Travel days are iconic on the World Race. Last month, I chronicled what it looked like to get from South Africa to Swaziland (see Part One here). Now, as promised, the epic journey from Nsoko, Swaziland, to Mendoza, Argentina. All times are accurate, as I took notes from start to finish!
April 28th–Nsoko, Swaziland
4:14 am: Wake up without an alarm. Pack up sleeping bag and pillow. Eat breakfast, which on this morning is french toast (using up the rest of our bread and eggs!)
5:04 am: Walk with Britt in the dark to burn the remainder of our trash (the norm in Swaziland). Forget to bring a flashlight. Stumble through the dark with the garbage can, and then struggle to light it all on fire. Stand in the trash smoke for the next thirty minutes.
5:46 am: Load into the bus and depart our dear Nsoko.
7:28 am: Arrive in Manzini to pick up the rest of the squad.
8:04 am: Sit in the parking lot and have a brief worship session for any who want to participate, as is customary before any of our travel days.
8:42 am: Get back on the bus and head out.
9:43 am: Arrive at the Swaziland/South Africa border. Proceed to, once again, have one of the easiest border crossings of all time.
10:17 am: Get back on the bus and say goodbye to Swaziland (at least for now!)
11:55 am: Pull into the parking lot of an extravagant rest stop, complete with a viewing area of rhinos, buffalo, and various antelope. Choose a bacon cheddar sandwich from Mugg & Bean for lunch, and top it off with an ice cream bar.
12:39 pm: Get back on the bus. Take a post-lunch nap.
2:15 pm: Arrive at the Johannesburg airport! Load luggage onto a luggage cart, head inside, and hang out.
2:47 pm: Ambushed by our dear, dear South African friends, Francois and Rusty! They drove the hour from Pretoria to see us one last time. The best surprise of the day for me and my old team.
3:40 pm: Check in for flight and go through security. Forced to drink entire Nalgene at security (rookie mistake.) Head to gate, crank out one last blog about Swaziland.
5:25 pm: Head to Mugg & Bean (again) for a light dinner before getting on the plane.
6:25 pm: Board the plane: a double decker for Emirates. Silently stand in awe and wonder if I accidentally walked onto a cruise ship. Get nice & comf’ and start scrolling through the movie selections.
7:21 pm: Naturally, choose a documentary called “Wild West.” Proceed to get laughed at by squad mates as they notice my choice of entertainment.
10:02 pm: Decide to get some shut eye, and struggle to avoid the “head bob.”
April 29th
1:05 am: Realize that sleep is fruitless. Purchase wifi for $1.
3:20 am (Dubai Time): Land. Get off plane. In a daze, go through security and take a maze of elevators and trains to our next gate.
4:22 am: Brush teeth at gate (finally.)
6:00 am: Depart for the next leg: 14 hours to Rio!
**The next 14 hours are a blur. Changing time zones had me all sorts of confused. What I do know is this: I watched the movie Lion (highly recommended), I did lunges in the aisle, I was served an omelette, cod, and pizza, and most of the time I felt like I got hit by a bus. Whereas I left Swaziland healthy as a horse, I now was congested, had a sore throat, a raging headache, and felt highly feverish. Not to mention the physical pain of sitting in a cramped airplane seat for 14 hours.**
2:40 pm (Rio Time): Land in Rio. Stay on the plane and immediately stick my legs up on the seat in front of me to avoid swelling. Try to stay out of the way as staff is trying to clean the plane around us.
3:44 pm: Still on the ground in Rio. Start the movie “Brave.”
4:49 pm: After over 2 hours on the ground, finally take off from Rio De Janeiro. Finish “Brave,” and attempt to get a little more sleep.
7:57 pm: Land in Buenos Aires, Argentina! Get off the plane for the first time in 19 hours.
8:11 pm: Go through customs and find myself unable to adequately communicate with the man at the kiosk. Sleep deprived, I give weird, panicked answers to all his questions. Thankfully, he was incredibly friendly.
8:29 pm: Retrieve bags from the baggage claim and head towards McDonalds, where the whole squad posts up while we figure out where we’re going to sleep that night. Still feel like I got hit by a bus.
9:05 pm: Make our way to the second floor and a long walkway, which will be our “bedroom” for the night. Have a brief all-squad meeting, clean up, and walk around in a daze.
11:56 pm: Set up my sleeping pad and sleeping bag on a ledge that is hardly large enough. Pull out my ear plugs and face mask and hope for the best. Spend the next handful of hours in and out of sleep. Shoutout to training camp for preparing us for this situation.
April 30th–Buenos Aires International Airport
4:47 am: Wake up. Try desperately to fall back asleep, to no avail. Still feel like I got hit by a bus. Low-key miserable. Sit around in a daze, trying to survive my pounding head. Try not to complain. Douse my head in peppermint oil.
7:00 am: Fall back asleep for another precious 45 minutes! Praise.
8:22 am: Pack up my sleeping pad and sleeping bag. Brush teeth.
8:37 am: Go to McDonald’s for breakfast. Options are limited. The employees speak zero english, but with plenty of pointing and hand gestures, I end up with a breakfast sandwich.
9:25 am: Wash hair in the bathroom sink with Rachel.
9:41 am: FaceTime boyfriend for the first time in weeks. Shoutout to free airport wifi for this unexpected blessing!
10:07 am: Return to McDonald’s for a McFlurry, because #TREATYOSELF.
10:37 am: Make our way to the shuttle that will take us to the bus station.
12:12 pm: Arrive at the Buenos Aires bus station which will take us to Mendoza. Collapse on the floor in a pile of luggage.
12:24 pm: Find out the bus company we were booked with is on strike, so there are no busses coming or going. Claaassic.
12:41 pm: Booked on a new bus! Our new departure time is 8 pm. Spend the next 7 hours journaling, taking cat naps, and playing the guitar. Still very sick and, at this point, also very thirsty—the water isn’t safe to drink and bottled water costs an arm and a leg.
7:58 pm: Board bus and PRAISE THE LORD because it is the comfiest bus I have ever been on. Plenty of leg room, a foot rest, and a seat that reclines to a very comfortable position. GOD IS GOOD PEOPLE.
9:05 pm: Pop a couple of melatonin and some migraine medication, and pass out. Spend the next 15 hours sleeping, sniffling, and trying to moderate my body temperature. Eventually, break down and buy a bottle of water.
May 1
12:11 pm: Arrive at bus station in Mendoza! Greet our hosts for the month, who quickly grab our bags and load them into our vehicles. Realize immediately that the customary greeting is a kiss on both cheeks.
12:29 pm: After three and a half days of traveling, finally arrive at our home for the month: a cozy house with an incredibly sweet family. Silently decide that I never want to travel for that long ever again.
There you have it, folks: a glimpse into the real reason we call travel days, “travel daze.” May your travels always be filled with short flights, comfy buses, and good company.
