On the road again...

So here's a little story to cheer us all up! I like to call it, Ree's adventure on the Bus over the Christmas holiday.

It all started when I had to jump on a bus to go to Durban, so that my mother could pick me up and take us both to Ballito, where we were to enjoy the Christmas holiday together as a family. Image the Queen on this bus for a moment.... oh come on, it'll be fun!
Strapped into an uncomfortable seat with 50 other unlucky souls in close proximityto her, breathing in their farts... jingle bells, jingle bells....... Irritating the crap out of me with their cellphones, jokes and obnoxious illegal drinking on the bus (thanx useless cabin attendant!) ... dashing through the snow...........

So anyway, after possibly the worst bus experience of my life (for which I deserve a fucking medal not having killed anyone!) we finally got to our destination.
Now, as many of you know, I had made plans to go to Rustler's Valley for New Years with some friends. This meant that I would have to leave right after Christmas, again on the bus, cause there were no available flights, to meet the others and drive together to Rustlers.

Now, I admit that I was stupid for not planning this trip better, but to make a long story short, there were no more bus tickets available for the time I wanted to leave. I had to
leave on the 26th!!!!!!!!
What's more is that all the other busses were taken, so I had to go on the SA Roadlink. I did not enjoy this thought at all, but then again, I hated all the other busses by this time, so one bus was just as good as the next one.
Thus I left for the bus station with a hangover on boxing day, having spent only 3 days with my family and being completely exhausetd.
It did not help my nerves at all that the SA Roadlink had had an accident that killed 12 peolple only a few days before. What can I say...... desperate times........

So I bravely get on the bus, clutching my rose-quarts tightly in the hope that we wouldn't have an accident.When we were just outside of Petermaritzburg, our bus was pulled off by the traffic cops, who arrested our driver for drunk driving. (It turns out that he was not drunk at all, their little blow maschine-thingie was faulty). So they take him to get his blood tested and leave us by the side of the road for 45mins.
When they finally returned, we thought Hey! here we go!

No such luck.

Instead they escourted us to the PMB testing station so that they could test the road worthiness of the bus. It would have been great if they had done all of that before the bus had left its destination in Durban....

Anyway, so we get to the testing station and join the que of about 15 busses infront of us who were suffering a similar fate - and about 20 more behind us eager to jump the que.
Each bus takes about 20 mins to test and all the passengers had to get out and wait outside - where I might add, there were no descent fascilities, no working vending mascines and no shade.
As some of the busses failed their roadworthyness test, the general morale was becomming increasingly aggitated. Luckily ours was fine and we could be on our merry way, after waiting at least 2 more hours. I felt so sorry for the poor passengers who now awaited the replacement coaches hopefully being sent by the bus companies.

When we were on the road again, we were stuck in traffic for about another hour and only then saw what the hold-up was.......... was it an accident or a road-block? NO! No it wasn't!
As we drove past the Cash-in-transit car lying on its roof - Police all around - I took a sedative and tried to sleep through the rest of the trip. My nerves just couldn't take any more.
It is ironic to reflect that regardless of this ordeal, it had probably been my most comfortable bus trip ever, with the best service! Thanks SA Roadlink! May you never have another accident!

I do think however, that flying would be the best option for those who can afford it. Public transport being what it is in sunny old SA does not leave you with a lot of other alternatives....

Maybe once the Gautrain in running..............................................