A few camera phone pix from our long and relatively uneventful flight: 8+ hrs to Dakar then another 9 hrs or so to Jozi.
We didn’t spend too long in Johannesburg – we heard the city was frustrating to navigate and we were less interested in the city and more interested in wildlife. So besides the long hours spent in the airport renting a vodafone and picking up our rental car, we didn’t spend too much time there.
Our original plan was to drive to Pretoria, check in, explore the nightlife, grab dinner, then get a good night’s rest. When we arrived in Pretoria, I think we were both somewhat overwhelmed by the city nightlife: swarms of cop cars, people wandering in the streets and cars parked on the sidewalk as if some outdoor event was taking place. Random people knocking on our window… We drove in circles trying to find the entrance to our hotel’s parking, and when we finally did, discovered it was hidden behind a barricade of security gates, barbed wire and electric fences — something that was unsettling at first, but became normal by end of trip.
Upon check in it was discovered that the hotel never received our reservation. Luckily there were still rooms available. We lugged our crap to our room, settled in, and then realized we didn’t bring the correct plug adapters to charge our camera batteries. So poor Sly left the gated compound and braved the streets of Pretoria in search of an adapter. He came back with one only to discover that we actually DID bring the right adapter — it’s just that South Africa uses three different kinds of outlets. Confusing.
Needless to say, we never did get to experience the night life (well, maybe Sly did a little bit) or restaurants or anything really in Pretoria. We gave up on thoughts of exploring the city and finding dinner, took our malaria medication, and went right to bed.
