SA Roadlink – This one’s for you!

Taken straight from their website: 

'SA Roadlink is a luxury passenger transport company operating long haul bus routes countrywide. Over the past 11 years SA Roadlink has made great strides in the transport sector, making us one of the industry leaders in South Africa.' 

And under their slogan - 'We'll take you there'

Now let me dissect this for a minute. 'Made great strides' - if you use the word strides - you're not even close, just give up. 'one of the industry leaders' (which would be impressive if there were 100 or even 10) but since there are maybe 3 and SA Roadlink is clearly 3rd, it's not so good. Let's do the math 3 out of 3 - that would be LAST PLACE! But yes, I guess you get 'bronze', which is a 'leader' in your eyes. 

Yes, they will take you there -- or more like somewhere... but you'll probably have to be picked up by a 3rd party or you'll make it 'somewhere' in an ambulance but at the least you better believe you WILL arrive late. But no doubt they will 'take you there (somewhere)'

(This may seem bitter, but it's not. At least not now, as I recount it later! I find it rather hilarious.. and hopefully you will to!)

So, if you came here wondering if SA Roadlink is a safe reliable bus, let me just be super real for a minute - NO IT IS NOT! Ok, now if that's all you wanted.. bye. buttttt....... if you want some first hand, unbelievable, funny proof, then here you are!



An unforgettable SA Roadlink story... that I'm thankfully alive to tell.


We started out at 6:30 AM from Port Elizabeth with the bus being 20 minutes late (I was annoyed at the time, but later realized this was NOTHING!) As the journey began - on the bumpy road, swaying back and forth - car sickness was inevitable. I was keeping it together, thankfully and trying to sleep. I noticed we make it to East London and all was pretty swell. About an hour outside East London we pulled off at a gas station and told we had a 20 minute break… well that turned 20 minutes turned in to about 3 hours. Confused as to why we had not been summoned back to the bus, we confronted the crew. A belt had broken (which explained why the air hadn’t been working the last 30 minutes we were moving). We were told we had to wait for a mechanic from East London to get there now now (South African term - meaning sometime in the next few hours, maybe). 

Trying to make the best of this situation we sat around talking, eating and soaking up some sun. The mechanic showed up, I think we might have applauded. He apparently 'fixed' something, which took about 10 minutes. (Why we waited 3 hours is beyond me). We loaded up, made some great progress of 30 minutes (sarcastic maybe slightly) to a tiny, sketch town called Butterworth. We were told that the bus still wasn’t fixed because the mechanic fixed the belt with rope. I thought this was a joke. We sat at a gas station for 3 hours for a man to come fix a rubber belt with A ROPE!??! 

Here's all we could say - T.I.A. - This is Africa. (a coined term to explain the unexplainable in Africa.) So, in case you missed that we waited for a mechanic for 3 hours to fix the bus with rope! Awesome!

Let's talk about Butterworth, where they had us posting up. We ventured into the town center (out of necessity for cellphone minutes). The chaos was overwhelming - people, animals, cars, bikes, yelling and large crowds. We found a convenient store - got in and got back out as quickly as possible while fighting through the crowds of people. The crew informed us we should probably stay near the buses, because it was not safe in Butterworth. Again, more awesomeness. 

We sat there, on the cement directly outside the buses until 7:30 PM. Now this next part was mind blowing to me and simply unexplainable. We were told a different bus was coming (from Durban). We were super excited that we would be getting a different bus and continue on our way. Then we were told, the bus was full of people and the plan was to switch busses. This part is kicker - their bus was working and ours was broken. They had NOT been informed that they would be switching a working bus for a broken bus. They called a small meeting before the (working) bus arrived and we were kindly informed that we were NOT to say a single word that the bus they were loading their suitcases on to and groggily boarding was broken and not going to be moving anytime soon. It was hard for me to watch them board the bus, finding seats, not knowing what was going on. I have no idea what happened to these poor people, but hopefully they made it to their destinations (eventually). 

We got everything put onto our new bus and headed off towards Durban. Our arrival time was originally set for 9 PM. With these 'pit stops' we were set to get there about 3 in the morning. I should add that we had a family friend of my roommates waiting for us in Durban to drive us to his home in Pongola (4.5 hours north of Durban). 

The new bus was moving smoothly and rather quickly...  maybe too quickly. But we did have, oh you know about 6 hours time to make up! Don't worry that we didn't have time to make any more proper stops, so instead of letting us off, we stopped by a fried chicken joint and they bought us each a piece of chicken and a biscuit. Now that is some awesome costumer service thank you SA Roadlink, some fried chicken always makes me happy especially now that you've made the bus I've been stuck on smells like a dead chicken mixed with BO and many other wonderful smells!

We hit yet another roadblock around 2 AM. I know, I know this is very hard to believe. (NOT!) Of course we were trying to sleep, it had been a super long day. But we woke up to a loud pop and then felt the bus halt and pull over – but started moving again after a few minutes. After another few minutes the bus was filled with the smell of burning rubber. I remember being rather angry at the smell wanting it to go away so that I could sleep – not even thinking that maybe the bus could be on fire! No, because that would be impossible! Oh wait, nothing is out of the question with SA Roadlink. The bus was indeed on FIRE!!! We were told 'get off' and 'grab your stuff', confused as to why until a passenger said, there's a fire! We quickly got off the bus and as I was grabbing my suitcase from the underneath storage outside the bus, I caught a glimpse of the back tire - which was gray from the fire/smoke and behind the tire sparks were still flying!

We quickly moved away from the bus down the road. I just knew the bus would explode and frankly was kind of hoping for it, it would be fun to see that sucker burn to the ground. We weren't that lucky. Side note for you South Africans: we were in the middle of the Transkei. Everyone else: This is not a very good place to be - period. ever. and to stranded in this place on the side of the road at 2 AM - basically a death wish.

But, instead of getting upset/scared/angry we stood there and laughed.. and laughed and laughed. (and took pictures) Maybe it was exhaustion. Or maybe it's just all we could do to keep ourselves from screaming. From screaming at the crew, SA Roadlink, or the world in general. Just when we had thought it couldn’t get worse our bus caught on fire! FIRRREEE! hahahahhahaha

As all the passangers stood there, on the side of the road in the cold, they came over and asked if anyone had any water. I did, but I had no clue how long they were going to make me stand on the side of the road - there was no way I was sharing my precious water and what did they need it for? (continue reading to find out).

Soon we were informed we would be stuck on the bus till 2 in the afternoon the next day, till another bus could come. YEAH RIGHT. I think we would have rather hitch hiked with a creeper/killer/freak! We didn't do that (mom) don't worry. Instead we responsibly called our friend, who was waiting for us. He said that he would drive the hour and a half to come get us from the side of the road.

After the fire, we were told that getting back on the bus and traveling a few miles was safer. Why? Because where we were we would likely get robbed and/or killed. Awesome, so we took our chances with a burning bus. So, it became apparent as we boarded the bus again what they needed our liquids for.... of course... it was TO PUT OUT THE FIRE! (because of course fire extinguishers take up too much room and/or are over rated). But they didn't use water, instead they used... wait for it..... Fanta and Cream Soda. FANTA!!!?  CREAM SODA?!! YESSSS!! THEY USED SODA TO PUT OUT THE FIRE!! Or maybe they drank it as they roasted their marshmallows (or chicken) over the flames! But either way, soda was somehow used in the process of 'putting out the fire'! I promise this is a true story! I know it doesn't seem like it, but it's all for realz!

We slowly moved a few miles down the road where it was supposedly safer since being on the side of the road in the Transkei is not safe (uh, duh...). We ended up parked by a couple of semis (clearly much safer?!). We tried to get some shut eye as we waited for our friend to come get us/find us. He got to the bus around 4:30 AM (almost 24 hours after we began our journey). We woke up to a gruff man saying ‘Breana?’ We got into his car and made it to his house around 11 that next morning, feeling drained and horrible for what we all had to put up with!


I wish that was the end. But it's not. We had to take the same bus home! But of course we were optimistic and thinking, our story/experience must be once in a lifetime! 

We stood outside the bus/bus station at 6 AM because the key had broken off inside the lock. This company just really has the WORST luck on the planet. They weren’t able to get into the office, so we had to wait. 

We got on the road about a half hour late – but again, if that was the worst thing that happened that would have been amazing. Well.. it was all good until we hit King Jamestown (about 2.5 hours from P.E.). We were starting to feel pretty confident that we might make it back on time ish and without any issues. 

We were wrong.... We pulled into a parking lot to pick people up and heard a commotion. We realized we had hit a truck (with one of the racks to carry ladders and things). Granted we weren't moving very fast, so it seemed it wouldn't be a big deal. But turns out we hit that truck not just once but TWICE ANDDDDDD we hit a car on the other side of the other bus too!! When we stopped at the police station to report the accident(s), we all got off of the bus to see what was going on after a while of not moving. 

That's when we found the huge, side bus windows was completely shattered and also had a hole in it. They tried to tell us that we were going to have to wait for a different bus (which would take about 12 hours). YEAH RIGHT, I thought! Luckily, they decided that clear tape would do the trick! A nice man on the bus helped out by taping it up! (Turns out he recognized us, from when he came to Butterworth to pick up his girlfriend when we were stranded there on the way up to Durban -- small world!) We finally made it home to P.E. around 10 PM! So thankful we made it, so so thankful that we made it home ALIVE!

Thank you SA Roadlink for the exciting, crazy and life threatening story that I will be able to tell my grandkids one day.


In conclusion:  

For those of you considering SA Roadlink -- Do it at your your own risk you might not come out alive (seriously)! 

Also if you think we got a refund or any sort of apology or compenstation (besides the fried chicken) you're crazy. We were told (by other passengers) not to even file for a refund because they wouldn't give it to us!

Lastly, if you have a story of your own, please write it in the comments or email it to me! I would love to hear it and would like to know if I just have really bad luck, or if maybe it really is SA Roadlink!!

Thanks for reading, and good luck if you ever take this bus!! I hope you make it to your destination with all limbs attached and all your belongings! 

Farm Weekend – Adalaide, South Africa (April 15 – 17)

yummmm.. fresh warm milk... NOT! It was gross (but maybe that is because I haven't had real milk in ages since I am lactose intolerant!)

The girls (Me, Marita, Sarah, Becca, Bridget, Kelly and Hannah)

Pictures taken at the top of the mountain that we climbed!

Giraffe head in the house we stayed at!

We left Friday morning around 10:00 to head to Adalaide – a very small town (I would say about the size of Donnellson) up in the mountains about 3.5 hours from Port Elizabeth! We made lots of stops on the way there – not for sure why but we didn’t end up getting there till around 3. When we got there we ate some cold ham sandwiches and then headed out to look around the farm. There were two couples (neighbors – but they were about a half hour by car on a dirt/gravel road away from each other!) who were our hosts. They do this every year for the international students, allow them to come into their home and tour their property. We got to milk a cow and see some of the property and then we went back to the house to chill and wait for dinner. While we waited for food we sat inside by the fire and played cards! (we didn’t realize that it was going to be so cold there so we were not prepared. After eating a huge meal of potatoes, veggies, chicken and some amazing dessert!

After dinner we headed off to where the girls would be staying (the neighbors). When we arrived they showed us the rooms where we would be staying. The first room was the Zebra room, which ended up being my room and I shared it will Chelsea – my twin she is just a ‘little burnt’ (or so she says)! That night we looked around the house a bit and then hit the sack. The warm cozy bed felt wonderful. The next morning we woke up and the guys came over to our house for breakfast (cheese, tomato, and ham toasties). After breakfast we went outside and shot guns. It was raining so he set up his gun in the shed and we shot out towards a target. The guys went first and for the first like 10 people I jumped every time that the gun fired. I have only ever shot a bb gun… so a 22 was a step up. I was one of the last girls to go and ended up not doing to bad. I was just a little bit higher then the bulls’ eye. Chelsea was the winner with the only shot that hit the bulls’ eye, even out of all the boys! Then we had lunch and after we chilled for a little while and played some cards in the animal head room! – The owner of the house was a hunter and he had heads of most animals in Africa (well except for the Big 5, which are super expensive to get license for!) including a zebra and giraffe. It was pretty cool.. a little creepy but still awesome to see a massive giraffe neck and a zebra head as well as a full zebra rug. He also had kudoo and other deer like animals and a warthog!

That afternoon we took a ride in the back of the trucks (that had a cage – thank goodness because I probably would have fallen out a few times). We took a long drive around the property, played a little bit of HEY COW – which you yell at cows and see how many cows look at you. Thanks Scott and your Wisconsin upbringing for that great game! Oh the things the people from the Midwest do. They took us to the bottom of a huge hill (almost what I would consider a mountain) and told us to hike to the top. So we jumped the fence and started the about 40 minute hike to the top. I got about ¾ of the way and wanted to stop by Chelsea told me to keep going. I finally made it huffing and puffing (which I blame on the 6,000 ft. altitude that we were at not me being out of shape!) but was so glad that I made it. The view was stunning – from one side we could see a small town and the other way we could see a large mountain range. We also got to see the clouds roll in up over the mountain and take lots of fun pictures of ourselves. The hike down was also fun – we pretty much ran down the hill. I tried to stop myself from running but that hurt worse so I just went for it. I was just happy I didn’t trip and roll down the hill. We hopped back in the trucks and headed for the warm house. Our feet were wet and freezing! At the house (that we were staying at – pretty much a mansion!) we played some more cards, drank some wine and beer and waited for the steak and potatoes to be ready. It was by far one of the best dinners that I have had while here in SA. We had steak, potatoes, bread, a couple different salads and then while we were waiting for the real food we ate desserts (lemon pie, chocolate cake and candy!).. SOOO good!

The next morning we got up and made our way back to Winnie’s house (the first house that we were at) for breakfast. After breakfast we got warmed up and watched a little bit of TV – something most of the people haven’t really watched the whole time we have been here. Breana and I are a couple of the lucky ones who have a TV – we only get 2-3 channels but it is better than nothing I guess. The SA soap operas are pretty entertaining to watch! After that we got back into the trucks and were dropped off at another part of their property and told to hike to a waterfall. We got lost a couple of times until the owner came and told us which way to go. We made it to the falls not thinking that we were have to get into the water to SEE them. We thought it was a choice whether we wanted to go swimming so none of us were prepared. We decided we had to do it if we had hiked all that way. So we all stripped down into our undies and hopped into the FREEZING cold water. I have never been in colder water. It took my breath away when I got into it.. but I did it! I got in and swam to the falls. It was beautiful and since it had been raining the whole time we were there, the water was gushing. I wasn’t able to take pictures since I didn’t feel like swimming with my camera but you will just have to believe me.. it was pretty cool. I think the best part was that we swam there in our undies as a group in freezing water!

After that we walked back freezing to the cars. I took off my wet clothes and put on my dry ones that I didn’t wear in the river. When we got back to the buses we all changed into warm dry clothes and headed home to P.E. This trip was so needed and I loved being so close to nature and on a farm. It reminded me of home and it was great to be around a family and have home cooked meals. I also felt like I got closer to some of the people in our program!

Ironman South Africa

First of all we need to discuss what exactly the Ironman is – It is a 4k swim, 180k bike, and a 42k (a marathon) run. For the people back home I will translate into miles… 2.4 m swim, 112 m bike and 26.2 m run.

The people who participate in this will burn a weeks worth of calories! And it takes them anywhere from 8-17 hours (since they start at 7 and the cutoff is at midnight).

I decided I wanted to see the start of the event so I woke up at 6 to start my walk down to the Hopi beach where they would be starting their swim in the ocean. (I got up way later then a couple of my friends who were at the pier at 5 in the morning to make sure they got a good spot – they were the first ones there!) I showed up just after they jumped into the water. I went down on the beach - close to where they were exiting/entering the water. I took my shoes off so that I could stand in the ocean and take pictures. The route was soooo far (4 k around 2 miles) and then as the first people (the professionals) got out of the water I found out that they had to do the course again! Everyone was wearing the same black wetsuit except one man who was just wearing board shorts.

After they were done swimming they had to hop on their bikes and ride 112 miles. That is ridiculous!! I watched some of them as they came out of the tunnel to start the bike course. I think at this point they were probably still thinking that doing the Ironman was an ok idea. It was about 9 at this point (2 hours after the race had started) and I was already tired so I met some friends for breakfast. I had a waffle with syrup and ice cream. After breakfast I walked back home so I could change into my swimming suit since it was turning into a hot day and I wanted to actually swim in the ocean (which I hadn’t done here yet and maybe only one other time in my life!) My friend Natasha picked me up around noon and we made our way back down to the event. We went to where a few of her friends had set up camp on Marine Drive where everything was happening. Everyone was still on the bikes when we got down there – so we cheered them on as they passed.. but they went by so fast that it was hard for us to cheer. I took lots of pictures and sat on the curb as they zoomed by. I was a little afraid they were going to hit me – especially after we saw one guy fall off of his bike. He was trying to get a drink and didn’t have any hands on his bike – he lost control and fell! But he got back up, took a couple of minutes, and kept on racing. (I guess when you pay 3,500 rand or about 550 dollars to do a race then you don’t let anything stop you!)

A little while later the first man (a professional) got off of his bike and started to run the marathon (26 miles). He ran right past where we were standing so we all cheered really loud. Then slowly more and more started to come and the first lady ran by – Chrissie Willington (or something like that I think – she was one touch chick). After another hour of cheering on the runners by calling out their name and slapping their hands we decided to head to the ocean. So we grabbed our towels and headed down to the beach. It was one of my first times actually getting in the ocean and it was wonderful – cold but so peaceful and relaxing. I felt much cooler after the swim and was ready to head back and cheer on some more bikers/runners.

Soon after we were done swimming we made our way to the finish line so that we would be able to see the first few people finish. The first man crossed the finish line in around 8 hours (so around 3 in the afternoon). AMAZING! He was so exhausted but still acknowledged the crowd and standing ovation. We waited around for the first woman to cross, which was Chrissie, who finished about 45 minutes after the first man. She set a record and so did the first man to cross. They were amazing. After I watched a few more finish I headed back to where Natasha was sitting. I kept on cheering and yelling for the people running.

It was one of the best times that I have had in P.E. I felt like it was a parade and it brought a lot of people out of their houses and down to cheer the Ironmen on! The people we were standing with were the best. They would yell “we have a walker” and then we would all start either chanting the person’s name or saying ‘go, go, go’ haha. Then Natasha started slapping people on the butt. She would yell ‘Go Mathew’ and then as he ran by she would slap him on the butt. The best was when on man went by and we were all cheering super loud and slapping his hand and Natasha slapped him on the butt.. then he turned around and said lets do that again. So he ran back by us again! Haha

I stayed their screaming people’s names and telling them they could do it and even sang them the song ‘you are the champions.’ It was such a fun event and I know that the people running appreciated it because several people would say thank you as they were huffing and puffing running by us. The race didn’t finish until midnight but I was to tried to stay that late. So I left around 8. There were still a lot of people running at that point just trying to finish because they all had to be done at midnight and if they didn’t cross the line by then – they didn’t finish. I would have liked to see the end when the last stragglers were pushing hard to finish but getting up at 6, standing, and cheering all day had me beat – I can’t even imagine how they were feeling!