Feet on African Soil

My feet are once again on African soil. After 47 hours of traveling, with pit stops in Toronto and Zurich, I have reached my destination. The thought of traveling on another long-haul flight any time soon sends shivers down my spine. Although I have no itinerary for the trip I am now in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Arriving in Jo'burg was chaotic. Prior to arriving in Jo'burg I had read about the horribly long customs/immigration process in the airport. Given that (and the fact that I was in row 43 - second last on the plane) I leisurely made my entrance to South African Customs. I was shocked at the number of people waiting in line and slow pace of line movement. To compound the situation, the FIFA Confederations Cup soccer tournament starts in Joburg this week and at least three teams along with coaches, trainers, and family arrived just before my flight. Almost two hours later I emerged from customs tired and with a fancy label in my passport.

I now find myself in an old mansion on the hills looking down into Joburg. This will be home for the next couple of days. The main goal for tonight is to get a full nights rest for the first time in three days.