Out of Africa 2021: MacGyver here

After the third leg of our journey from Amsterdam to Johannesburg which although a long flight, was very under booked, Josh and I each had a row to ourselves so we could stretch out and try and get some sleep. After deplaning and collecting our luggage we were met by Leslie our tour guide after passport control and customs. The airport was nearly empty and it was all a breeze. We loaded our bags onto a trolley and walked approximately 500 yards to the left to our airport hotel. It was the only game in town. Overnight temperatures in Johannesburg were brisk to say the least, somewhere below freezing. The Hotel was just getting back to business after Covid shut downs, and recent restrictions put in place by the South African president in response to the delta variants and recent surge of increased cases. We checked in and got settled. Our room, too, was freezing. I’m not kidding, it really was freezing. The heater although powered and turned on, barely changed the ambient temperature. We desperately needed sleep so something had to be done.

MacGyver here. I searched the closet and cabinets and found an extra blanket, emptied out water bottles, boiled the electric kettle and filled said bottles with boiling liquid and placed them in two of Josh’s tube socks. Poor man’s substitute for a hot water bottle gleaned out of necessity from a prior trip to Tibet. While I did put on my PJs, I added tights, socks, gloves, a sweatshirt and earmuffs to complete my sleeping ensemble.My head tucked under the covers insured a reasonable night’s sleep.

While this was a photo opportunity, it will not be gracing the pages of any social media!

By morning the room was almost tepid and the water in the shower quite hot, so we were restored to normal or as close as possible under the circumstances. We ordered breakfast to our room as the current Covid restrictions mandated & met our group downstairs a bit later to head to Kruger.

We retraced the last evening’s steps back to the airport with check in for our flight which was on a small 30 seater plane. Poor Josh’s 6’8” frame was cramped to put it mildly. Surreal to come down out of the clouds, landing on a small airstrip in Mpumalanga bordered by Acacia trees. Quintessential Africa.

We were met by an associate of Leslie’s who ferried us to the Winkler hotel for a day of R&R away from Johannesburg before we head to our safari camp tomorrow morning. It is lovely, quiet and peaceful. After lunch the kids and I walked the grounds and I lead an informal camera tutorial in preparation for tomorrow. Naps and charging of various electronics filled the afternoon. we had a lovely dinner where We learned from the staff that we were the first guests visiting in over a year.