not, so we ended up buying new wardrobes for tomorrow—the big day we have been waiting for, for years!
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