So I actually made it to my hostel in one piece and the night reception dude checks me in. He took me to my room, The Lion Room, and was trying to explaining to me the rules and policies of the hostel (I couldn’t really understand him on account of his accent and the fact that I was so jet-lagged that I was practically a walking zombie). I was asking him about the internet and whether or not I could get on it that night (he didn’t really understand what I was saying either, but then again lack of sleep may have made my speech a little slurred. I kept repeating, “No, but I need to get on the internet tonight because I am being picked up for a program early in he morning and I have no clue what time or where to meet them!” Finally one of the other people in the room spoke up asking if I was doing the Shark Program. Surprisingly she was doing the same program and knew all the details about pick up the next morning and was even nice enough to let me use her blackberry to check my email. (Thanks again Emma!)
I settled down to sleep, unfortunately the room was practically a bog. It was soooo hot and muggy with no breeze, but somehow I eventually fell asleep. But then I woke up at 2:30am, and 3:30am, and 4:00am and 5:00am and finally 6:30 when I decided enough is enough and got up. (By that time the sun was shining crazy bright through the window so going back to sleep was hopeless)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
South Africa- Arrival
Hey friends,
SO I set out for South Africa on the 27th of February. Mom drove me the two hours to Dullus Airport and I surprisingly made it through customs without incident. Then I sat around for five hours waiting for my plane to arrive. The plane finally arrived and I was DID get a window seat, thank god. The first part of the flight was seven hours long. I amused myself with inflight movies and trying to sleep (that part did not go so well).
Then the plane stopped in Dakar, Senegal. Landing there was unreal. It was six in the morning so the sun hadn't come up yet so it was pitch black until we got right above Dakar. The only lights to be seen were the lights from the streets and houses, which emitted a strange pinkish glow around the ground, and the moon which was a perfect skinny crescent and brilliant white. I tried to get a picture of it but my camera couldn't capture it (so you'll just have to take my word for it..) We were on the ground for about an hour, while they unloaded and reloaded the plane. There was a slight scare when we realized that the people who were coming on the plane, all had tickets for seats that were already occupied, but that got worked out pretty quickly. The plane set out again and we settled in for the second leg of the flight which took eight hours.
I watched another movie and then very uncomfortably fell asleep. That part of the flight was mostly uneventful.....About South African Airlines, the service sucks but they do feed you well.
Plane landed in Johannesburg and made it through customs uneventfully. I went to pick up my luggage and was slightly nervous because I had read things online about luggage coming back opened or broken and with items missing. I wanted to plastic wrap my luggage before I dropped it off in Dullus but I couldn't find anywhere to do it, so I went without. Anyway, the guy standing next to me in front of the luggage thing grabbed his bag which obviously had been opened and rifled through. He said everything was there, but then I was really nervous for my bag. I spotted it and thank goodness everything was there and the lock was still in place. I popped out of the luggage area and tried to find my connecting flight, but was completely lost. A porter came, grabbed my bag, told me to follow him and set off at a sprint across the airport. He got me to where I needed and only asked for a small tip...
Quickly hopped on my next flight; a two hour plane ride to Cape Town. That flight was uneventful. Got there grabbed my luggage and headed for the exit. I emailed the hostel I was staying at asking if they could send a ride to come and get me, cause they offer that service for a fee, but I did it reallllly late. I walked out didn't see my name on any ride boards that drivers were holding and had a mini panic. So I approached a South African man holding up an "Official Airport Taxi Service" sign and asked if he knew where The Backpack hostel was and if he could get me there (I had no clue where it was because I had left my Cape TOwn book at home by accident and it had the address in it). He, of course, said he knew exactly where it was, grabbed my bag and took off. So naturally I followed. He took me out the airport and across a brightly lit open area, which I was fine with....and then darted behind the bus station into this slightly darker area where a group of taxi drivers were. I was slightlllly nervous but figured he already had my luggage and that the best course of action was to act completely comfortable and not nervous at all.
I hopped in the taxi and was a little more nervous when the driver had no clue where it was and had to ask another driver for directions. I asked him if he was sure he knew where it was and said I would rather like it if we didn't travel around in circles looking for it. He assured me he did and that we'd be fine. Whether or not he drove me in circle I have no clue, but the route we did was very scenic and beautiful so even if I ended up paying more for it, I consider it worth it. Table Mountain is apparently lit up during the night and it was crazy beautiful....
We made to the hostel and it only ended up costing me about 50 rand (roughly seven dollars) more than what the hostel shuttle would have cost.....And that's where I'll stop my narrative for now...
SO I set out for South Africa on the 27th of February. Mom drove me the two hours to Dullus Airport and I surprisingly made it through customs without incident. Then I sat around for five hours waiting for my plane to arrive. The plane finally arrived and I was DID get a window seat, thank god. The first part of the flight was seven hours long. I amused myself with inflight movies and trying to sleep (that part did not go so well).
Then the plane stopped in Dakar, Senegal. Landing there was unreal. It was six in the morning so the sun hadn't come up yet so it was pitch black until we got right above Dakar. The only lights to be seen were the lights from the streets and houses, which emitted a strange pinkish glow around the ground, and the moon which was a perfect skinny crescent and brilliant white. I tried to get a picture of it but my camera couldn't capture it (so you'll just have to take my word for it..) We were on the ground for about an hour, while they unloaded and reloaded the plane. There was a slight scare when we realized that the people who were coming on the plane, all had tickets for seats that were already occupied, but that got worked out pretty quickly. The plane set out again and we settled in for the second leg of the flight which took eight hours.
I watched another movie and then very uncomfortably fell asleep. That part of the flight was mostly uneventful.....About South African Airlines, the service sucks but they do feed you well.
Plane landed in Johannesburg and made it through customs uneventfully. I went to pick up my luggage and was slightly nervous because I had read things online about luggage coming back opened or broken and with items missing. I wanted to plastic wrap my luggage before I dropped it off in Dullus but I couldn't find anywhere to do it, so I went without. Anyway, the guy standing next to me in front of the luggage thing grabbed his bag which obviously had been opened and rifled through. He said everything was there, but then I was really nervous for my bag. I spotted it and thank goodness everything was there and the lock was still in place. I popped out of the luggage area and tried to find my connecting flight, but was completely lost. A porter came, grabbed my bag, told me to follow him and set off at a sprint across the airport. He got me to where I needed and only asked for a small tip...
Quickly hopped on my next flight; a two hour plane ride to Cape Town. That flight was uneventful. Got there grabbed my luggage and headed for the exit. I emailed the hostel I was staying at asking if they could send a ride to come and get me, cause they offer that service for a fee, but I did it reallllly late. I walked out didn't see my name on any ride boards that drivers were holding and had a mini panic. So I approached a South African man holding up an "Official Airport Taxi Service" sign and asked if he knew where The Backpack hostel was and if he could get me there (I had no clue where it was because I had left my Cape TOwn book at home by accident and it had the address in it). He, of course, said he knew exactly where it was, grabbed my bag and took off. So naturally I followed. He took me out the airport and across a brightly lit open area, which I was fine with....and then darted behind the bus station into this slightly darker area where a group of taxi drivers were. I was slightlllly nervous but figured he already had my luggage and that the best course of action was to act completely comfortable and not nervous at all.
I hopped in the taxi and was a little more nervous when the driver had no clue where it was and had to ask another driver for directions. I asked him if he was sure he knew where it was and said I would rather like it if we didn't travel around in circles looking for it. He assured me he did and that we'd be fine. Whether or not he drove me in circle I have no clue, but the route we did was very scenic and beautiful so even if I ended up paying more for it, I consider it worth it. Table Mountain is apparently lit up during the night and it was crazy beautiful....
We made to the hostel and it only ended up costing me about 50 rand (roughly seven dollars) more than what the hostel shuttle would have cost.....And that's where I'll stop my narrative for now...
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