Johannesburg Airport – 30 September 2021

We are now at the airport in Johannesburg, drinking beer….. What do we encounter strange things!

Yesterday we drove away from Harrismith where we had slept fine in our bed &  breakfast. The village looks terrible because all the roads are full of holes and are downright impassable at night. Sad that no one cares about it because the surroundings are beautiful. On the advice of our hostess we decided to do the Corona test in Harrismith so that we would have less hassle on Thursday at the airport in Johannesburg. After all, the Netherlands allows you the choice to do a PCR test 48 hours in advance or an antigen test 24 hours in advance. This is in addition to having to prove that you have been vaccinated, that you go into quarantine when you return home, that you fill out a health check and that you do not have a runny nose. Oh no, you don’t have to….

The drive north was on bad asphalt roads full of holes and through an ugly landscape because of the many coal mines. We decided to take a hotel near the airport and then drive around the next day before we handed in the car. We slept in a beautiful hotel of the  Peermont chain near a casino. In the evening we walked through it and laughed at the gambling addicts.

Normally we would have to receive the test result in the evening but it was not there yet this morning. I just slept badly from it. On top of that, my sister Hanneke informed me that from 1 October travelers from South Africa no longer need a test at all and we fly at 23:30 on September 30.

After about 4 phone calls with the test office we finally got the papers (twice now) but the result was that our whole plan for today could no longer go through.

In a few hours we can drop off the luggage and then we will get ready for an 11-hour flight. Tom will pick us up