Last Leg

I don’t think either of us got more than a couple hours of sleep – broken up into numerous 15 minute increments – in those tiny little, less-than-comfortable seats. We were thrilled to finally be flying over Namibia…then Botswana, and then finally South Africa.

After our 2 hour layover in Johannesberg, we boarded a smaller SAA plane (with bigger seats, funnily enough) and both Joe and I managed to pass out – with our mouths half open (with drool featuring somewhere in the equation, no doubt) – before even leaving the ground. We were zonked! We chatted to numerous South Africans on the last legs of our trip, and I got to show off my rusty Afrikaans to my enamored husband – it was a blast!

It is remarkable to me what a drastic difference there is between the drab, flat look of Johannesberg from the air, and the gorgeous, colorful and mountainous view over Cape Town. Not biased or anything, but really…Cape Town is just stunning!! I was so sad that my camera was tucked away in my bag because the scenery flying in was absolutely breath-taking!

After picking up our bags we were greeted by 3 beautiful faces; my aunt Ali, and my cousins Rikki and Carla. What a lovely surprise!! It was wonderful watching my hubby get loved on and kissed my family he hadn’t even met before – but oh, the power of being grafted into a South African family – you’re part of the troop immediately!

The ride home was wonderful…driving past stores I had shopped at as a kid, funny looking cars I had grown up surrounded by, patches of mediocre houses, lovely houses, poor houses, and then houses that aren’t really even houses. They may be homes to hundreds and hundreds of people in this country, but cardboard, wood and aluminum by no means is a house. What a world of extremes this incredible country is.

And then we arrived ‘home’. This phenomenal experience requires a whole separate entry…but seeing it’s past midnight here (5:17pm in Michigan) and I haven’t slept much in the last couple days…I will save the rest for the morning.
Goodnight beautiful world.