Taking 24 hours to travel to a place when it could have taken only 13, is a pain. But it is made better if the reasons are worth it. It's a Monday afternoon and I am at OR Tambo international airport with my four travelling companions for our flight to Frankfurt, which is not our final destination.
There will be two more flights after that to get to the Canary Islands.
We were responding to an invitation to attend the international launch of the new Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet.
The German marque chose the island to showcase its latest creation. So we had to reach the islands at all costs.
It is just after seven in the evening on Tuesday as we find ourselves at the front desk of the Sheraton Hotel in Gran Canaria - the second largest of the Canary Islands, exhausted. We disperse to our different rooms to freshen up before dinner and about 30 minutes later I am still sitting in the bath (the sensation of water on my body after 24 hours is blissful). I have to join the others, I thought.
After breakfast the following morning, we walk to the front of the hotel to be greeted by some of the most gorgeous looking cars in the world.
About 15 Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera S Cabriolets are lined up, looking as if they are about to break into song.
They are gleaming, spotlessly clean, and their roofs are down; these are not the kind of cars anyone could ignore.
Porsche South Africa's spin doctor, Christo Kruger, whispers that I have been allocated a yellow one for the day. A yellow car would be best suited to a woman in touch with her femininity.
I thank him for his clever thinking and my co-driver and I hit the road.
Bernard Hellberg snr, my co-driver, is not a man in a hurry.
So, the two of us set off and soon discover the most beautiful scenery in the world.
Although the island tends towards a desert vegetation, its mountainous landscape makes an enormous difference.
The roads are a work of art and we are both in awe of the way the Spaniards have created such fantastic roads on such surfaces - and the car matches the scenery! We marvel at this combination.
Driving with the roof down, we listen to the sound of the 3.8-litre boxer engine in the Carrera S echoing through the mountains.
Porsche has, for the first time, created a cabriolet similar in profile to the coupé version.
This is not just a sporty toy for men going through a mid-life crisis; it is an easy to drive open machine for anyone who enjoys a bit of speed and comfort.
Porsche have got it right - the interior feels like that of an everyday car, while the exterior says 'I am ready to bite, and hard'!
Weighing about 60 kilograms (depending on equipment) less than its predecessor, the 911 Carrera is capable of achieving some impressive results in the performance department, as we discover on a road that snakes across the island, traversing mountain after mountain for kilometres on end.
We drive for hours to get to the race track. Every move has to be made with extreme caution and precision as we hit one tight corner after another.
So Hellberg and I decide we'd rather get to the track slightly late than kiss a Spanish bus rushing around one of the corners.
We drive cautiously but hit the throttle at every available opportunity.
The 911 Carrera S Cabriolet allows us to play; it is quick to respond and magically sticks to the tar.
I tell Hellberg that it would take an idiot to get this Porsche off the road.
Handling is precise and the response, whenever the driver's foot sends an instruction, is instant.
For a long time, the drive is done with the roof down until Mother Nature forces us to put the roof up.
We oblige as we climb 1500m into the mountains. Closer to the top it starts to rain and visibility becomes a nightmare.
But the locals continue to drive as if under normal conditions, while the foreigners apply a "going nowhere slowly" type of approach.
We reach the track and find the news conference already under way.
I console myself with the fact that we, at least, are there, unlike a South Korean contingent which took a wrong turn.
After the conference, we all get a chance to do some laps on the track.
When my turn arrives, I race down the track, which runs alongside the beach. I aim for the corners and the Porsche proves that it has what it takes.
As I approach a corner, the 911 Carrera instills great confidence.
A clear understanding of why some people "worship" these machines is painted in my head.
- The cars will only be available in June but orders can be placed now.
The Specs:
911 Carrera:
Engine: 3.4-litre boxer
Power: 275kW
Torque: 390Nm
0-100km/h: 5 seconds and 4.8 seconds (PDK)* (claimed)
Top speed: 286km/h and 284km/h (PDK)
Fuel consumption: 9.2l/100km and 8.4l/100km (PDK) (claimed)
C02: 198g/km to 217g/km
911 Carrera S:
Engine: 3.8-litre boxer
Power: 294kW
Torque: 440Nm
0-100km/h: 4.7 seconds and 4.5 seconds (PDK)
Top speed: 301km/h and 299km/h (PDK)
Fuel consumption: 9.7l/100km and 8.9l/100km (PDK)
C02: 210g/km to 229g/km
Price: 911 Carrera: R1.109-million; 911 Carrera S: R1.259-million
*PDK: Porsche Doppelkupplunsgetriebe (7-speed)
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