Our final day in Capetown started slowly with a late breakfast. We confirmed our late checkout and Mike pointed out the charging box that sits beside reception. Each box has its own key that you can take away when in use and inside are several different types of phone charging connectors, so that a phone can be left there to charge safely. Such a good idea for the 2017 essential item. 

 

We were not being picked up by Emirates until 5pm so headed off to a market that is in Greenmarket Square not far from the Convention Centre. 

Well that journey was not good. Our brains were in Sunday mode and we nearly got sucked into ‘not sure what’. 

Firstly we were told by a man that the street was closed and we needed to go another way. Then this security guy came over (Capetown has these security people all over the place) only we realise now that he was not a real security guy. “There’s a big event happening at Greenmarket Square and the roads are closed but you can get a pedestrian access sticker. Come with me to the ticket machine” which we did. “It costs nothing but you need to insert your card to print out a ticket with your name. Just put in a card.” In hindsight this all seems totally ridiculous, especially as there were about 3 other guys in what was the ATM place for a bank. The security guy asked everyone to move out of the way, including Mike and hustled me to put in my card and pin. After moments the machine swallowed up my card and wouldn’t spit it out. By this stage the security guy had disappeared and the others were saying “you need to insert a foreign chip card to get yours out”. 

Well by then my neurons were working again and I adamantly announced that we had one card between us and it was in the machine. I had seen something briefly show up on the screen that said Johannesburg and that made me suddenly start thinking straight. Fortunately I’d inserted my debit card, so whatever scam they had going wouldn’t work as they needed a credit card (or so I thought at the time).

Everyone shouted about needing another card as they couldn’t use the machine while my card was there but neither of us was going to produce anything further and we proceeded to ring the bank numbers on the ATM. The first person I rang put me through to the wrong bank and he couldn’t understand my increasingly stressed NZ accent. Of course he didn’t know where the ATM was because his bank doesn’t have one with that number. Anyway, this went on for about 10 minutes and then a guy came in, inserted money into the machine and told me to cancel my transaction and retrieve my card. I now realise he was one of the originals who needed to get my card out in order for any chance of success with some other sucker. You probably do need to insert another foreign card, or alternatively you can do a deposit to release the card and that’s what he did when he realised we were going to phone everyone. 

We rang the overseas contact number on the card to cancel it (when we got it back out of the machine) but that number wouldn’t connect. Each attempt was met with a message that the number was not accessible, which was far from helpful. 

We emailed Gary and Aaron at ANZ to cancel any transactions for that day but am pretty sure it was fine. (It wasn’t – thank goodness the banks have insurance for idiots). Honestly I can’t believe we were so gullible. 

We eventually found the market and bought a small wheelie bag and some bits and pieces but were suspicious of everyone we saw by that time. 

We walked a weird way back trying to avoid suspicious looking people (who were probably not remotely suspicious) and ended up having to walk though this construction area under some motorway bridges by the port, taking us past some definitely suspicious people and we were drained by the time we got back to the hotel. 

Ingrid from the jewellers was 10 minutes late with my ring so that didn’t help but we eventually got packed and were transferred to the airport in a very nice Mercedes. We checked in, got the tax refund on our purchases and made our way to the lounge in plenty of time and had a pleasant and uneventful trip to Dubai. Both of us had a good sleep. 

In Dubai it was 5am and already 30C. We found the lost property room and the lady showed me her entire collection of silver bangles but mine wasn’t amongst them unfortunately. Good try. 

I had a shower in the lounge and then it was into the A380 for Auckland. They have us seated across the aisle from each other which is annoying but is probably due to our reasonably recent decision on an upgrade. However, we have managed ok. Mike has had some sleep and I’ve done some writing. I’m finding the plane very hard on my sinuses.  

We note that this plane has 10 exits and 6 of them are upstairs.  Business and First Class passengers certainly have a better than average opportunity to exit if necessary!

We have watched a couple of movies so I might find a chick-flick until it’s time for breakfast. 

Later

The biosecurity people at Auckland wanted  to check our footwear and souvenirs pretty closely, particularly as they have Foot and Mouth disease in Botswana and Zambia. They had a heap of trainee people and one of the tutors joked that we had good items for learning purposes.  They also thanked us profusely for declaring every piece of wood, shell and packet of spice. One wooden garden ornament and our safari shoes got fumigated. 

 I’m glad we’d organised a shuttle to take us home but unfortunately the 5th passenger was nearly an hour later than us coming through immigration (off a different flight) so we were well and truly had it by the time we arrived home. 

We had a happy welcoming committee. 

It seems surreal that we’ve been away 6 weeks and seen so many amazing things that are so different from anything in New Zealand.  On reflection we realise that we were only on our own, without supervision or escort twice in 6 weeks and on one of those occasions got ourselves in trouble. You realise that travel in Africa is exciting and different but we travelled in a cocoon always escorted by guides and surrounded by security. It might look and seem as friendly and safe as New Zealand but it really isn’t.  

We both agree that we have enjoyed the trip of a lifetime and are so glad that we took the opportunity to go. There were so many times that we felt like we were in the middle of a National Geographic Channel documentary it was unreal. I feel sorry for the lady from Mexico that announced that she had seen a cheetah up close and then showed photos of her beside one on a leash.  We can truly say we saw African wildlife up close and free and it was amazing.