We’ve landed!

Day 1 – Southern Africa

After a pleasant 15-hour flight from New York’s JFK Airport, we arrived in Johannesburg to a rather chilly 48 degrees Fahrenheit!  I managed to catch up on some movies I hadn’t seen which were pretty popular stateside,  namely The Five-Year Engagement, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Artist, and The Hunger Games.  I know I’m leaving something out here.  I also  got a huge, huge kick out of a South African program put on by the BBC, Come Dine with Me South Africa.  I was holding in my laughter since I was in the middle seat, and didn’t want to disrupt my neighbors, but had I been home alone I know I would have been screaming riotously over the narrator’s sarcasm.  Sans Kindle, iPad, paperback, hardback, or magazine, I rode out all but perhaps two of the 15 hours wide-eyed watching those movies I mentioned above along with tv series snippets like Meet the Adebanjos, Modern Family, Great Africans, Extreme Exposures, and more BBC, Discovery, and National Geographic programming that I love.  Had I not been such a stickler about baggage weight restrictions, I’m sure I would have had a mini-library in tow (An iPad is on my wishlist, not in my carry-on, so I’m not yet enjoying the latest advances of the digital revolution.  I know having that or a Kindle will help me cut down on carrying clunky books and magazines that weigh a ton.)

All smiles before boarding

Gate B29 at JFK on the day of our flight

The service onboard our South African Airways flight was quite good, and we were fed a warm lunch of either beef or chicken with mashed potatoes a couple of hours following departure (with complimentary wine in all classes if desired), a salami sandwich a few hours later with a choice of a KitKat or Twix or Twizzlers (can’t remember which as I had neither), and then a breakfast of scrambled eggs or french toast just before we landed in Johannesburg.  The food was far beyond just edible, and though I’ve had far worse, I’ve had better.  No complaints though.  As for the length of the flight, it seems as though the concensus among the group was that it is better to get the long haul flight over with as we did rather than to break it up into multiple segments.

All was well with the world once we landed until we ran smack into one of the corners of the snaking line of travelers headed through immigration.  I had never seen such a line at JNB Airport before, and was surprised as we stood for an hour and 45 minutes until it was our turn to present our documentation.  The agent was very friendly  and flashed a warm smile which completely changed my mood for the better after such a long wait.  We must have arrived at the same time as a slew of other flights.  The volume of people waiting compared to the number of available agents was overwhelming.   Patience is indeed a virtue, and after the immigration agent’s pleasant demeanor, I had to put myself in check, remembering to be grateful for the opportunity to be in South Africa which is certainly worth the long  flight AND immigration wait.

Our Airbus 340

Just landed in Johannesburg to a chilly breeze!

Once we claimed our luggage, and exchanged dollars, pounds, and euro for South African Rand, we were greeted by our driver who admitted he began to worry after not seeing us for so long.  Tiredness really began to set in with me on the way to the hotel, though the other ladies seemed just fine.   They managed to catch some shut-eye on the plane though (thanks to me holding in all that laughter, I’d like to think), so they probably could have stayed awake for a few more hours.  Traffic was light as expected on a Saturday morning on the highway to Johannesburg, so we made it to the Melrose Arch Hotel in about 20 minutes.

On the road to Johannesburg

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted with champagne, and our rooms were ready well in advance of check-in time.  I made a mad dash for the bed after snapping a few shots of the pool area, and slept for about four hours until dinner time.  I did flip on the tv, and was greeted by one of my favorite tv friends, Dr. Oz and then later, Nate Berkus giving design tips of course.  I eventually parked on the BBC News Channel, and got caught up on the latest.  There was an unfortunate incident at one of the platinum mines here in Marikana, according to reports.  I’ll be sure to bring this up with our guide tomorrow for an insider’s perspective that I know I wouldn’t otherwise get from the news.

Later in the evening, after taking a stroll through the Melrose Arch shopping complex (Mommie, the Haagen Dazs photo is just for you!), we landed at Moyo for wine, seafood, chicken, and ostrich fillets.  Everything was excellent, particularly the live music, fire pits, and heat lamps!  We wrapped ourselves in blankets as we dined outside in the plaza.  Sorry for the lack of photos at dinner and the mall, but I was without a tripod and my night shots came out pretty blurry.

My room at the Melrose Arch Hotel

Deep soaking tub!

The pool at the Melrose Arch – a little too cool outside for a swim

Cabanas by the pool

Waiting for sunbathers

Dr. Oz! A familiar face from home appearing on South African airwaves

My house salad, complete with lots of olives

Sorry for the blurriness; we were getting blankets to use during dinner

Starting tomorrow early with a visit to the Cullinan Diamond Mine.  Looking forward to it!