Teepee For My Bunghole

Okay here’s my to-do list I’ve been working on:

1. Mnet
2. CellC
3. Vodacom
4. Edgars
5. Laptop Bag?
6. Backpack
7. Jeans and takkies?
8. Boxes to pack up
9. External HD?
10. MJ’s bag and foam board
11. Sell longboard
12. Digital Camera?
13. Ebooks
14. First Aid Kit
15. Stationery
16. DVD of work – email (calendar, contacts), bookmarks, music, morroco info
17. DVD of music
18. Film
19. Food for flight
20. Configure computer
21. Travel Insurance?
22. Nedbank internet banking
23. Toiletries
24. Chaos Multitool from Cape Union?
25. Copies of CV

The ones with ? next to it means I don’t know if I need to spend that money.

I was pondering if there will be any music that will remind me of this trip. Like for instance when I went to Bali, MTV Asia had an advert that played every five minutes with a Moby song playing “Oh Lawdy, travelled so hard…“. That got on our nerves really quick but nowadays it’s a pleasant reminder.

And when I did my road trip around Botswana and those places. Chisel had a couple of CDs but what stood out most was that I got to like Pet Shop Boys. Before I always thought they were too electronic for my taste.

Brazil, of course, most of the songs were in Portuguese but anything with a Samba beat will take me back to the carnival. I’m listening to Matafix at moment. Nogal a lekker chilled out CD.

Anyway, I have my passport back with my 3-month holiday visa in it. I’ll have to upgrade it there to a work visa when I actually get a job.

Okay, travel agent lady phoned to tell me that my Visa’s been approved and I should have it Thursday.

Vodacom told me that I can transfer my contract or cancel it, but I can’t defer it for any length of time. Still waiting on CellC to mail me back on the procedure for transferring my other cellphone account onto my sister’s name (it was only under my name initially anyway because she can’t take out a contract as a student).

Miscellaneous Facts:

• 0821958 – the number to call for Vodacom if you want details on cancelling your contract.
• 16 – The amount of minutes I was on hold
• 1758 – The amount of Rands I would have to pay if I were to cancel my contract.
• 2 – The amount of middle fingers I’m holding up in front of Vodakak

I’ll sleep on it and figure something out. Push comes to shove and I’ll just keep the contract as it’ll be cheaper just to pay the monthly subscription. Good news on the visa though.

On the work front, they seem to have no idea what they need to do to replace me. I’m in between getting aggravated and not giving a shit. I suppose it’s mostly not my problem, but these things do irk me.

I’m off to take my visa to the travel agent. <sneeze> I spoke to the embassy and they wysed me I don’t need proof of accommodation after I explained to them that the only places I can prebook and get proof from want to charge me a gajillion per night. <sniff> That sort of makes up for paying R250 just to send my stuff to the embassy and back. <sneeze>

I’m feeling fluish so I might get some flutex and Corenza C. I need these for my First Aid Kit I need to build up to take with me anyway. <sneeze sniff>

Better tomorrow hopefully…

Finally I went and picket up me e-ticket. Here it is in various sexy poses:

Not quite as satisfying in hand as an actual ticket, but something to look at nonetheless.

I got some quotes for accommodation in Casablanca but they wanted to rush me R1680 for two nights. I kid you not. An airport transfer was R560. Yessus, mense who fall for these must be jas in their heads. Especially nowadays when you can book for yourself over the internet.

I’ve also been kak stupid. Initally when I got a quote for flights I made sure I checked the transfer times at the airports. Having been in KL airport for an 8 hour stretch, I don’t lus to go through that again. Yet… I didn’t check my layover times at Heathrow when I booked my final dates. Turns out its 9hours going there; 2 hours coming back. Too long and too short! Aaargh!

Going:

Leave Cape Town to Heathrow 19h55 16 May Flight time: 11h55 Arrive: 06h50

Leave Heathrow to Casablanca 15h40 17 May Flight time: 3h25 Arrive: 18h00

Returning:

Leave Casablanca to Heathrow 10h50 16 Feb Flight time: 3h25 Arrive: 14h15

Leave Heathrow to Cape Town 16h45 16 Feb Flight time: 11h30 Arrive: 06h15

…

I’ve been getting very little response from possible employers in Morocco so its kinda worried me a bit. Anyway I posted on the Thorntree to ask if anybody knew of a place I could leave a second bag (the one that had all the stuff I didn’t want to backpack with. Winter gear, etc.).

A good Samaritan came back and offered to store it for me. Aren’t people wonderful? We’ve been in contact and she’s really stoking me on the job front. Check out her website – its a good read. Another regular poster on the Thorntree has this Morroccan FAQ site.

Also check this guy’s site for some insane photos.

[PS: Didn’t get my e-ticket yet but I forgot my laptop at home anyway. To get a pic onto this site I use my phone to laptop to memory stick to PC – sometimes it is easier though when I can lend bluetooth dongle or bring my laptop to work – jeez I need a digital camera too!]

So I went to Club Travel today to buy my ticket. I’ll get my e-ticket tomorrow. I’m a bit disappointed because I wanted an actual ticket to fondle. But I’ll post a pic of my e-ticket in my next post anyway (that’s why I called this post Part 1).

On the way to buy the ticket I realised something. The Moroccan embassy needs a copy of your ticket before they’ll issue a visa. What kind of bass ackward logic is this? What if I don’t get the visa and then I’m sitting with a ticket I can’t use! Anyway I applied my motto for this trip: “Don’t Think It Through”.

Visa Requirements:

• Passport valid for 6 months
• 2 Passport photos
• Copy of return flight ticket
• Proof of accommodation
• Completed application form
• R195

I phoned the embassy and made sure that:

• They won’t give me hassle because I’m going with a 1 month holiday visa and have a year open ticket. (They only issue holiday visas – upgrade there when I get work)
• A copy of an e-ticket is valid
• My proof of accommodation is only for a couple of days

I’m not too worried because the guy I spoke to at the embassy was named Ghalied too and he seemed like a cool bra. Now I have to find a way to get the documentation to the embassy in Pretoria. The intermediates down here charge you R250. Aish my gazi that’s a whole R250 more than I’m willing to spend.

It was Human’s Rights Day yesterday and I watched Freshly Ground perform in the Company Gardens alongside a vrag (load) other musicians. They were mal as ever. I hope mense (people) start checking of the Gardens concert synonymous with Human Rights Day. We need to do something to differentiate this morass of public holidays. I mean its cool getting all these days off but its hard to keep track of why.
Definitely buying Freshly Ground CD’s to take with me because I pimp South Africa biiiig time when I travel  – lets face it – this place IS special.

I checked out some ticket prices on Friday and it looks like I’m be travelling with BA at about the 10th of May. I figure I’ll do most of my prep from the start of May which leaves me with 10 Days of Packing Up My Life. This is going to be hectic because I’ve basically never moved before so I’ve got stuff from waaay back. And I’m a bra that can’t soema just throw away stuff. Heavy.

Also I’ll have to buy my ticket before the end of this month so that I avoid the price increases. Theoretically its not possible for me to have enough money to buy the ticket and survive through April. “Theoretically” se moer. I already did away with “logically” when I decided on this improbable mission so “theoretically” won’t be a big loss. Sometimes its just better not to think things through too much…

Okay I found some guide books online. The big online bookstores in SA are Exclusive Books and Kalaharis.net. I usually find Kalahari cheaper but if you factor in the delivery costs (Exclusive delivers free to any of their stores and there’s a lot of stores) they come out about the same.

Now I found Take2 and they’re much cheaper. I ordered Morocco Rough Guide and the Lonely Planet Morrocan Arabic Phrasebook and its was almost 30% less.

I chose the Rough Guide over the Lonely Planet guide mainly because the design seemed more appealing.