Hello ZA

After almost 48 hours with limited sleep, I finally arrived at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg yesterday late in the afternoon.

My flight from Colombo was scheduled for 4 am (which would explain why the tickets were so cheap). Hence I arrived at Colombo Airport at a neat 2 am, only to be waiting to board until 4:45, and taking off at 5:30 am. Needless to say, I didn't sleep during this time. I arrived at Abu Dhabi Airport with my connecting flight to Johannesburg on it's last call, and so in a mad rush across the airport, I somehow, amazingly reached my plane to Johannesburg.

I'm not a fan of flying. It's gotten to the point where the novelty of being in the air has worn off and it is just another means to an end. But this flight was surprisingly more pleasant than usual. To be fair, it's probably because this was Etihad and, for the most part, I had been flying with budget airlines previously. I was given a lot of food that was good by airplane standards, and not the brick of mush that I have come to expect, and also given free range on beverages. And to top it all off, Harry Potter was playing on the screen in front.

So Etihad was great. Until I got  to ORTIA and stood at the baggage collection for half an hour, waiting for my bag to turn up. And surprise surprise, it didn't.

And so, an hour of frantic phone calls internationally ensued - luckily it wasn't me making the calls - before I was told that while I had been able to run and make my connecting flight, my luggage had no legs to be able to do the same.

So now, I sit in the hostel waiting for my baggage to arrive - hopefully very soon. It is ridiculously cold, especially considering that I am in shorts and a t shirt. Luckily I have a jacket that I wore, because it didn't fit into my baggage.

My plan for today is to go and check out the Rhino and Lion Park, will post photos later today.

Stay warm amigos,

Matt