Cradle of the humankind.... africa !

Having lived and survived the American and the Asian continent, it was time to taste the African soil errr Beer maybe … So here I am, in Africa …- where humanity was born – which ultimately makes each one of us, an African.
I read this at the Apartheid Museum in Joburg, South Africa.

So here’s a snippet of my African odyssey ……

Travel gyan for the dummy travelers …

Travelling is not always about tacks and pins on the map…… its about meeting people… its about enjoying every little wonder that you come across, appreciating smaller things .. Having little expectations…. Tasting world cuisines, walking to a store in a foreign country and being asked a million times to repeat yourself cuz you have an accent. It’s about appreciating and respecting the laws of the land!!!! Is it a yes???? Congratulations!!!! You have been certified a true traveler!

Alright, I know I am going on a different tangent now. And need to be reminded now and again to stay on track … so coming back to the subject … I am here ,now, in the southern tip of Africa – South Africa – the most colorful country in the world…where it wasn’t fun being colorful a few years back 

Of personal invites and appearances….

After having submitted my visa documents , I was eagerly awaiting that stamp on my passport and instead I get an email from my visa agent … “ the RSA home affairs in Mumbai seeks the pleasure of your company to invite you to visit the beautiful South Africa” !! In other words, my passport has been the lucky one to have been picked among; a few, submitted, for interrogation – its personal interview time folks! Gaaahhh!!! Sometimes it isn’t fun living on the edge!

Alright, there s nothing you can do against the wishes of the embassies. Sadly!!!

So I book my tickets to Mumbai … First flight out at 5 am tomorrow. And its 9 pm already. Lots to finish before I jet set. So I finish all the important tasks, head home, need to pay some money to a friend on the way… send an itinerary to a client… speak to my agents about my disappearance for a few months …… wait is there time for a quick beer ;-) Nah!!! Need to pack. Get my documents sorted. Damn!!!!!!! So much to accomplish – such little time!
I reach home after all my chores at 11. Pack whatever is visually appealing and fill my suitcase till it can’t breathe no more. Hang on …I am coming back right … may be not, if I get my Visa tomorrow. I just fly out to Joburg if they are kind enough to stamp it tomorrow. Wait what if there is no ink at the embassy to stamp my passport… what if, there is fire at the embassy …. Hyperboles are flowing in abundance today …..;-)

I land at the Mumbai Chatrapathi Shivaji airport at 6:30 … and its raining incessantly … its raining people man – not cats and dogs!

I have lots of luggage. a claustrophobic suitcase , a laptop , wads of cash ( how I wish ) , alright a credit card with no limits … sigghhh ! Made my way to a cab after rescuing myself from massive puddles of rainwater and the heavy downpour.. Last thing I want now is Malaria!

Need to make a quick decision … Interview is at 9. Its 7:30 am already.. Do I have time to dump my luggage … Visualizing the Mumbai map, I make a few phone calls. Hoping someone would pick up the call and I could quickly put my poor suitcase on a ventilator and run to the embassy… A few persistent calls, and sleepy friend picks up my call!!! And I narrate the story.. Land there.. Suitcase dumped and I run out and head to the embassy. Just about make it at 9 and the security guard says no bags allowed. I have my haversack with my laptop, and camera.. I promise, I have the saddest puppy face in the world pleading him to let me in and he just refuses to acknowledge.. I make some quick cruel plans of leaving the bag on the main road.. He finally gives in and suggests that I leave the bag at the pan walla down the road. I meet the pan waalla and looks like this is an age old business of keeping bags.. so I leave my stuff and run back to the embassy . A couple of hours pass by.. No signs of being called in … I realize I don’t even have the token for the interview. Call my agent and he lands after a few hours. It was nice long laid back day.. No one seemed to be in hurry to open doors and I was famished and sleepy and worried about my laptop.. What if the pan walla gets my Swiss account number from the laptop??? Since it was a personal invitation, I was hoping some hospitality:-P. yes, I prefer my cappuccino with some cream and some chocolate shavings please! Never mind, the water drops falling on me from the corner of the roof outside at the sitting area at the embassy…


After a good 5 hour wait, the security guard gets me the token and I walk in. It’s not over yet. I wait for an hour inside before I get called in.

15 min interview about why who where how and when and it’s over. I muster courage and ask her – hmmm do u guys have enough ink? Errr I mean when would I get my passport? We will go through your case and take a decision next week! Arrrghhhhhh one more week in Mumbai before it get. Anyways, cutting my never ending long story short, I finally get my visa after 4 days and book the first flight out of Mumbai. The chosen airline is Ethihad airways, the official airlines of Saudi Arabia! After a short hop at Abu Dhabi, a few naps, a few morsels, I land in Johannesburg…

I clear immigration in less than 10 minutes. And wonder if they missed out something and let me in Well, it is supposedly a short process.

Welcome to Johannesburg aka Joburg aka Jozy !