Africa - Day 2
Just after midnight our flight departed and we were on our way to South Africa. We were impressed when we got onboard to discover that the inflight entertainment program was different for this leg and there were new movies and TV programs to choose from. This was a bonus considering we had an 11 hour flight ahead of us. The flight went extremely well and I even managed to get some sleep (extremely rare for me) and when we arrived in Johannesburg we were feeling pretty good.
We went to take a quick toilet stop before we went through immigration. It didn't turn out to be so quick. I bent over in the toilet stall to get something out of my bag and I suddenly got a major blood nose. This was all a bit of a surprise since I was probably a child the last time I got a blood nose. Before I even had a chance to grab some toilet paper it was all over my shirt and on my chest. It's extremely lucky I had a spare T-shirt in my bag, otherwise I would of had to enter the country looking like I'd just committed a gruesome murder. There was a long line of women waiting to use the toilets, so by the time I came out I was feeling very embarassed at having hogged one of the few toilets for so long. It didn't really matter too much in the end anyway though, as we still ended up waiting ages for our bags.
It was only 7am by the time we went through customs and our hotel check-in time wasn't until 3pm. We found a food court and spent a few hours there eating snacks and watching the airport goings-on. At about 12 we went outside and found the shuttle bus heading to Emperor's Palace, the casino complex right next to the airport which was to be our home for two nights. Within a few minutes we were checked into our lovely hotel, the Mondior Concorde, and lying down on a comfy bed for the first time in a couple of days.
After napping for a couple of hours we went out to explore the complex and grab an early dinner. It's an amazing place. Inside the food court/shopping area it is designed like a cobbled Italian street, and the lighting and clouds painted on the ceiling give the feeling you are outside, even though you are in air-conditioned comfort. For those of you concerned about safety in Johannesburg we felt extremely safe, both at the airport and at Emperor's Palace. In fact, at all the doors to the complex there are metal detectors to prevent you from bringing your gun inside. You have to deposit them in the firearm storage facility instead!
After a delicious dinner at the Hot Dog Cafe we spent some time sitting and admiring the fountain outside before heading back to our room and having an early night.
We went to take a quick toilet stop before we went through immigration. It didn't turn out to be so quick. I bent over in the toilet stall to get something out of my bag and I suddenly got a major blood nose. This was all a bit of a surprise since I was probably a child the last time I got a blood nose. Before I even had a chance to grab some toilet paper it was all over my shirt and on my chest. It's extremely lucky I had a spare T-shirt in my bag, otherwise I would of had to enter the country looking like I'd just committed a gruesome murder. There was a long line of women waiting to use the toilets, so by the time I came out I was feeling very embarassed at having hogged one of the few toilets for so long. It didn't really matter too much in the end anyway though, as we still ended up waiting ages for our bags.
It was only 7am by the time we went through customs and our hotel check-in time wasn't until 3pm. We found a food court and spent a few hours there eating snacks and watching the airport goings-on. At about 12 we went outside and found the shuttle bus heading to Emperor's Palace, the casino complex right next to the airport which was to be our home for two nights. Within a few minutes we were checked into our lovely hotel, the Mondior Concorde, and lying down on a comfy bed for the first time in a couple of days.
After napping for a couple of hours we went out to explore the complex and grab an early dinner. It's an amazing place. Inside the food court/shopping area it is designed like a cobbled Italian street, and the lighting and clouds painted on the ceiling give the feeling you are outside, even though you are in air-conditioned comfort. For those of you concerned about safety in Johannesburg we felt extremely safe, both at the airport and at Emperor's Palace. In fact, at all the doors to the complex there are metal detectors to prevent you from bringing your gun inside. You have to deposit them in the firearm storage facility instead!
After a delicious dinner at the Hot Dog Cafe we spent some time sitting and admiring the fountain outside before heading back to our room and having an early night.
posted by Rachel & Shanon @ 11:59 PM
0 comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home