South Africa Part 1

There is no way that I will ever be able to sum up the beauty of this country, the travel opportunities, the once in a life time experiences that I had here but I will try. Photos are going to come later on, once I get back to my computer. As you are all familiar with the reliability of my internet connection (reliable that I dont really have one), it may take a while.

So I arrived in Johannesburg on December 16. I was supposed to arrive around 11 but after our flight was delayed in Nairobi, we got in around 3. Apparently, when a pilot calls in sick to Kenya Airways, KA does not, like the rest of the world, have a system of back up pilots. Even at Starbucks, we had a system of back up baristas... Anyway, after three hours they were able to locate another pilot and away we go. My first impression of Joburg... did i get on the wrong flight? Am I actually in Atlanta? Freeways, billboards, tall buildings, SKYLINE (something that I havent seen in about five months) and malls malls malls. It really is a city of shopping centers. Every neighborhood has a brand spanking new mall, or so it seemed, filled with food courts and movie theatres and beautiful shop windows. Luckily I arrived on a holiday so all the stores were closed. That could have been a disaster in so many ways. So rather than blow all my money the first day, I just walked around with my mouth open looking at the holiday lights, sticking my nose up against the store windows, and finding my way into the open bookstore and petting book covers for hours, opening them up and smelling their wonderful book scent.
After a couple hours of staring lovingly at books, I tore myself away to go back to the hostel that Katie and I were staying in (Backpackers Ritz, a misnomer if ever there was) to await for Katie. I just watched tv and read Lonely Planet and waited with baited breath for Katie so that when she arrived we could go to dinner at the mall restaurant, I had already scoped out... SUSHI! That wasnt the name of it, it was just the beautiful beautiful food we got to eat (food will be a reoccuring theme throughout this blog. Deal with it... Im deprived)
After we gorged ourselves on sushi, we went back to the hostel to the dorm style room we were staying in to await our first south african sunrise. That was not before accidentally stumbling on an amorous couple in the showers (thank god for shower curtains) and an encounter with perhaps the strangest hostel worker I have ever met (note: "hello. Do you mind if I mount you?" is in fact inappropriate in all languages, dialects, accents, and cultures. Please keep in mind). Although that day no doubt seems pretty normal to most of you, for me it was a pretty big shock. Actually a huge shock. I havent blended into a crowd, seen a bookstore with english language books, been in new car, seen a building over five stories, eaten delicious food, or drank decent wine in five months. So all those things were pretty exciting for me. More to come...