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Reports

During my travels, I received free accommodation for a night in exchange for writing a daily travel diary. This diary documented how I reached my next destination, the hosts who welcomed me, the food I was offered, and other experiences along the way. Below, you will find the archives of these extensive reports. Please note that English is not my native language, and most entries were written quickly, often around midnight. Enjoy!
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Saturday, 1 December 2001
--> Johannesburg (SA) pizza!

This Saturday became a good lazy day for me. I had some troubles contacting other hosts who had invited me to stay for a day, so I eventually ended up staying another day with the Oosthuizen family. And just to give my head a break, I’ll stay here tomorrow too.

Colleen was delighted to have me over as a guest. And Gerhard found me a very easy, courteous, pleasant and interesting guest. Oh, wow! How many weeks can I stay?

Colleen took the kids along to a party at a friends’ house, while I got along with Gerhard. When he wasn’t working on the preparations of a workshop he has to give in Durban this Monday, I would be using his connection.

“Ramon, I only knew that people can be addicted to sex online, but you seem to be addicted to email,” he said when he found me browsing my piled up mailbox once again. “I am not addicted, Gerhard, I just get a lot of emails.

At 7.30 in the evening he ordered two pizzas. The delivery man wasn’t working this Saturday, but it was okay for us to pick it up in ten minutes.

And there we arrived at the local pizzeria of the suburb Kelvin, where they had never heard about Gerhards order. “Two pizzas? Takeaway?” They had no idea. With sighs of impatience Gerhard placed his order again in this completely empty pizzeria. The man behind the counter asked to repeat the order at least three times, and to be sure he asked it again and decided to write it down on a piece of paper.

This was getting too much for Gerhard, who took off the man’s cap and softly hit him on the head with it. He pulled the man half onto the counter and asked how hard it is too just remember and immediately prepair one Margherita pizza and one Four Seasons with extra salami? “Have you been smoking back here?” Gerhard asked him.

The man, hanging halfway behind the counter, now looked like he just woke up and entirely understood the situation. “Yes, yes, two pizzas, coming on straight away.”

Ten minutes later we left the place, while Gerhard said that he would speak with the manager later this week. At home we discovered that the poor man at the pizzeria probably did not know what salami was. The Four Seasons pizza was overdone with ham…

If you think that Gerhard was a bit too aggressive at the pizzeria, please know I would have done exactly the same. Or you just love talking to walls...

Another day at the Oosthuizen family...

Good night Jo'burg!

Ramon.


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