Once
back in Johannesburg we procured lodging close to the airport for the
sake of expediency. We spent a few days tying up some loose ends to
include giving Sparky a bath and purchasing airfare. While waiting at
the car wash for our car to be cleaned the owner struck up a
conversation dripping with racism. The country is overrun with them.
We used to play in the streets as kids until they took over.
You can't trust any of them. In lieu of getting murdered she
and her family are headed to Botswana. Alrighty. We just met this
woman. I cannot quite explain why she felt so comfortable bearing her
soul to complete strangers. This was not the first instance of such
behavior. I guess people have no problem sharing as we are all
clearly on the same 'team'.
We
left most of our gear at the bed & breakfast in hopes that
someone would find a use for our stuff (dinnerware, cooler, gas
stove, etc.). Someone was either really excited or really irritated
by the yard sale we left behind. We packed up Sparky for the last
time and headed to the Avis airport office for what we thought might
be a struggle of epic proportions. Over the course of two months
we'd involved three separate Avis offices in our shenanigans and
switched vehicles in the process. Too much paperwork. Too many
employees involved. Too much confusion. And since we'd exceeded our
allowable kilometers we were prepared to take it right in the
stinker. Much to our surprise the return went smoothly and although
we did have some overage payments in the end the representative with
which we dealt was courteous, competent, and reasonable. She even
waived a few of the charges in light of our constant struggle with
Avis over the course of our journey. Ahhhh....refreshing.
