My first trip experience

The journey was awesome!

Saw a new side of the north of South Africa, ate like a boss and met some cool people, both new and old.

So many people back home asked me for photos and I did in fact take them. It is as if they are on vacation through me. :P

I can put some surety to that each photo was a lot better in person.

My first flight!

So, with this vacation study I have flown for the first time in my life. And no... before anyone joke, I did not fly on Virgin Air.

Not to try and get myself into thinking “what if I get scared because of the height?” I just saw it as a bus ride with a view. 

Kind of like on a TV screen :P
Self inflicted BS skills tested and succeeded! :)

My first thought, sitting next to a jet engine, I was kind of hoping for a little jet flame to produce from it.
Apparently if that really happened it would be a bad thing… not a rad thing. 
Being oblivious to the fact that I shouldn’t see a flame, if I did, I wouldn’t have notified any of the flight attendant anyway as I would have thought it was cool...



  

Seeing table mountain from afar in a totally different perspective I couldn’t have imagined and it made me realize that I am actually leaving my home town... 

The reality set in and soon… table mountain was no where to be seen. Just farm lands, which looks like amazing giant trays where good stuff grows!

Soon the sun was gone as well but one could still see little illuminated clouds we were passing over.

Getting closer to the JHB/PTA cities (with still no sign of a little flame, or even light, on the jet engine) I started seeing awesome glowing computer circuitry.
It was just the cities down below… a really amazing site. Pity I could not capture the vivid experience on photo as one could with the eyes.

Just riding on the bus flying in the airplane, was an amazing experience in itself.
There is just that little pressure change where usually one swallow to open the ears help, but try that 19 times in a row (I kept count coming back in from JHB)… 

When I arrived at Wonderboom Airport I was greeted by Uncle Fanie. An awesome guy with a great sense of humour. He is the husband of the guesthouse owner and a genius with electrical and hands-on work. He told me many things and especially one very lighthearted thing I'll take back home is a game he plays whilst driving. You know those little news headlines you see on the street poles?

He reads it out loud and then someone adds an intro to the headline, and then the next person adds a piece and in the end you get this made up mixed story which might make something as horrible as a Tokoloshi stealing groceries into a fun cartoon character.

First but not the last supper!

When we got to the guesthouse the 3 day long buffet began. It would be impossible to showcase every photo of what I ate on here, but let me give a schedule of how it worked:

Sunday 8 pm - BIG plate of food and dessert. 

(See picture left)

*cries a little while eating*

Monday morning - fruit salad, yogurt and then an unexpected plate of bacon, toast, grilled tomato and cheese, sausages and two eggs plus coffee and juice.

Still monday, I get to the training centre only to be greeted with coffee and biscuits. Then at tea mini muffins and more coffee. Lunch time some lasagna. After the course and 6pm sharp more food arrived and damn.... holy fitshizzles on a shiskebab! Going all pirate on that plate I put on my jacktars and dug into it ferociously! Two deboned rib portions, large chips and the BEST onion rings I've ever had!!!! Seriously, those fried onions were mucking afazing, I couldn't even contain my language. And then it was followed by a side salad that could even make a giant cry. 

Look at that tiny sausage!

Tuesday: more of that two piece special breakfast but I asked for less the previous day not for them to waste food and it was still more enough even then! 

 

I enjoyed it so much I forgot to take a picture before I dug in... sorry :P

It was another fruit salad with yogurt, juice, bacon, tiny boerewors (aren't they cute) a chicken schnitzel with fluffy grated cheese.
And guess what? More coffee and finger sandwiches at the course and chicken and rice (with salads) for lunch.
That evening I also went out with two friends and had a super awesome chat, caught up and had a really awesome meal at a place that has a beverage for a name, but sell friggin' awesome steaks accompanied with even more creative and delicious sauces (and by that I mean sauces that even has bacon in it!)

Wednesday morning I'm not fitting in my slim fits anymore and I actually broke a button on my pants. True story, whether it is instant weight gain or me just being reckless with a button, I'll leave you to decide what is the truth...
Another hearty breakfast consisting of the fruit salad I love so much (I really do though), yogurt and more Bay-CON! (and sausages, grilled tomato, cheese.... pop!)
More scones at the course, and I couldn't eat lunch... I was going to die as I've got too much goodness in my blood system. But I had thick chocolate cake for lunch instead... Boof!
PS: I've gained 2 kgs in just those days.. :'/

The courses itself was very informative and entertaining. Had a great lecturer and I'll be sure to remember him for years (well... I'll be seeing the place again later the year for more studies :)

The other people attending were also amazing in their own ways and met a couple of Cape Townians as well with an awesome sense of humour. Some team work was also forthcoming and I sat with two ladies from Durban and a guy from P.E. The stories shared was great and we also shared a few laughs. Even when we spoke about the different weather the places experience.

All in all, I really enjoyed the vacation training trip the company I work for has provided. The burst of energy coming from this adventure was amazing and as I landed in Cape Town I was not even cold, albeit it was raining. Guess the excitement coming home and having now carried the experience of traveling for the first time (and alone I might add) defeated the biting cold winter Cape Town rains bring.

I wanted to take a few souvenirs, so I took the magazines and barf bags that was on the airplanes and some sweets and coffees...
What can I say... I was wearing my Bad Boy racer jacket during the trip...