Johannesburg, South Africa
We’re finally here! Our plane landed in Johannesburg around 10:30 a.m. local time and we have pretty much spent our entire day counting the minutes until bed time. Being in 3 different time zones and flying almost 24 hours since Saturday has really taken its toll on us both. Josh is faring a little better thanks to the zzzquill he took on both overnight flights. I didn’t take any sleep aids and probably only slept 3 to 4 hours since we left Charlotte on Nov. 19. I’m writing this blog in an attempt to keep my eyes open just a little longer. If we give in to jet lag today, we’ll be paying for days to come!
After we left our plane, we spent another hour at the airport in an arrival lounge that one of our rewards cards gave us access to. It was nice because our hotel room was not ready yet and we were able to take a shower (again, it was surprisingly clean and private with each of us being given a key to our own bathroom).
I also had a chance to try Amarula – a liquor made only in South Africa. I had heard a lot about the drink and thought it tasted like a Baileys Irish Cream but with a more fruity taste.
Probably would be great in coffee.
We took the Gautrain (Johannesburg’s version of the subway or metro) to our hotel when we were finally able to check in around 1 p.m. We fought through the sleepiness in order to visit the Nelson Mandela Square and a huge shopping mall connected to our hotel via skywalk.
We, of course took, a photo of the gigantic Nelson Mandela statue and had tapas al fresco at one of the restaurants on the square. The exchange rate is incredible here and we ordered a ton of tapas (including fried Golden Head Squid) for about $15.
Tomorrow, will be our first REAL (aka well-rested) day of the trip and I’m looking forward to it and the impending sleep that will get me there. Come on, sun down!
Comments