Well we made it! And what a beautiful arrival we had. Remember, the last time I was in South Africa, I came by ship, so traveling this far by plane was more than just a bit intimidating. About 23 hrs after we left the house, we arrived in Cape Town. I made a few observations along the way:
1.) Packing enough food for a small army was key. Fruit, egg white sandwiches, even gallon size freezer bags full of salad, and cans of tuna fish were right up my alley and kept me from the limited plane options.
2.) Having said that, the plane food wasn’t so bad! I chose the special SEAFOOD meal option, and I was rockin it out with grilled salmon a few times. It was really good. Try that for your next int’l flight.
3.) So I guess to be honest, I was an active participant in practically a 23 hour nonstop buffet.
4.) The power of a crying woman never fails. After landing at JFK we had to book it for our next leg to Dakar, Senegal. I was in line behind a large African woman in traditional dress when the gate agent took her documents and told her that her passport was six months expired. No travel, PERIOD. She turned to her interpreter and started WAILING. Not crying, BUT WAILING. She covered her face with an extra piece of material that was wrapped around her body and just buried herself in it, head on the counter, hysterical. I felt so bad for her and wondered what she was going to do, because you simply don’t get around rules like that. RIGHT? Wrong. I went to the bathroom and when I came back to board the plane, she was in line right in front of me, not a tear to be seen, no puffy eyes or red face to show any remnants of a crying episode. Just happy as a clam and smiling to be among the rest of the travelers. I tapped her on the shoulder and gave her a thumbs-up, as if to say I’m happy you got on! She smiled and returned the sign. I was absolutely in awe. That African woman knew how to get things done!!
4.) Exit row heaven: CRUCIAL!
5.) No matter where you are on a plane, there will almost always be a screaming/crying child right behind you. Always.
6.) After 8 hours on a plane, the bathrooms are NASTY.
7.) That’s when you double-up on the Ambien to escape it for the next 8 hours.
8.) Danny rocked it out driving on the left side of the road in our cute little white VW.
9.) Nobody looks good after traveling for 23 hours, but we were happy to be here!
We spent the rest of the evening driving the bike course with Ryan and just chilling with a great seafood dinner. Alun Woodward, a pro from the UK, is also staying with us at the crib, and we went for a ride this morning along the bike course. Besides being beautiful, the one word I’d use to describe it here is WINDY. Massively windy!! I’m glad I left the disk wheel at home. It is going to be an interesting ride on Sunday. Also, half of the course is on chipped seal roads that are quite bumpy. Alun is thrilled about it. Me– not so much.
That’s Table Mountain in front of me. We are looking forward to hiking it after the race.
Riding on the left side of the road took some getting used to. The drivers here were so much friendlier towards us on the road compared to the typical abuse in Atlanta!
Rollin’ back into our homestay neighborhood . . .
And something we haven’t seen in a while . . .
Speaking of, it feels weird for this verifiable crackberry addict to be shut down from the Blackberry. But it’s very peaceful here, and so far, we’re really enjoying it. This afternoon, Alun is putting on a swim clinic for some local kids and I plan to jump right in and maybe learn something! Can’t hurt.
More to come! Thanks for checking in. 
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AWESOME! Thanks for sharing those amazing pictures! Wind and bumpy roads? Sounds like a good time…
But as you mentioned, at least the drivers are nicer to you!
I’m in the same boat with the phone! Ugh – I dropped my phone yesterday. So I’m out of service for a few days. But on the other hand it is kind of nice!
Have fun!!
Crying don’t always help.
Best of luck Sunday. Stay focused, and keep us informed.
Be safe, have fun, race like a rock star — and come back prepared for Katie to have lots of questions about Africa!
Amy – did you notice the Pug hanging out the window of that Land Rover? That dog had it’s bug eyes on you. It knows about Shaina. Speaking of which…where is Shaina and her 3 page care manual?
GOOD LUCK AMY!!!!
The drivers were NICER to you??? My word, I would hate to see what your drivers are like. We are always complaining about the drivers here.