Gelato in Johannesburg

Good evening from Johannesburg, South Africa!

The last two days have been busy and a lot of fun! Left our apartment in Amsterdam about 9:00 a.m. yesterday. Because we were carrying rather large, heavy bags, we opted for the bus to the Central Station. Once we arrived at Central Station there was a brief wait in line to buy a train ticket to the airport and we were on our way.

At the airport we checked in for our flight and nervously checked our bags all the way through to Johannesburg.

The one hour flight to Heathrow was uneventful. As it was Business Class, they served almost a full meal in 45 minutes. One of the items on the plate was roasted chick peas. I told Bob to pretend they were 'pre-hummus' and eat them. It just didn't work for him! We ignored most of the meal as we were meeting Mike and Vanessa for lunch upon arrival.

Terminal 5 at Heathrow, newly opened within the last year for British Airways is an amazing place. It does not feel like you are at Heathrow by any stretch of the imagination. In some ways I missed the Heathrow we knew.

Mike and Vanessa live fairly close to the airport so lunch was at a place close to their house. After, we were able to spend a few hours at their house catching up. We had not been there for 9 years. Mike has done an amazing amount of renovation and remodelling. We loved seeing all the changes. As always, we picked up where we last left off in our conversations as good friends do. The topics roamed between politics, economics, health care reform, retirement, jobs, kids....you name it. Good times, good friends!

The flight to Jo'burg left at 7:00 pm. We were back at Heathrow in time to sit for awhile in the BA business class club for awhile before boarding. The 10 hour flight, with seats facing to the rear of the airplane, went very quickly and we both felt like we got a little bit of sleep. The service and crew were excellent and made for a very enjoyable flight.

We landed about 6:15 this morning, a few minutes early. Both of our bags got here - yeah and we were met by a pre-arranged driver who took us to our hotel. The room wasn't quite ready but there was a lounge area with newspapers and  internet access available to pass the time.

I think it may have been Brian, who mentioned that South Africa was hosting the World Cup in 2010. Everywhere you look there are billboard reminders, countdowns till day1 for what must the biggest event here since Mandela.

The foliage in Johannesburg took me be surprise. The trees and plants reminded me very much of Southern California. There are palm trees, bottle brush, row and rows of jacaranda trees and multiple colors of bougainvillea everywhere. Very pretty. Not surprisingly, the people are incredibly gracious and friendly.

After a brief nap and showers, we headed out.

We are staying in a area called Sandton, the Beverly Hills and financial centre of Jo'Burg. Sandton City  is an all inclusive area with a mall, restaurants and hotels all together. As this city can be dangerous, it is apparently the preferred area to stay. It is also the area Bob knows as he stayed here for 3 months when he worked here 7 years ago. We had a light lunch in the area and then took a cab to the Rosebank Mall. Another area nearby that Bob had been to while he was working here. The mall has typical shops and restaurants but also a very nice African Arts and Crafts area. We spent a little time in there, talking to the local stall owners, buying a few trinkets and enjoying the atmosphere. Every vendor trying to entice Bob into his stall called him 'Papa' (I wasn't Papa 7 yrs ago, aging gracelessly I imagine). They all had the best deal for him and  the most unique items(almost as unique as the adjacent stall). Dinner was at a restaurant by our hotel. Afterward, chocolate gelato from a stand inside the mall. It was wonderful!

Tomorrow is when the next adventure begins! We are being picked up shortly after 9:00 am and heading to the airport. Our first game drive will be the tomorrow evening. Very exciting!

The link to pics is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14356799@N06/collections/72157622432557149/