Day 5, Tuesday, May 21, 2013:
Today starts with a quick breakfast before heading off to the airport for my flight to Cape Town. OR Tambo Airport (named for Oliver Tambo)is very easy to get through. I get my baggage checked in short order and have plenty of time to spare before the flight takes off. No lounge (why did I pay for this membership?), so I find a quiet area to settle in with the day's newspaper. When it’s time to board I notice we are all going outside. I quickly realize we are heading for buses! As I get on the bus, packed like sardines, I look out on the tarmac to see that all the planes are boarded from outside via a stairway that takes us to the jetway. Past meets the present. Thank goodness it’s a nice day.
I sit next to a nice old lady who was born in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia in her day). She now lives in SA and is traveling to visit her son; a pastor that spent some time in Texas. We pass the two hour flight in pleasant conversation. I’m met at the airport by a driver from the hotel with a name I can’t pronounce. It has a couple of clicks and guttural sounds. I asked him if he has a nickname and he says no. I tell him I will call him “my friend”.
I arrive at the hotel with a warm greeting from everyone. I’m lucky to get an upgrade to a beautiful suite and a detailed explanation of the layout of the room and options for tours. Syibonga arranges for a safari for the next day and makes suggestions for other tours. After I unpack and get the lay of the land, I grab a bite in the restaurant. The meal is grilled ostrich. Quite good; a bit like beef, but it doesn’t have as strong of a taste and it’s very lean.
After dinner I hop on the hotel shuttle to visit the Victoria & Albert Waterfront. This is a complex of shops and restaurants on the harbor.
I pick up a hat and some sunscreen for the safari. I jump right into bed to be ready for my 7am pickup in the morning.
I sit next to a nice old lady who was born in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia in her day). She now lives in SA and is traveling to visit her son; a pastor that spent some time in Texas. We pass the two hour flight in pleasant conversation. I’m met at the airport by a driver from the hotel with a name I can’t pronounce. It has a couple of clicks and guttural sounds. I asked him if he has a nickname and he says no. I tell him I will call him “my friend”. 
I arrive at the hotel with a warm greeting from everyone. I’m lucky to get an upgrade to a beautiful suite and a detailed explanation of the layout of the room and options for tours. Syibonga arranges for a safari for the next day and makes suggestions for other tours. After I unpack and get the lay of the land, I grab a bite in the restaurant. The meal is grilled ostrich. Quite good; a bit like beef, but it doesn’t have as strong of a taste and it’s very lean. 
After dinner I hop on the hotel shuttle to visit the Victoria & Albert Waterfront. This is a complex of shops and restaurants on the harbor. 
I pick up a hat and some sunscreen for the safari. I jump right into bed to be ready for my 7am pickup in the morning.
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