journey to say the least. It was supposed to be a 20 hr journey and it
ended up being almost 30hrs in a van filled with 14 of us – my team,
the GWs and Team Bling (the other all girl team). We had quite the
journey and to capture it, one of the girls, Blair Brendle, from BLING
wrote this little poem. Hope you enjoy!
Over an hour late, but we know that is the norm
And just when doubt sets in, that’s when we hear the horn
Excited for some travel we grab our bags and head outside
To find no luggage rack or trailer in which our bags should reside
This is a minor problem, you see our bags are quite big
The driver says, “More money, you’re taking half the seats up in my rig”
Oh communication barriers are something we do love
So after friendly negotiation we receive some grace from up above
We’re headed to the border or Mozambique and Zimbabwe
To meet the gentle warriors and to debrief make our way
The first leg of our journey is not so bad at all
Stamped out of Mozambique, man they’re really on the ball
Just across the border our squad mates wave with such delight
Even though we can see them, it’s still an hour ‘til we truly unite
As we must purchase our visas and allow them to check our bags
No one gets in a hurry as time continues to drag
Then there’s a quick and nasty run in with the Staff Gents toilet
And most of the girls say forget it, they’d rather just hold it
Finally across, all 14 girls share a quick embrace
As we see the “Prince of Peace” a smile sweeps across our face
The “Prince of Peace” is the name of the maroon van on which we all must fit
And to say it has seen better days is quite the understatement
But it’s all laughs and smiles when you travel with this crew
Besides it’s the World Race what else can you do
Travel’s going amazing, the roads are actually paved
We’re all so proud of ourselves and the money in which we’ve saved
That is until we stop and the inevitable is asked
Only to be informed that we ran right out of gas
So Silas our dear driver hits the road with empty gas can
And soon a car pulls over to lend him a helping hand
He’s off to the nearest station, for that we thank the Lord
The stars and moon shine with such beauty this stop feels like a reward
It’s actually much warmer with no wind seeping through the cracks
Still the night is cold so we grab our sleeping bags from our packs
All cuddled up together drifting in and out of sleep
Two and half hours later is seems we’ve finally got this beat
Silas’ journey was successful, the van cranks on the second try
So we hit the road again, only one more border to cross by
We arrive right at midnight and had heard this border is no game
We’re on the road again about 3 a.m. from the details I’ll spare you the pain
Of course we fill up with gas and grab ourselves a little snack
Then we hit the ground a running, the rest of this journey’s ours to attack
Yet all to soon the sun is up and we find ourselves again at a stop
And Silas wants to know “Where can this group be dropped?”
We look around uncertain, this can’t be the right place
We see a sign with Naboomspruit written on its face
While Naboomspruit may be similar, Nelspruit is specifically what we said
And our driver looks unpleased as he begins to scratch his head
We call our beloved contact and find we are still far away
While our driver’s only response is “More money or here you’ll stay”
After another friendly negotiation we’re seemed to work out a plan
Yet another two hours later and we’re having to use the gas can
But by the skin of our teeth we pull into the station
Now we’re just ready to get there, so we throw some money into the equation
Of course we head the wrong way and bust a U-turn in the middle
A sign to Nelspruit, a few more hours, by now that’s just a little
So we sputter up the hills, doors and windows all off track
Our eyes are fixed ahead, there’s no more looking back
The kilometers tick away and finally we do arrive
With praises to our Heavenly Father who kept us smiling and alive
It may have taken over 27 hours, we know that much is true
