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(This part of the trip on SA was not part of the Skyteam RTW ticket. We had to add it separately)

SA 1765 Johannesburg – Gaborone, Botswana
DH8 Seat:2B
ETD: 215pm ATD:245pm
ETA: 320pm ATA:355pm

We had to go to the transfer desk to get our SA boarding passes, but our luggage was checked all the way through to GBE. Painless procedure. Then headed off to find the AF lounge (as I am a NW WorldClubs member and this is the lounge they say we can use in JNB). Well, AF/KL lounge is under construction, so found the Premier Lounge which they are now using. Oh, My, God. How awful. Small, crowded, hot, unfriendly. Blecht. Hurry up and get the lounges fixed in JNB, AF/KL!
We went down to the gate about 30 minutes before boarding and waited and waited and waited. We struck up a conversation with the Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Harare. He was on his way to Namibia for some beach time. Nice guy!
We waited some more. No update from the SA folks. Finally, we saw a bus pull up to the gate, but we waited until they found another driver. This guy was finished for the day. Ok, get on the bus. And then we waited some more. It was hot and awful. They found a guy finally and we went to the aircraft. But, they couldn’t figure out which airplane was ours. There were only 4 planes sitting there. So, we sat and waited. The driver wouldn’t budge from his seat. A pilot climbed out of one of the planes and went to the other planes to ask which one was going to Gaborone. He found the right plane for us and told the bus driver to pull up in front. But, we didn’t move. We just sat there. Finally, his supervisor arrived and told him to pull the bus forward to the correct plane. Then, we moved. Idiot!
Boarding the plane was fast and shortly thereafter we were airborne. Portia, our smiling South African Express flight attendant, passed out nice little boxes of snacks (1 cheese sandwich, 1 tuna sandwich, 1 PS chocolate bar) and drinks followed including complimentary wine or beer. As soon as the plane was in the air, we were back down again landing on the lone runway at Gaborone International Airport. Immigrations was a breeze. Customs was a breeze. Immigrations was quicker. Walked right outside the front door and found the hotel shuttle van waiting for us even though we were late. Piece of cake. Good start to the safari weekend!

SA 1776 Gaborone - Johannesburg
DH8 Seat: 1B
ETD: 105pm ATD: 120pm
ETA: 210pm ATA: 215pm

Check-in at Gaborone’s airport is kinda crazy. There are only 2 airlines: South African Express and Air Botswana. The SA counter only had 1 working BP machine, so the line was a tad long. When we were finally up, checking in was quick and easy. We cleared the customs and immigrations and waited in the rather small boarding area. We had a very odd moment there, however. A small group of 4 Christian missionaries from West Virginia were also on our flight. They were.. um.. well.. the epitome of the backwoods, to be quite kind. The three men were all dressed in.. well.. deer hunting gear including the hunting boots, etc.. and the one woman was wearing a blue and purple muumuu. A security guard asked one of the men was asked to show what was in guitar case. He opened it and pulled out a banjo. Ok, not every day that one sees a banjo in real life. But, to my horror, he started to play it. Yes, he played the banjo. He sang and then played and played and sang. The locals thought he was drunk or high or something. The other 3 just smiled and clapped along and had big partially-toothless smiles on their faces. Oh boy, time to hide the passport.
Boarding was fast and we walked across the tarmac to the airplane. Just after takeoff, Mkakwi, our friendly flight attendant, passed out drinks and the SA Express lunch box. This contained two wooden sticks of chicken satay with a corn salad in a little cup and a PS chocolate bar for dessert. Quite good, really. Landing was quick and the bus took us to the terminal. I really like SAX’s service. It far surpasses anything in the US.