I departed for Johannesburg on Monday night from Roma, traveling
through Doha, Qatar. Franco and Giulia took me to the airport after relaxing
and somber dinner (with Chris too!). Unlike my flight to Roma, I didn't quite
beat "the system" with baggage; I justified the additional cost with
the necessity of bags for my life in Johannesburg (and what was I supposed to
do?). After a difficult goodbye with Giulia, I started the journey I had long
been waiting for: my move to Johannesburg.
I flew Qatar Airways, which is something I was looking forward to
(nerdy, I know). They have a great reputation in the world of aviation and I
wanted to see what the "fuss" was about. When I boarded my flight to
Doha, I was warmly greeted by the stewardesses who looked rested and attentive,
rather than tired and apathetic a common trait on other airlines. The planes
were new, clean, and roomy. Rather than blab on-and-on about the flight, I'll
just highlight services that I thought were incredible. As a preface, I
understand that many of these services aren't extraordinary and were
commonplace twenty or so years ago. Flying these days is always a gamble and
the services/quality always seem to be decreasing. In any event, the services
(economy class): warm towel (preflight), candy (preflight), flying care kit
(socks, eye block, ear plugs, tooth brush), appetizers, main course, salad,
dessert, coffee/tea (with spirits: whiskey, cognac, brandy), snacks, and touch
screen entertainment with 100s of movies/1000s of TV shows. After the five-hour
flight we landed in Doha and were bussed to the terminal. I only had a
90-minute layover and was concerned about potential customs/reclaiming luggage.
Fortunately, we just had to go through security again and I arrived at my gate
with plenty of time. I was fascinated by the multitude of different cultures in
the airport and I tried to soak in as much as possible with a short layover. As
I boarded the bus to our plane (they didn't have ramps), the sun was rising
over the desert and I was awestruck at its beauty. The plane to Johannesburg
was again, new and clean, with all of the amenities (and more). After a
relaxing 8 1/2 hour flight, we touched down in Johannesburg. Customs and
baggage reclaim were smooth and efficient, and I connected with Gerhard, my
Mother's cousin outside of arrivals.
It was great to reconnect with Gerhard and his wonderful family; I
had the pleasure of spending a week with them Summer 2010 when I went to South
Africa for the first time. He's been kind enough to help me majorly with my
move - offering to let me stay with him for a few nights to get acclimated and,
importantly, to get me "set up" with my new life (e.g. car,
insurance/registration, cell phone, et cetera). They have a beautiful home on
the east side of Johannesburg, in Benoni. I enjoyed seeing their lush garden
and grounds, as the last time I visited it was winter, and a less green (see
pictures). The house is beautiful and airy, with the warm weather. I've even
enjoyed taking my showers in their outdoor shower (of course there is an indoor
shower too). After settling in, I had a wonderful dinner with the family, and a
full night's rest...there was a lot still ahead of me!
Car Buying: Gerhard and I set off on
Wednesday morning trek through Johannesburg in search of the perfect car. I
figured that we would go to a few big dealerships (like in the US) and it
wouldn't take more than a few hours, especially since I pinpointed a few cars
online beforehand. Each dealership we went to looking for a specific car
already sold the car. To make matters worse, unlike the United States, used
cars (cars in general) are expensive. Thinking about my own experience selling
my car, I imagined that I could get a good used car for the price that I sold
my car (still in great condition) in the US. Not so, I would soon find out. We
wandered around a few dealerships, test-driving a Toyota Tazz and a Volvo S40…but,
like buying a used car, it makes you feel gross ("Am I getting the best
deal I can? Am I getting ripped off?"); Many cars are lemons, are possibly
stolen, or are not well kept (at least in my price range J). After a day of searching, we decided to and do some more
research, not feeling "right" about any car. On the way back to the
house, Gerhard got me set up with my cell phone/internet. It always amazes me
how inexpensive smart phone planes are abroad. My plan for my Blackberry, for
example, with minutes/SMS/unlimited data is 1/6th of what I would pay in the US
(roughly $14/month)!
On Thursday, after feeling more prepared and knowledgeable about the
car market, we phoned prospective used cars prior to setting off. After calling
a few private sellers and finding out that the car was sold a few days prior, I
tried calling for a 2001 Audi A3. I reached a very nice gentleman who informed
me that he just listed the car - a company car that salesmen used with clients.
We arranged a meeting and set off to Johannesburg. Along the way, we stopped
and I got a reading lamp for my room as well as converters for my electronics
(I had been converting American to European to South African! European to SA
converters are readily available). We arrived at the car (in the company
parking lot) and were greeted by the gentleman I spoke to earlier in the
morning (he was asked by his employer to handle the sale). He gave us an honest
report about it's condition, his experience driving it, showed us the full
vehicle maintenance report, and we took it for a drive. With a tremendous price
(nearly $3,000 less than some of the cars I was looking at on Wednesday), relatively
low miles (~140,000 miles), leather seats, sunroof, full power, et cetera, we
were pretty much sold. After talking to him about the hassle of getting it
checked ("Road Worthy Test") and registered, he took off R2,000,
making the price the retail value price. I'll pick up the car on Monday, after
he gets some last minute electrical repairs taken care of (and cleans it). I
couldn't be happier with the car and the price. Moreover, I feel like we
weren't being "sold" at any point and he was upfront with us (plus,
it's not a private sale, the company is selling it).
There's a lot to be done before you can legally drive the car.
Before getting it registered, you have to have a road worthy test. Before you
have a road worthy test, you have to make sure that there aren't any issues
that might prevent it from being road worthy. So, when I am at the orientation
at the Embassy in Pretoria next week Gerhard agreed to take the car to get a
crack in the windshield repaired and get a full check-up/tune-up (how nice?!).
When I get back at the end of next week I'll take it to be "Road
Tested" and then registered. Whew!
Next Steps: Gerhard, Marlize, Maike, and
Tasmin (his two lovely daughters) are going on holiday this weekend with
Marlize's sister's family. Gerhard invited me to join them (how nice - again!),
however, I feel that leaving on orientation early next week that I should stay
in Johannesburg and get things in order. So, this weekend, I'll house sit, run
errands, possibly start unpacking at the house, et cetera.
I've been enjoying soaking up the culture and getting my bearings
around the city. There are many things that are really pleasant about South
Africa - the people are genuinely friendly, it is very developed, and the
weather/foliage is beautiful (it is "exotic" compared to the
Midwest). I'll enjoy learning more about the country, its people, and myself
over the next months.
 |
| New Ride! |
More pictures later... :)
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