The flight back sucked, as expected, no positive spin on 22 hours of flying/34 hours of travel. Interestingly enough, SAA had the most stringent security policies I've ever seen. At the gate, after you had cleared regular security, they put the men on one side and the women on another, then they randomly selected the men to go thru a thorough patdown and bag check. Then, after we stopped over in Dakar, they let the passengers who were departing get off then every one of their seats was given a thorough search. After this, everyone was asked to remove their bags from the overhead compartments and any remaining bags, if they existed were disposed of. I guess every international flight I have come back on has been direct so I had not been thru it, but it was a little odd.
But, I was able to finish up the last two posts of this blog. I know the idea is to publish while you are gone but to be honest, I was busy almost constantly and Internet access, particularly the last four or five days, was almost non existent. I wanted to get it written down so, in the future, I could look back and remember everything.
In the end, I'm gonna give this the best trip ever status. So many cool things that I never thought I'd see, met great people, had awesome food, great drinks. Everything was covered; wildlife, nature, geographical sites, history, adventure, politics, awesome accomodations, hell I even got a little tan.
Land in DC in about an hour and I'm pretty spent. One more flight back to Chicago and I'm hitting the sack.
Next stop?? I've got some ideas..... :)
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Zambia - November 28, 2011
Another early morning wakeup call and across the border to check out Devils Pool.
We departed for Livingstone Island The Livingstone Manor hotel. It is a colonial era style 5 star hotel that is over the top. The pool reminded me of the one you see in The Great Gatsby movie with Robert Redford. Awesome
After signing a release, we headed over to the island and were taken on a brief walking tour that ended at The shore right above the falls. As there was rain the night before, the water was up and the current was a bit stronger, oh and the fact that its right above a gigantic waterfall. After a briefing on how we were going to swim, yes swim, across a portion of the river. One last detail was throwing rocks at some hippos that were standing right where we would be swimming. I guess that works....
Now the good thing about swimming across the current is that you are in such self preservation mode that you completely forget about the crocodiles and hippos you are sharing the water with. It was a tad chaotic but as long as you don't panic when the current starts drifting you towards the edge of the falls, you're good. To be honest it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I don't consider myself a great swimmer but I can handle my own.
Once you get to the rocky island where the Pool is, there is another debriefing about where to jump, being very specific on how far out and in which direction, too far to the right and it's in the current and well, they just said you don't want that to happen. Too far to left or not far enough out and it's not deep enough and you will hit rocks. Gotta say, I nailed it. They took some great shots in the pool which almost is like a big hot tub. The water was pretty warm too. I don't know who the hell figured it out the first time but it's cool, way cool. More photos at the top of the falls and then another swim back across the river to the bank. I only got a tad hurt in the whole process as I was getting back onshore and my foot slipped into a crevasse and it hurt like a mother.
We had breakfast of eggs Benedict on the island and then back to shore where I was escorted back to the hotel to begin one hell of a long day of travel.
I had arranged Shepherd, my driver in Jo'burg, to pick me up at the airport to go do some final shopping in the African craft market between flights as I had about 7 hours to kill. Im glad I did because I found some really cool stuff, almost too much. Once again, stay tuned!!
We departed for Livingstone Island The Livingstone Manor hotel. It is a colonial era style 5 star hotel that is over the top. The pool reminded me of the one you see in The Great Gatsby movie with Robert Redford. Awesome
After signing a release, we headed over to the island and were taken on a brief walking tour that ended at The shore right above the falls. As there was rain the night before, the water was up and the current was a bit stronger, oh and the fact that its right above a gigantic waterfall. After a briefing on how we were going to swim, yes swim, across a portion of the river. One last detail was throwing rocks at some hippos that were standing right where we would be swimming. I guess that works....
Now the good thing about swimming across the current is that you are in such self preservation mode that you completely forget about the crocodiles and hippos you are sharing the water with. It was a tad chaotic but as long as you don't panic when the current starts drifting you towards the edge of the falls, you're good. To be honest it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I don't consider myself a great swimmer but I can handle my own.
Once you get to the rocky island where the Pool is, there is another debriefing about where to jump, being very specific on how far out and in which direction, too far to the right and it's in the current and well, they just said you don't want that to happen. Too far to left or not far enough out and it's not deep enough and you will hit rocks. Gotta say, I nailed it. They took some great shots in the pool which almost is like a big hot tub. The water was pretty warm too. I don't know who the hell figured it out the first time but it's cool, way cool. More photos at the top of the falls and then another swim back across the river to the bank. I only got a tad hurt in the whole process as I was getting back onshore and my foot slipped into a crevasse and it hurt like a mother.
We had breakfast of eggs Benedict on the island and then back to shore where I was escorted back to the hotel to begin one hell of a long day of travel.
I had arranged Shepherd, my driver in Jo'burg, to pick me up at the airport to go do some final shopping in the African craft market between flights as I had about 7 hours to kill. Im glad I did because I found some really cool stuff, almost too much. Once again, stay tuned!!
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe - November 27, 2011
We had an early excursion to see Victoria Falls National Park. There's really not a lot to say but wow. You just have to see the pictures to truly appreciate it. The whole waterfall is about 1.2km wide, or about 3/4 of a mile. As it is just the beginning of the rainy season there are parts of the falls that don't have water going over them. An added bonus is that Devils Pool, a swimming area right on the edge of the falls is open. Unfortunately, it's in Zambia and that would require another visa. Also, I had only purchased a single entry visit into Zimbabwe so I would have to buy another. End result, it cost about $15 more than it should have. No big deal.
I hadn't set up the trip to Zambia so I asked our guide to arrange it. He called the office and while I couldnt get in that afternoon, they had an opening on the first trip in the morning meaning I would have to be up at 5am on my last day. No big deal, I think I was up at 5am more times in the last 12 days than I had been in the past six months.
I stopped in town after Vic Falls and went into the local market. I, and every other foreigner were attacked by about 50 guys at various times. Very pushy but they are just trying to make a buck like everyone else. I was kind of in a pinch because I didn't really have a lot of room in my suitcase. However, they were in to trading and seeing as I went to Africa with a lot of clothes that are too big for me, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Mind you, I didn't see any Africans that would have fit in my clothes but they didn't seem to mind. I got quite a lot of stuff that I am pretty excited about. Stay tuned!!
That night we had a dinner cruise on the Zambezi river and saw quite a few hippos, elephants, crocodiles and assorted monkeys. It was fairly uneventful and a light dinner was served. I made it back to the hotel to have another dinner of warthog, so good!!
I hadn't set up the trip to Zambia so I asked our guide to arrange it. He called the office and while I couldnt get in that afternoon, they had an opening on the first trip in the morning meaning I would have to be up at 5am on my last day. No big deal, I think I was up at 5am more times in the last 12 days than I had been in the past six months.
I stopped in town after Vic Falls and went into the local market. I, and every other foreigner were attacked by about 50 guys at various times. Very pushy but they are just trying to make a buck like everyone else. I was kind of in a pinch because I didn't really have a lot of room in my suitcase. However, they were in to trading and seeing as I went to Africa with a lot of clothes that are too big for me, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Mind you, I didn't see any Africans that would have fit in my clothes but they didn't seem to mind. I got quite a lot of stuff that I am pretty excited about. Stay tuned!!
That night we had a dinner cruise on the Zambezi river and saw quite a few hippos, elephants, crocodiles and assorted monkeys. It was fairly uneventful and a light dinner was served. I made it back to the hotel to have another dinner of warthog, so good!!
Zimbabwe, November 26, 2011
I gotta be honest, I thought I was going to Zambia. So when I opened my passport and saw a Zimbabwe visa, I was a little surprised. This is definitely the Africa that you envision.
To combat skyrocketing inflation, the government abandoned the zimbabwe dollar and adopted the us dollar three years ago. At the time that this was done, the highest note was $100,000,000,000,000.00. Yes, that's one hundred trillion with a t. The value of the note in us dollars? It wouldn't even buy you a can of soda, it was $.50.
Once again, the hotel is absolutely awesome. I can't believe how great a deal I got on this trip. Every place I've stayed in has had a travel and leisure top 250 in the world rating. This one, the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge came with a warning; do not keep your windows open at night or baboons will come in and make your life hell. This was repeated four times so there must be something behind it. So glad I purchased binoculars about six months ago, it's made me quite popular with everyone who doesn't have them.
I guess I should be watching the OSU Michigan game but I have no idea if it's even on and more importantly, how often do you get to see the sunset on the African savanna while watching a watering hole and drinking 15 year old scotch. I thought so. The bartender's name is Lovemore, how can you argue?
Wow, this is a work in progress. As dusk settles, I see some elephants thru my binoculars and alert the crowd. It ends up being 50-70 elephants they come to the hole, have a drink and within 10 minutes, all are gone :) That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
Tomorrow I go see Victoria Falls, take a river trip down the Zambezi and see the minuscule sites of the town Victoria Falls. I also may go to Zambia for the stamp :)
To combat skyrocketing inflation, the government abandoned the zimbabwe dollar and adopted the us dollar three years ago. At the time that this was done, the highest note was $100,000,000,000,000.00. Yes, that's one hundred trillion with a t. The value of the note in us dollars? It wouldn't even buy you a can of soda, it was $.50.
Once again, the hotel is absolutely awesome. I can't believe how great a deal I got on this trip. Every place I've stayed in has had a travel and leisure top 250 in the world rating. This one, the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge came with a warning; do not keep your windows open at night or baboons will come in and make your life hell. This was repeated four times so there must be something behind it. So glad I purchased binoculars about six months ago, it's made me quite popular with everyone who doesn't have them.
I guess I should be watching the OSU Michigan game but I have no idea if it's even on and more importantly, how often do you get to see the sunset on the African savanna while watching a watering hole and drinking 15 year old scotch. I thought so. The bartender's name is Lovemore, how can you argue?
Wow, this is a work in progress. As dusk settles, I see some elephants thru my binoculars and alert the crowd. It ends up being 50-70 elephants they come to the hole, have a drink and within 10 minutes, all are gone :) That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
Tomorrow I go see Victoria Falls, take a river trip down the Zambezi and see the minuscule sites of the town Victoria Falls. I also may go to Zambia for the stamp :)
Johannesberg, November 25, 2011
I only had a day in Johannesburg after the trip back from Pilannesberg. The driver told me he had a friend who does day tours and I jumped at the chance to make the most of my short stay.
My driver, shepherd, made sure to point out at the beginning that he had driven for Peter king, the writer for sports illustrated, for the world cup last year. I made one of my lame twitter attempts to contact Peter king and he sent me a personal message telling me to say hello to Shepherd. To be honest, that's pretty fucking cool. Peter King is bigtime.
Shepherd took me to Soweto, where the opposition to Apartheid first began. While Soweto was not quite what I expected, parts of it are very developed, the respect and utter absolute devotion to Nelson Mandela is palpable. When you start hearing the stories from almost every person you meet about how he brought power and running water to their village it overwhelms you. When you realize this was less than 20 years ago, well it's humbling to say the least.
I went to the Apartheid museum afterwards and began to understand the struggle and sacrifice this man endured. It's stunning. I feel shamed by my ignorance.
Shepherd dropped me off at my hotel, the Michelangelo, a top 20 hotel in the world and home of all VIPs including Seth Blatter, president of FIFA, last year. It is way top notch. I felt embarrassed to stay there and true to my thoughts on luxury hotels, it seemed like a waste to just sleep there.
But, I was off to Victoria falls first thing in the morning and enjoyed the good night's sleep.
My driver, shepherd, made sure to point out at the beginning that he had driven for Peter king, the writer for sports illustrated, for the world cup last year. I made one of my lame twitter attempts to contact Peter king and he sent me a personal message telling me to say hello to Shepherd. To be honest, that's pretty fucking cool. Peter King is bigtime.
Shepherd took me to Soweto, where the opposition to Apartheid first began. While Soweto was not quite what I expected, parts of it are very developed, the respect and utter absolute devotion to Nelson Mandela is palpable. When you start hearing the stories from almost every person you meet about how he brought power and running water to their village it overwhelms you. When you realize this was less than 20 years ago, well it's humbling to say the least.
I went to the Apartheid museum afterwards and began to understand the struggle and sacrifice this man endured. It's stunning. I feel shamed by my ignorance.
Shepherd dropped me off at my hotel, the Michelangelo, a top 20 hotel in the world and home of all VIPs including Seth Blatter, president of FIFA, last year. It is way top notch. I felt embarrassed to stay there and true to my thoughts on luxury hotels, it seemed like a waste to just sleep there.
But, I was off to Victoria falls first thing in the morning and enjoyed the good night's sleep.
Pilannesberg, November 23-25, 2011
I took an early am flight from Cape Town and landed in Johannesburg where I was met by a driver who took a group of us on the three hour drive to Pilannesberg National Park.
The group was all Americans and included a guy from Cleveland so we caught up on sports and the like an the drive really went by quickly.
The hotel I stayed at was called bakubung bush lodge and was extremely nice. They had a terrace that looked out over a pond where birds and animals gathered in the morning and at dusk. My tour included two safaris and the concierge recommended I go that night because on Wednesdays they do a BBQ out in the park.
I arranged my tours for that afternoon and the following morning. I got to my room and have to say, I was shocked. It was probably one of the nicer rooms I have stayed in. I changed into long pants and a long shirt to avoid the Mosquitos. At the last minute I realized I would be hot so I changed into shorts and a tshirt and threw sweats and a long sleeve shirt in my backpack. Oops.
We set out on the journey and saw lots of animals; kudu, impala, lions, close encounters with rhino and elephants, springbok, wildebeest, mongoose, giraffe, hippos, jackals and a bunch I am probably forgetting. The goal of a visit to Africa is seeing the big 5; lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino. The big five is so known because of how dangerous it is to hint them. Hippo kill more people every year than the others combined, however on a hunt a hippo when shot is more likely to retreat to the water, the big five will charge.
It got cold, real cold and then it started raining hard, like OSU at Nebraska hard, not USC at OSU '92 hard and definitely not OSU at WIsconsin 2003 hard, but hard. I put my best redneck getup that I could on, sweats over shorts and longsleeve shirt over button down but I was still cold.
They still had to BBQ in the bush but it was definitely tapered down. I got to meet a great girl from Argentina who was also traveling solo and we ended up having dinner together and sharing great conversation about world travel.
The safari the next morning, thanksgiving morning was early and we didn't see near the animals. However, I finally figured out my camera on this trip. I spent the rest of the day at the pool and was in bed fairly early due to the late night before and the early wakeup call.
I woke at about 3am and figured I should do another safari since I was up and isn't have to leave til 11. Once again, we didn't see near the animals we had on the first night but we did take a different route and I got to see a completely different area of the park. I gotta say, I'm impressed by the interactions of the animals. The prey seems to know when the predators have had their fill and will walk within yards of them because they understand the predators have already fed. Another thing that strikes me is the coloring of the animals. Lions aren't golden and giraffes aren't brown. They are both more of a dulled color to blend in better with the environment. They are more of a gray/brown color, at least the ones that I saw. I did end up seeing some game in pictures from Kruger national park and they were more the colors that you would expect.
I left Pilannesberg seeing 3 of the big 5.
Cape Town, November 22, 2011
Cape Town, November 22, 2011
I had an early excursion to take a trip to Table Mountain for a view of Cape Town. I had also booked a half day cape tour so I could see the cape of good hope.
Table Mountain was absolutely beautiful, however the wind were up so I could not take the cable car to the top. As I had the driver for a few more hours, I asked for a personal tour of Cape Town an he showed me Signal Hill, another lookout point, and other areas of the city. Both Signal Hill an Table Mountain afforded beautiful views of Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela had been unjustly held for so many years, the soccer stadium built for the world cup, and all of Cape Town.
The Cape Tour took you all along a beautiful drive hugging the mountains and sea. There were some great places to stop for shots and an uneventful trip to see some African penguins who did absolutely nothing.
The trip ended at the Cape of Good Hope and honestly, some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. This is not what I thought Africa looked like. Sheer cliff drops down to a clear blue sea and the freshest air you've ever breathed. In front of you was the convergence of the Atlantic and Indian oceans and beyond that, antarctica. I hope the photos I captured do it justice but I highly doubt they will.
On return to Cape Town, I had the driver drop me off at Mama Africa, based on a tip from a friend. Mama Africa was a casual dining spot featuring authentic African dishes and live music. Absolutely awesome. Thanks Howie!
It had been a long day and I had an early flight to catch to Johannesburg and on to Pilannesberg National Park.
Cape Town, November 21, 2011
Cape Town, november 21, 2011
I got back to the waterfront and feasted on some warthog, springbok and impala. I did a little shopping, had a few drinks and as I walked down the mall, decided I needed a haircut.
I like getting my hair washed, it feels awesome. So, I saw a sign for what appreared to be a "great clips" south Africa. A guys joint to get his hair cut but with sports on tv and wait, what is this......an open bar??? So, I stopped in and had the best haircut I've ever had. It had to be funny to watch . He waltzed around my big, north American head, clipping and trimming as he went. In My buzz, as I was enjoying the whirling dervish taking care of my coif, and yes I said that, an uncomfortable moment arose.
So I'm feeling really good when all of the sudden a hot waxy qtip is shoved up my nose. Before I have a chance to react, a second is plunged upwards. As I am trying to comprehend what is going on, two more are applied on my ears.
Suddenly, it makes sense.
I take my manscaping very seriously. But, as the wax starts to harden in my nose, I realize what is going on.
He yanks the qtip from my nose as if it was Excalibur. He pulled hairs from so deep that my ass dimpled. I didn't have anything protuding from my nostril before but he assured me that I not need worry.
As I walked around the mall in a daze, I did a little shopping and headed back to the hotel for a good nights rest.
I got back to the waterfront and feasted on some warthog, springbok and impala. I did a little shopping, had a few drinks and as I walked down the mall, decided I needed a haircut.
I like getting my hair washed, it feels awesome. So, I saw a sign for what appreared to be a "great clips" south Africa. A guys joint to get his hair cut but with sports on tv and wait, what is this......an open bar??? So, I stopped in and had the best haircut I've ever had. It had to be funny to watch . He waltzed around my big, north American head, clipping and trimming as he went. In My buzz, as I was enjoying the whirling dervish taking care of my coif, and yes I said that, an uncomfortable moment arose.
So I'm feeling really good when all of the sudden a hot waxy qtip is shoved up my nose. Before I have a chance to react, a second is plunged upwards. As I am trying to comprehend what is going on, two more are applied on my ears.
Suddenly, it makes sense.
I take my manscaping very seriously. But, as the wax starts to harden in my nose, I realize what is going on.
He yanks the qtip from my nose as if it was Excalibur. He pulled hairs from so deep that my ass dimpled. I didn't have anything protuding from my nostril before but he assured me that I not need worry.
As I walked around the mall in a daze, I did a little shopping and headed back to the hotel for a good nights rest.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Gaansbaai and Shark Diving
Cape Town, november 21, 2011
The trip to Haansbai was absolutely beautiful. We drove through the mountains, and along the coast thru some really idyllic places. The day was overcast and it rained for some time along the drive. We stopped at one point to observe some right whales along the coast and I couldn't help but notice that the seas were pretty rough. I had taken some Dramamine the night before but that doesn't necessarily guaranTee anything (see conneaut walleye trip).
We arrived at a beautiful little town that kinder reminded
Me of the new England coast, small, colorful houses along a rocky shoreline.
We were briefed that it was going to be a rough day at sea and were given every opportunity to back out, with full refund and even gas money back to cape town, a two hour drive we had just completed. The sun was just starting to come out but the wind was still gomy pretty good. Adding additional concern is that the winds were coming out of the southeast. Usually, they come from the west southwest and the reef where the sharks gathered was protected by an island that would diminish the waves considerably. Neither I nor anyone else declined to take the trip.
The swells were, well big, ok, enormous. I'm guessing 15-20' but the resonance,or gap between them, was not so bad. Slow rollers will give you nasty seasickness.
When they asked for volunteers to hop on the first cage, I jumped at the chance. I didn't want to be feeling sick layer and have to decline. I suited up in my wetsuit, a sexy site indeed, I was the first one in the water and it was chaos. Trying to breathe, keep your head afloat and avoid bashing into the sides and top of the cage was a busy job and unfortunately, I could not shoot Many shots underwater. You would keep your head above water and then the crew would scream,"down left (or right)" and you would hold your breath and go under water in these huge swells. Just as you got your wits about you, a shark, a huge shark would glide by. They were so smooth underwater that they didn't seem threatening. I could have touched them multiple tones they were so close but they asked you not to touch them. I can honestly say, I never felt any fear. They were so powerful and beautiful.
The conditions were tough and we ended up heading back to shore. I never got sick but at one point,in the cage, I thought I was going to blow chunks. For some reason, getting on the boat and going to the upper deck made me feel better. This goes against everything I've ever known about boats but on that day, it worked.
On the way home, I had the driver drop me off at the waterfront to have a few drinks....
South Africa!!!
November 20, 2011
The trip didnt quite start as planned, a mexhancal issue wth the plane n Senegal resulted in a 12 hour delay out of Washington dc. South African airlines did the best they could though; a room at the hyatt for 12hours, $30 for dinner, $15 for breakfast and 25% off a future flight. Most importantly though; they sent a new plane . You don't want to board a plane that may have mechanical issues when you are facing an 18hour flight. So, I gtabbed dinner, a few hours of sleep and was back up at 3am for a return to the airport. Unfortunately, I packed all my toiletries in my bag, a practice I've started doing in the post 9/11 world. If I'm checking a bag these days, my toiletries go in it. My carry on is too stuffed with laptops, cameras, tablets,Bose headphones and cords to have room for deodorant and a toothbrush. Oops. I will probably still do the same in the future so I guess I can't really say lesson learned.
The flight wasn't as awful as I had anticipated. I had spent the weeks leading up to the flight loading my tablet with movies,tv shows and games to while away the time. However, SAA has a pretty kick ass inflight entertainment center. It was full of music, games and many of the tv shows and movies that I had brought myself. Two open seats next to me only made things better. I watched hangover 2, a hastily made tipoff of the hangover. Cedar rapids was pretty good, wedding crashers is always good and I had a hot streak at the craps table that rivaled Omaha, minus the real cash part.
We stopped in Dakar, Senegal for fuel and to drop off a few passengers and pick up a few more. I'm always intrigued by the fact that almost every place looks the same from the air when you come in at night. Some are mre congested than others but they basically all look similar. I'm not sure if I expected there to be tribal bonfires or what but Senegal,on approach, could be any other city.
We sat in Senegal fir about an hour and a half. It was kind of disheartening to think that after 9.5 hours of flying, we were only barely halfway there. Had we been allowed to get off the plane and walk around a bit,it would have been much better.
I have a pretty extensive checklist of things to do, stuff to pack before I go on a trip. In the weeks leading up I start a pile of stuff I want to take and slowly add to it until the day I pack. Then I weed out the unnecessary stuff to minimize the load. I have special travel underwear. It will dry after a sink washing in about 4hrs. I also have a checklist of things I gotta do aside from work. These include holding the mail,contacting the credit card companies to let them know I will be traveling overseas so I don't have to worry about them doing their due diligence and declining transactions. However, i forgot to contact my bank.
When I finally landed in Johannesburg, I had,of course, missed my connection to cape town. I cleared customs and went to the SAA counter and was able to get on a flight in 45 minutes. I went to two different shops to get a sim card to put in my blackberry so I could call the travel company to let them know I would be arriving around 11am for the transfer to the hotel which was included in my package. Both stores were out of sim cards. By this time my flight was boarding so I was going to have to deal with things once I got to cape town. I got to cape town and went to the ATM to withdraw some south African rand and the transaction was declined. See above about not contacting my bank. Oops. I didn't stop at the ATM on the way to the airport because I was just planning on getting money once I got there. Thankfully, I always Carry cash and I was still hprint some of the dough I had won at the casino a few weeks ago. I hate exchanging money at the airport because they rob you,but I didn't really have a choice, I needed some cash. First, I stopped to get a sim card. Nope! The whole network was going thru an upgrade and no one would be able to do one until 3pm.
I exchanged some money,making sure to get change for a payphone,called the travel company asking for a transfer to the hotel.
As they didn't have anyone close, they told me to just tax a taxi and save the receipt for reimbursement through my travel insurance. Unfortunately, I waived the travel insurance :(. Luckily, I bought it on my own :). Unfortunately, I forgot to get a damn receipt :(.
Of course they didn't have my reservation when I arrived. They were very nice and asked if I'd like breakfast while they were sorting things out. After traveling for 44hours, I bartered for a dirty martini instead. Once things got settled, I went to my very nice room and grabbed a shower and a quick nap. As it was raining when I arrived I didn't feel like I was missing much anyways.
After waking, I went to the harbor area which is a nice shopping and entertainment complex. I went to get a sim card at vodafone and they were out. The place next door had them, but no prepay cards. So back to vodafone only to find out that they had no prepay cards either. He did assure me that, "sim cards and prepay cards are available everywhere." well everywhere except the first five places I had been to.
I grabbed dinner and a couple of beers at a pub and was back at the room by 11, took a couple Dramamine for today's shark diving trip and was out. I met a nice couple from las Vegas who will be at the game lodge in pilannesberg at the same time I will so I believe they will be my dates for thanksgiving dinner.
I felt pretty refreshed when I got up at 530. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep in days prior, the beers, the Dramamine or the cricket match that I had fallen asleep to was still on, and is probably stll going on.
I want to stop here and just say that I can pretty much guarantee my next posts won't be so long or boring. I just happen to be in a van for the two hour ride back to cape town.
I think I will leave that for another post. Tomorrow is a cable car to Table Mountain.
The trip didnt quite start as planned, a mexhancal issue wth the plane n Senegal resulted in a 12 hour delay out of Washington dc. South African airlines did the best they could though; a room at the hyatt for 12hours, $30 for dinner, $15 for breakfast and 25% off a future flight. Most importantly though; they sent a new plane . You don't want to board a plane that may have mechanical issues when you are facing an 18hour flight. So, I gtabbed dinner, a few hours of sleep and was back up at 3am for a return to the airport. Unfortunately, I packed all my toiletries in my bag, a practice I've started doing in the post 9/11 world. If I'm checking a bag these days, my toiletries go in it. My carry on is too stuffed with laptops, cameras, tablets,Bose headphones and cords to have room for deodorant and a toothbrush. Oops. I will probably still do the same in the future so I guess I can't really say lesson learned.
The flight wasn't as awful as I had anticipated. I had spent the weeks leading up to the flight loading my tablet with movies,tv shows and games to while away the time. However, SAA has a pretty kick ass inflight entertainment center. It was full of music, games and many of the tv shows and movies that I had brought myself. Two open seats next to me only made things better. I watched hangover 2, a hastily made tipoff of the hangover. Cedar rapids was pretty good, wedding crashers is always good and I had a hot streak at the craps table that rivaled Omaha, minus the real cash part.
We stopped in Dakar, Senegal for fuel and to drop off a few passengers and pick up a few more. I'm always intrigued by the fact that almost every place looks the same from the air when you come in at night. Some are mre congested than others but they basically all look similar. I'm not sure if I expected there to be tribal bonfires or what but Senegal,on approach, could be any other city.
We sat in Senegal fir about an hour and a half. It was kind of disheartening to think that after 9.5 hours of flying, we were only barely halfway there. Had we been allowed to get off the plane and walk around a bit,it would have been much better.
I have a pretty extensive checklist of things to do, stuff to pack before I go on a trip. In the weeks leading up I start a pile of stuff I want to take and slowly add to it until the day I pack. Then I weed out the unnecessary stuff to minimize the load. I have special travel underwear. It will dry after a sink washing in about 4hrs. I also have a checklist of things I gotta do aside from work. These include holding the mail,contacting the credit card companies to let them know I will be traveling overseas so I don't have to worry about them doing their due diligence and declining transactions. However, i forgot to contact my bank.
When I finally landed in Johannesburg, I had,of course, missed my connection to cape town. I cleared customs and went to the SAA counter and was able to get on a flight in 45 minutes. I went to two different shops to get a sim card to put in my blackberry so I could call the travel company to let them know I would be arriving around 11am for the transfer to the hotel which was included in my package. Both stores were out of sim cards. By this time my flight was boarding so I was going to have to deal with things once I got to cape town. I got to cape town and went to the ATM to withdraw some south African rand and the transaction was declined. See above about not contacting my bank. Oops. I didn't stop at the ATM on the way to the airport because I was just planning on getting money once I got there. Thankfully, I always Carry cash and I was still hprint some of the dough I had won at the casino a few weeks ago. I hate exchanging money at the airport because they rob you,but I didn't really have a choice, I needed some cash. First, I stopped to get a sim card. Nope! The whole network was going thru an upgrade and no one would be able to do one until 3pm.
I exchanged some money,making sure to get change for a payphone,called the travel company asking for a transfer to the hotel.
As they didn't have anyone close, they told me to just tax a taxi and save the receipt for reimbursement through my travel insurance. Unfortunately, I waived the travel insurance :(. Luckily, I bought it on my own :). Unfortunately, I forgot to get a damn receipt :(.
Of course they didn't have my reservation when I arrived. They were very nice and asked if I'd like breakfast while they were sorting things out. After traveling for 44hours, I bartered for a dirty martini instead. Once things got settled, I went to my very nice room and grabbed a shower and a quick nap. As it was raining when I arrived I didn't feel like I was missing much anyways.
After waking, I went to the harbor area which is a nice shopping and entertainment complex. I went to get a sim card at vodafone and they were out. The place next door had them, but no prepay cards. So back to vodafone only to find out that they had no prepay cards either. He did assure me that, "sim cards and prepay cards are available everywhere." well everywhere except the first five places I had been to.
I grabbed dinner and a couple of beers at a pub and was back at the room by 11, took a couple Dramamine for today's shark diving trip and was out. I met a nice couple from las Vegas who will be at the game lodge in pilannesberg at the same time I will so I believe they will be my dates for thanksgiving dinner.
I felt pretty refreshed when I got up at 530. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep in days prior, the beers, the Dramamine or the cricket match that I had fallen asleep to was still on, and is probably stll going on.
I want to stop here and just say that I can pretty much guarantee my next posts won't be so long or boring. I just happen to be in a van for the two hour ride back to cape town.
I think I will leave that for another post. Tomorrow is a cable car to Table Mountain.
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