An Englishman, an Irishman and a South African walk into an airport.

What do you get when sixteen Brits who don’t know each other from a bar of soap arrive in South Africa? It’s easy: sixteen people who stand around awkwardly trying to suss out who they’re most likely to strike up a conversation with.

That was the scenario that greeted us as we touched down at O.R. Tambo International Airport this morning, 5 May. But our 12-hour flight from Heathrow wasn’t the last of today’s travelling. Awaiting us was a 5-hour bus ride to our eventual destination, the Drakensberg (translated as Dragon Mountain). However, the travel bogey struck an early blow.

On route to our bus, one of our party, Daniel, had the ill fortune of having his bank card swallowed by a cash machine. Thanks Dan, and welcome to Africa. This lead to a 4-hour delay and, as a result, much of the day’s planning went down the drain.

Yet, all was not lost. If fact, Dan’s ill fortune was more like a stroke of serendipity. While waiting for the bank to sort out the card, the rest of our touring party headed for the nearby Emperor’s Palace, a casino and hotel complex near the airport. The good thing about it was that everybody had the chance to stretch their legs and do some shopping before settling down around a majestic outdoor fountain for a drink or two. It also gave us the opportunity to get to know our fellow travellers.

We eventually hit the road and once we cleared Johannesburg were treated to some breathtaking countryside views and fresh air. Everyone’s moods lifted and conversations were soon flying in all directions. Yet, something was missing. We were in South Africa – for heaven’s sake – but it didn’t seem to settle in.

Enter biltong, an experience that some of us will come to love, and others would rather forget. Biltong is a traditional South African delicacy – best compared with the American beef jerky. It’s cured or dried meat, usually beef or venison, spiced with anything from coriander, salt, chilli, pepper and so on. Where it failed the ‘swallow test’ for many of us is the fact that it’s raw meat. I’ll say that again, raw meat. And it comes in pieces (some) as big as your forearm.

At sunset we were still on the road and I think it was then that most of us realised we were in Africa, never mind South Africa. The road to our hotel makes countless twists and turns. Add a few donkey carts (donkey driven wagons) and tractors without headlights, and you feel like you’ve just been beamed onto another planet. But barring the occasional moment of panic, it was an adventure, and somehow signalled the start of our journey in South Africa.

Between the biltong and the dark, twisty road I had a thought. Seeing that I don’t have much in terms of activities to tell you about, I’ll share it with you. We don’t come to South Africa expecting a perfect first world country. If that’s what you’re looking for I suggest you put on your earphones and hop a tube in London. The reason we come to South Africa is because it’s Africa. It’s because in this beautiful, unpredictable place with its myriad of cultures and unmatched natural beauty anything is possible. South Africa has a way of quietly whispering to our sense of adventure. The promise that we’ll leave here with a story to tell.

Hopefully tomorrow will deliver a tale or two of its own. So as they say here, “Tot môre.” (Until tomorrow).

For more information please go to http://www.pandemonium.co.za