Lost post

This is an obviously bitter post I wrote several days ago. I am writing an update right now but this will give a little background for the present.


Sunday December 11, 8:55am, somewhere near Johannesburg


(I am going to begin time and place-stamping posts as I write them because I don't know when I'll be able to put them online.)

So I've lost track of the days. I also can't remember what I've posted and what I've tweeted, so here's a brief recap through right this moment.

To make a real long story very short, we were supposed to leave Dakar early Thursday morning but after two flight cancellations didn't leave until Friday night, and arrived in Johannesburg Saturday morning. Ordinarily just annoying, this 36+ hour delay was problematic because we had hotel reservations in Johannesburg and were supposed to leave get picked up to go on the safari trip on Friday morning.

I emailed the safari people at various times and they got in touch with the hotel and all was good, they said.

This morning the van to take us to the safari came to our hotel to pick us up. Finally, we're on our way. We have a game drive this afternoon, we'll see some animals, have some dinner, great.

There are two people in the van when it gets us. With the four of us, there's room for five more. The driver says we're just going to pick up four more people and we'll be on our way. Great.

We stop at a lodge. Two people get on, then a third. I can hear them talking about another guy they're expecting. That makes four. Then we'll be full and on our way. Great.

Another van shows up. Three people get out. They look confused. The driver looks confused. Some guy with a name tag comes out of the lodge and he looks confused.

Mom quietly says: "I wonder if this is because we..."

I hiss at her: "Admit nothing and deny everything!"

The guy with the name tag is walking back and forth between the lodge and the van. Now he's on the phone.

He comes back to the van and opens the door. I sit very still and try to blend into the seat.

"So, yeah, who are the Robinsons?"

Crap.

So they kicked us off the van and now we're sitting on the porch of this lodge. Apparently someone is on their way to come get us. He should be here in 20 minutes or so, which will be 9:30. It's a six hour drive at least, which means earliest arrival is 3:30. The game drive this afternoon leaves right around then. The guy with the name tag said they are going to try their darndest to get us on the drive but frankly I am confident that will not happen.