Second last day of 2010

Today is the second last day of 2010 - the year of the Soccer World Cup in South Africa. All of the hype and even 6 months after the closing ceremony, some projects still need to be completed. The new John Ross highway between Richards Bay and Empangeni, still has to be finished - a decade or more after it was started.

True enough, some stretches are in use, but there are still huge stretches that need to be tarred. To get to church in Richards Bay, the fastest route is to go down the N2 freeway towards Kwambonambi, and turn into the back of Richards Bay at Nseleni! The route is 3 kilometers further, but it is at least 20 minutes faster - and way less of my nightmare - traffic! Even then, I do 60 km/h in a 60 zone, and there is a long line of people waiting to pass me. When they do, it is at 120 km/h, in the face of oncoming traffic!

It is almost as if the speed limit signs are either:-
Minimum signs OR
Merely an inconvenient suggestion of a speed limit!
Even cops in their cop cars scream (literally!) past me! Driving in Johannesburg, the traffic there gets violently upset at me sticking to the speed limit, and when they get past me, I can see them muttering, swearing and gesturing at me! You would think that NZ numberplates woulod moderate their anger, but apparently if you are in Johannesburg, you are expected to drive recklessly like a local. Trouble is, they arrive at the coast, and still want to drive like they do on their way to work!

The best time to visit the Johannesburg Temple is after Mid December, when the cars that are usually there, are all at the coast! Then you can pretty well drive backwards on the M1 freeway at rush hour, and NO-ONE NOTICES! During the year, there are 4 lanes of traffic jam to contend with - in one direction - ALL of the time! Try driving backwards in that - or more exciting, try driving blindfolded! That one would make little difference as the average driver takes no notice of his/her surroundings, and drive blind almost all of the time!

At the coast generally, we loath Christmas and Easter, since the sun denied residents of Johannesburg all stream to the coast like lemmings and the traffic jams on the M1 freeway, are located in Hely Hutchinson drive in Mtunzini, and Ballito is like the homing ground for the sun crazed lemmings! Only at Christmas is the beach crowded from sunup to sunset. Normally, I can go to the beach and if I see another soul either South towards Durban, or North towards Richards Bay, the beach is bordering on crowded. Most evenings, it is MY beach - exclusively there for me!