So I Moved to Africa...

(Originally posted on Facebook)
June 11, 2013 at 3:26pm

Sorry it took me forever to find the note app on the stupid new facebook - just thought this would be the easiest way to tag people who might want to know what's going on here!

So, in the last week or so, I moved to Africa! I, of course, arrived at JFK very, very early, thanks to the wonderful assistance of Matt and my mom, and after milling around the only International terminal with nonstop construction, terrible food options, and no duty free, I boarded a 15 hour flight to Johannesburg on South African Airways. I had a delicious beef and mushroom pasta meal and once they shut off the lights in the cabin and I switched the personal seat TV to the map channel, I was sound asleep for a solid 8 hours. Oh, I should add, this day also happened to be the luckiest day of my life, and the seat next to me was empty. Empty. I had a row to myself. On a 15 hour flight. Pretty sure I used up all the good karma I had stored up in that one moment. Also, for the first time ever I had purchased one of those goofy looking circular neck pillows. Let me tell you that is the best investment I've ever made. I slept like a baby. For 8 solid hours. I don't even think I can do that in my own bed? Needless to say that neck pillow is coming on every single flight from here on out. So I woke up and watched The Hobbit (serendipitously I had never seen it before and was enraptured for the entire 3 hour movie, which felt like nothing). Hello only 4 hours left! So I flipped the channel to catch a David Attenborough documentary and within the hour I was out again. That man's voice is better than a Lunesta-Xanax cocktail and I was back to drooling on my neck pillow before we hit the coast of Namibia. I was actually somewhat upset I missed his documentary, but I'm sure on the next SAA flight I'll catch the remaining hour or two (or I'll be in a natural history induced coma, both are okay options). Before I knew it I was looking out the window down onto the vast green delta that is southern Botswana. I watched the sun rise as we crossed from Botswana and into South Africa. The landscape changes dramatically to include giant mountains, steep canyons, and patches of farmland in between. It was incredible, even from a plane. Then we landed, and it got even better.


Jo'burg, or Jozi, as it's known to everyone who's ever said Johannesburg more than four times in a conversation, is South Africa's largest city, located in the northeast corner of the country, next to Pretoria (the nation's capital) and the famous Kruger National Park, which sits along the border of Mozambique. Jo'burg has a MASSIVE international airport (JNB), and is the gateway to not only the rest of South Africa, but all of Southern and, arguably, central Africa as well. While I had been to Cape Town International (CPT) and another smaller airport in Port Elizabeth, I had never been to JNB, and needless to say I was impressed. Impressed is kind of an understatement. I was blown away. Not only is the airport insanely large, but it's way bigger than the actual load of people traveling through it, which gives the impression that it's quiet, calm, organized... basically the antithesis of any major airport in the United States, while handling a similar number of travelers. In case you hadn't noticed, I like airports a lot, I generally spend a lot of layover time in them and have a pretty solid idea of what I consider an easy layover and three to four hours of unholy chaos and anarchy. JNB is the easiest airport layover I've ever had, and I'm relatively excited that I'll be flying out of there each time I travel during my stay in South Africa. Unlike in the United States, JNB and all other SA airports board passengers via bus that takes them out to the runway, while overhead, passengers from the same plane disembark via the normal terminal. While this is usually disorienting to the average American who finds themselves in the middle of the airport tarmac, it actually seems to be much more efficient.


So, after several hours of wandering around JNB (massive food courts and shopping malls, all major banks having their own in-airport branches, currency exchanges, etc) I boarded my second flight to Cape Town! Actually, wait, go back a second, I forgot to add that I went through customs... which consisted of picking up my bag at baggage claim, walking down a hallway, and dropping my bag off at the other end of the hallway. At one point someone asked what I planned to do in SA, I said tourism, they stamped my passport. Easiest. Customs. Ever.


Anyway I was back on a plane for a quick (relatively) 2 hour flight down to the furthest south west corner of the country, where it is said that the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. I hopped in a waiting cab after collecting my luggage, (I just have to interject here and explain that in South Africa... no one jostles and fights over the baggage claim. Everyone stands around in an orderly manner and uses their pleases and thank yous to carefully reach for their belongings when it comes around. In your head please contrast this with your most recent memory of a JFK baggage claim after a long flight. Yeah. It was nice.) and I was off to the city bowl!


For those of you who don't remember my last description of Cape Town, let me refresh your memory! Cape Town is a city built in the basin of a valley created by Devils Peak, Table Mountain, Lions Head and Signal Hill. This massive ridgeline sits about 10 minutes away by car from the harbor, and the in between is known as the city bowl, since it's cradled by the mountains (which gradually rise before a giant upward cliff-face is formed of sheer rock) and ocean, and there are only a few main roads that lead outside through the national parks. Since the world cup was hosted here in 2010, Cape Town (as well as the other major cities of South Africa) was treated to brand new roadways and signs, and driving around the city is actually quite easy. I spoke light heartedly with my cab driver, and while neither of us knew the exact location of my destination, we both were able to find it with relative ease, and he was extremely helpful and kind. So I arrived at number 9 King street and met with my landlord, he handed me the keys and I was officially a Cape Town resident!


So a quick description of my neighborhood (it's called Gardens): I'd just like to say that I live in what could be considered the very heart of Cape Town! King street is just a little side street off of Kloof Street, which is the central artery from the waterfront to the base of table mountain, along which there are tons and tons of restaurants, shops, businesses, small malls, pretty much everything you could ever need. 300 yards from my door is a fantastic little grocery store, a vet shop (imagine a pet store run only by licensed veterinarians, very helpful since Buddha is with me!), a glasses maker and repair shop (it's like they knew I'd be living here), a pizza place, an asian restaurant, actually I'm not going to list all of the restaurants because there are about 15 at the intersection of Kloof and King and you'll just have to wait and hear about them individually later. Needless to say, I have all of the comforts of home, much closer to my home than I've ever had before!


Aside from all the wonderful amenities, one of the reasons I came back to Cape Town was the incredible kindness and friendship of the people you meet here. In the first week of living here I've made more neighborhood friends than I think I did my entire stay in Miami, and EVERYONE is kind, polite, helpful and very genuine. It's a difficult thing to explain if you haven't experienced it, but it really makes you appreciative of South African's hospitable spirits.


Every few days I've dedicated some hours to going to my favorite local restaurant (they already have a table there designated as my table, and the owner personally comes to see me when I go to ask how I'm doing/how everything is) to write. As some of you may know I'm in the process of working on a book about the many, many adventures Mandy and I have had around the world, as well as the strange way in which the world has turned in our favor. So each time I head to DaVincis, (critics swear they have the best gourmet pizza in Cape Town), I break out my notebook and get writing - taking down all the stories and events that could possibly be of interest to anyone willing to read about us. Not only do the waiters there all know me, they've all asked about what I'm writing, if they can read/follow my story, and have invited me out numerous times since they know I've been staying by myself, and didn't want me to stay in while Cape Town has so much to offer. Needless to say I am feeling very accepted into my little community!


Alright this is getting very long so I will update more later, the general sentiment though is this is amazing. Buddha is amazing, Cape Town is amazing, life is amazing. More of the same to come! Sorry I'm tagging everyone I think might be interested, I know it's a lot of you, sorry (Just think of this tag as my way of saying I love and miss you beautiful people - oh and if I'm forgetting anyone please just tag them too, I'm just forgetful - I think the majority of you are Mandy's family, anyway).

- Rh